Internet News Record
Edition
Schwarzenegger recalls political advice from
Kennedy
By Peter Cooney (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 12:30:07 AM
By Ross Kerber
BOSTON - Standing just a few
feet from the flag-draped casket
of Senator Edward Kennedy,
California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger shared the best
political advice he said he ever
got from the uncle of his
wife, Maria Shriver. When
speaking in public, stay away
from the specifics.
”He was a big believer in giving
the broad vision,”
Schwarzenegger told
Reuters. Once you start getting
into details, the questions never
stop, the Republican governor
said Kennedy, a Democratic Party
titan, once told him, adding,
“They’ll always try to squeeze
you for more details.”
Schwarzenegger spoke at the
end of an all-star political
gathering at the library and
museum for the senator’s late
brother President John F.
Kennedy. Billed as a
“celebration” of the
Massachusetts senator’s life and
career, the event was also part
wake and part political seminar as
political figures told tale after tale
about Kennedy, long a towering
figure in U.S. politics.
There was the time Kennedy
tried to squeeze into a subcompact
c a r w i t h f e l l o w
heavyweight, Boston Mayor
Thomas Menino. Arizona
Republican Senator John McCain
recounted delightful squabbles on
the floor of the U.S. Senate.
Speaking before picture
28/08/09 - 29/08/09
windows overlooking the Boston
skyline, former Iowa Senator John
Culver, who played football with
Kennedy at Harvard University in
the 1950s, got the biggest laughs
from the crowd of more than a
thousand. Culver recalled how the
young Kennedy once dragged the
unknowing Midwesterner to a
near-death experience crewing his
sailboat in rough seas.
“After a while, I was more
terrified of him than the storm,”
Culver said.
LibertyNewsprint.com U.S.
Days after Kennedy’s death on
Tuesday at age 77 from brain
cancer, the gathering was
another reminder of the Kennedy
family’s drawing power. Scores
of police and Secret Service
agents shut down roads leading to
the library and set up a rope line
to keep more than 100 journalists
and their cameras at bay at the
museum entrance.
More of the evening was spent
in laughter rather than tears.
Kennedy would have wanted it
that way, said Gerry Adams,
leader of Sinn Fein, a political
party in Northern Ireland and the
Irish Republic.
“Ted Kennedy was full of
crack,” Adams said, using an Irish
expression for fun and mischief
rather than a drug reference. “I
know that has a different meaning
here.”
Photo credit: REUTERS/Brian
Snyder (Attendees watch video at
Boston memorial service for
Senator Edward Kennedy)
Flower Pot Ice Cream is
my Personal Chocolate-
y, Worm-Filled Fantasy
[Ice Cream]
By Rosa Golijan (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 8:00:00 PM
Look, I may have eaten a whole
chocolate Apple tablet, but I think
I could still handle devouring one
of these flower pot ice creams (by
"devouring" I, of course, mean
"daintily eating in the most lady-
like manner possible").
The recipe is as simple as can
be: grab a flower pot, toss in some
chocolate ice cream, add gummy
worms (or gummy bears if you're
feeling odd), throw on some
crushed up brownies, maybe a
few chocolate chips, and stick in a
flower or two. Ta Da. Instant
Rosa bait. [ The Pioneer Woman
Cooks via Worth the Whisk]
2 Politics/ Finance/ Tech News/
Senator Kennedy’s final resting spot
By Andy Sullivan (Front Row
Washington)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 1:58:40 PM
Senator Edward Kennedy will be
buried on Saturday near his
brothers, former President John F.
Kennedy and former Senator
Robert F. Kennedy, at Arlington
National Cemetery.
The site is about 200 feet south
of the eternal flame that marks
John Kennedy’s grave, a popular
tourist draw directly across the
river from Washington.
Robert Kennedy’s gravesite,
marked by a simple white wooden
cross, lies about 95 feet away.
It was not clear what type of
headstone will be on Teddy
Kennedy’s site, or whether it will
include a granite plaza similar to
those of his brothers, a cemetery
spokesperson said.
All three sites are on a steep
The First Draft: Drag out that vacation a bit
By Deborah Charles (Front
Row Washington)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 5:35:36 AM
For some Americans —
including the president – there’s
just one last week of summer
before work and school get back
into full swing.
President Barack Obama found
out that as president, sometimes a
vacation isn’t always a break from
work. So he decided to extend his
time off a bit by going to Camp
David next week after
returning from Martha’s
Vineyard.
While on the Vineyard Obama
grassy hillside, directly below the
graceful mansion that was home
to Robert E. Lee, the general who
led Confederate troops in the
Civil War.
The U.S. government seized the
property during the war. As the
interrupted his family holiday a
couple of times. First, to
announce his renomination of Ben
Bernanke as chairman of the
Federal Reserve and then to speak
after his friend, Senator Edward
Kennedy, died of cancer.
He and his family have been
spotted out cycling and playing
golf. They went out on the town a
few nights for dinner but it
probably hasn’t been the most
restful vacation. An escape to
Camp David — where the press
are not allowed — could be just
what he needs to charge up before
battles on healthcare resume when
Congress returns in September.
body count mounted, U.S.
generals turned the property into a
military cemetery to ensure it
would have no commercial value
were Lee to return. Lee’s son won
the property back in court, then
sold it to the government for
$150,000.
The cemetery now holds the
remains of more than 300,000
veterans of all of the nation’s
wars, from the American
Revolution through the conflicts
in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are
roughly 6,400 funerals each year.
Kennedy will join 155 other
members of Congress who are
buried at the cemetery.
Photo credit: REUTERS/Jim
Young (Funeral planners look
over the site where Kennedy will
be buried)
Obama’s spokesman Bill Burton
promised that after Obama had
time to “recharge his batteries”
and spend time with his family
Microsoft, Sony, and the
cheaper Xbox 360
By Steven Mallas
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 5:30:00 PM
Filed under: Microsoft (MSFT),
Sony Corp ADR (SNE),
Electronic Arts (ERTS),
Activision Inc (ATVI),
Technology, Nintendo (NTDOY)
So you've heard the news I'm
s u r e . M i c r o s o f t
Corporation(NASDAQ: MSFT) is
not standing still in the video-
game wars. It recently reduced the
price of the Xbox 360 Elite
system by $100. We now have
parity between an Xbox 360 unit
and a Sony Corporation(NYSE:
SNE) PlayStation 3 console.
It's going to be interesting to see
how hardware sales perform in
the coming months. Intuitively,
one would have to expect a bump
during vacation he would “come
back as rip-roaring as he was
before.”
Battles over healthcare,
questions over how the CIA
handled prisoner abuse cases and
the economic recovery will all be
waiting for Obama.
For more Reuters political news,
click here.
Photo credit: Reuters/Jason
Reed (Obama and his family
wave as they tour historic
lighthouse on Martha’s Vineyard)
Internet News Record
in the number of units sold for
both companies. But which one
will win out?
Continue reading Microsoft,
Sony, and the cheaper Xbox 360
Microsoft, Sony, and the
cheaper Xbox 360 originally
appeared on BloggingStocks on
Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST.
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feeds. Read| Permalink| Email
this| Comments
Sony Sides With
Google in 'Library of
Future' Settlement
By Ryan Singel (Wired Top
Stories)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:44:00 AM
Sony comes to Google's rescue
in the controversial Book Search
settlement, which lets the search
giant create the library of the
future. Other tech companies hate
it, but Sony says it will be good
for its e-book reader.
Internet News Record
Name-recalling in healthcare fight:
Wellstone, Kennedy
By Tabassum Zakaria (Front
Row Washington)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 12:52:28 PM
The healthcare fight has turned
into a power struggle over names.
Conservatives have the sirens
out warning about the“Wellstone
effect” in a jab at trying to knock
out any inclination Liberals may
have to capitalize on the Kennedy
name in pursuing healthcare
overhaul, one of Senator Edward
Kennedy’s signature issues.
Trouble is that the Wellstone
analogy doesn’t automatically
jump out for everyone.
It takes a bit of digging into the
memory banks (or perhaps
Googling) to refresh the brain
cells that the reference is to the
2002 memorial service for
Democrat Senator Paul Wellstone
which was criticized for turning
into a political event. Backlash
contributed to Democrats losing
that Senate seat.
Conservatives may be worrying
that the emotional effect from
Senator Edward Kennedy’s death
No surprise, Ford sees sales boost in August
By Michael Fowlkes
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:20:00 PM
Filed under: Forecasts, Good
news, Products and services,
Consumer experience, Ford Motor
(F) It should not come as any
surprise, but Ford Motor
Company(NYSE: F) announced
today that August saw an industry
wide increase in auto sales.
Of course, the increase in sales
may swing the healthcare debate
toward the left, especially after
Senator Robert Byrd proposed
stamping Kennedy’s name on the
legislation.
But analysts say while the
Kennedy name is powerful, it is
unlikely to shift the balance in the
healthcare debate.
“I don’t think it will bring any
Republicans aboard, they have
decided not to legislate, but to
can be attributed to the highly
popular "cash for clunkers"
program that brought auto buyers
out in huge numbers. The August
increase is the first time auto sales
have moved higher in over 2
oppose and to kill (healthcare
reform). And it may stiffen the
spine of a few Democrats,”
Thomas Mann, senior fellow of
governance studies at The
Brookings Institution, said.
Click here for more Reuters
political coverage
Photo credit: Reuters/Eric
Miller (Memorial service for
Wellstone in 2002)
years.
Continue reading No surprise,
Ford sees sales boost in August
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boost in August originally
appeared on BloggingStocks on
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Politics/ Finance/ Tech News/
Kennedy funeral on the Web
By Deborah Charles (Front
Row Washington)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 7:24:36 AM
If you aren’t near a tv set this
morning and want to watch
Senator Edward Kennedy’s
f u n e r a l , g o t o
http://tedkennedy.org/live
The website that was set up just
after Kennedy died from cancer is
full of details on arrangements for
the funeral, the procession and the
Mercedes Makes a Small Bet on Hydrogen
By Chuck Squatriglia (Wired
Top Stories)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 12:22:00 PM
3
burial at Arlington Cemetery.
The funeral begins at 10:30 a.m.
Eastern time (1430 GMT) and is
expected to last two hours.
President Barack Obama will
deliver the eulogy. Cellist Yo-Yo
Ma will play and opera star
Placido Domingo will sing at the
funeral at a Roman Catholic
basilica in Boston.
Photo credit: Reuters/Mike
Segar (Program for funeral of
Senator Kennedy)
We'll see a (very) small number
of hydrogen fuel cell cars from
Mercedes by the end of the year.
4 Top News/ Internet News Record

Many missed chances to catch kidnapping suspect (AP)

(Yahoo! News: U.S. News) The outrage came as a sheriff's Garrido over the years. Her two feeling." Phil."
Submitted at 8/29/2009 5:06:04 AM department acknowledged that it children, 11 and 15, remained She ran a background check on "I told her to call police. I told
missed an opportunity to arrest with her. Garrido and notified his probation her to call right away," he said.
ANTIOCH, Calif. – Jaycee Lee Garrido in 2006 after the neighbor "Jaycee has strong feelings with officer. On Wednesday, Garrido Garrido was required to register
Dugard has been subjected to complaint about children in the this guy. She really feels it's arrived at the probation officer's as a sex offender because he was
what police say was nearly a yard. almost like a marriage," said building with his wife, the two convicted in 1977 of kidnapping a
lifetime of torment in a backyard "We missed an opportunity to Dugard's stepfather Carl Probyn, girls and a woman who initially 25-year-old woman from parking
compound set up by a religious bring earlier closure to this who was there when little Jaycee identified herself as Allissa. She lot in South Lake Tahoe, the same
zealot with a rap sheet dating to situation," Contra Costa County was snatched from a bus stop in turned out to be Dugard and town Jaycee Dugard lived in
the 1970s. Prosecutors say she Sheriff Warren E. Rupf said. "I 1991. investigators said Garrido when she was kidnapped.
was raped and had two children cannot change the course of Probyn has been in constant confessed to the kidnapping. He was convicted of raping the
by her captor, who hid her from e v e n t s b u t w e a r e b e a t i n g contact with Dugard's mother, his The authorities say they do not woman multiple times at a Reno
the outside world. ourselves up over this and ex-wife Terry Probyn, since she yet know whether she ever tried to storage unit that the investigator
But it became increasingly clear continue to do so." found out her daughter was alive escape or to alert anyone of her from the case described as a "sex
Friday that this 18-year nightmare "We should have been more on Wednesday. whereabouts, but she had chances palace." It featured various sex
did not have to be for Dugard, inquisitive, more curious and Probyn said both mother and to escape Garrido, who did a stint aids, sex magazines and videos,
with new details surfacing that turned over a rock or two." daughter are trying to avoid the behind bars during the period of stage lights, wine, and a bed, said
authorities blew numerous Garrido and his wife pleaded public eye for now. After not captivity. DeMaranville.
chances to catch her alleged not guilty Friday to a total of 29 seeing each other for 18 years, Authorities had a chance to He served about 10 years of a
captor. counts, including forcible Dugard greeted her mother by catch him, too. 50-year federal sentence for
Neighbors complained to law a b d u c t i o n , r a p e a n d f a l s e saying, "Hi, mom, I have babies," Garrido met with his parole kidnapping, and less than a year
enforcement that a psychotic sex imprisonment. Phillip Garrido according to Probyn. Dugard had agent several times each month for a concurrent Nevada sentence
addict was in their midst, alarmed appeared stoic and unresponsive her two daughters with her at the and was subject to routine of five years to life in prison for
that Phillip Garrido was housing during the brief arraignment reunion, and it appears she never surprise home visits and random sexual assault. He was paroled in
young girls in backyard tents. A hearing. His wife cried and put told them she was kidnapped by drug and alcohol tests, California 1988, said Nevada Department of
deputy showed up to investigate, her head in her hands several their father, he said. Department of Corrections and Corrections spokeswoman
but never went beyond the front times. She is now free thanks in large Rehabilitation spokesman Gordon Suzanne Pardee.
porch. Garrido gave a rambling, part to two quick-thinking police Hinkle said. The last A violation of Garrido's parole
Probation officers showed up at sometimes incoherent phone employees at the University of unannounced visit by a team of conditions sent him back to
the home, too, but had no inkling interview to KCRA-TV from the California, Berkeley who came local police agencies was federal prison from April to
that his back yard was actually a county jail Thursday in which he across a rambling Garrido this conducted in July 2008. August of 1993. Dick Carelli,
labyrinth of tents, sheds and said he had not admitted to a week, with Dugard's two "There was never any indication spokesman for the federal Office
buildings that were Dugard's kidnapping and that he had turned daughters in tow. He was on to my knowledge that there was of Court Administration, did not
prison. They did not even know his life around since the birth of campus because he wanted to any sign of children living there," know what Garrido did to violate
he had children on the premises. his first daughter 15 years ago. hold some sort of religious event. Hinkle said. parole.
Garrido also wore a GPS-linked Meanwhile, Garrido came under Garrido seemed incoherent and As it turns out, Dugard and her Monica Adams, 33, whose
ankle bracelet that tracked his suspicion in the unsolved murders mentally unstable, and the girls two children were living there as mother lives on their street, said
every movement, the result of his of several prostitutes in the 1990s, wore drab-colored dresses, were prisoners, authorities say. The she knew Phillip Garrido was a
sex-crime convictions that sent raising the prospect he was a unusually subdued, had an heavily wooded compound was sex offender and that he had
him away to Leavenworth for a 50 serial killer as well. Several of the unnaturally pale complexion and arranged so that people could not children living with him. Other
-year stint, only to get paroled women's bodies the exact number appeared robotic and rehearsed view what was happening, and neighbors knew, too, but they
after 10 years. is not known were dumped near when they spoke, said Lisa one of the buildings was sound- assumed police were keeping tabs
"Why is he out and about?" said an industrial park where Garrido Campbell. They said they were proofed and could only be opened on him.
D a n D e M a r a n v i l l e , w h o worked during the 1990s. Police home-schooled by their mother from the outside. "He never bothered any one, he
investigated Garrido in the 1970s executed a search warrant at his and had a 29-year-old sister at Damon Robinson has lived next kept to himself," Adams said.
rape case in Nevada. "If he's on home Friday in the investigation. home. door to the Garridos for more than "What would we have done? You
lifetime parole, where was his Dugard, now 29, was reunited "They seemed a little out of three years and his then-girlfriend just watch your own."
parole officer? The guy was a sick with her family and said to be in touch with reality and robotic," in 2006 told him she saw tents in Probyn said he was frustrated to
puppy, and should have been good health, but feeling guilty said Campbell's colleague, Ally the backyard and children. Kids
neutered before he was paroled." about developing a bond with Jacobs. "I just got a weird uneasy on the block called him "Creepy MANY page 7
Internet News Record Top News/ 5

Police 'sorry' for kidnap blunder

(BBC News | Americas | World but I turned my life completely
Edition) around," Mr Garrido told KCRA
Submitted at 8/29/2009 2:04:14 AM television from El Dorado County
jail.
Police in the US have apologised Court records show that Mr
for missing an opportunity in Garrido was convicted of
2006 to find kidnap victim Jaycee kidnapping and raping a 25-year-
Lee Dugard who was freed after old woman in South Lake Tahoe
18 years in captivity. in 1976.
Phillip and Nancy Garrido have Unless Dugard was kept under
denied abducting Ms Dugard lock and key for the entire 18
when she was 11 and keeping her years of her captivity, over the
in a shed as a sex slave. next few days, certainly there will
Police are now searching the be an abundance of pieces about
Garrido home in Antioch for clues Stockholm syndrome and
to several prostitute murders in wondering why she didn't ask for
the 1990s. help before... If Dugard's captors
Several bodies in the unsolved gave her any freedom, locals will
murders were dumped near an start piping up about how she
industrial park where Mr Garrido went to the grocery store or to the
worked. park, suggesting that she could
Ms Dugard and two children she have fled at any time.
bore in captivity in Antioch, 200 Torie Bosch, blogging at
miles (320km) away from where DoubleX, speculates about the
she was abducted, were freed this
week. California home in November Francisco after being reunited emerged after Mr Garrido was reasons why Jaycee Dugard did
not escape.
Phillip and Nancy Garrido 2006, when a neighbour alerted with Ms Dugard's mother, Terri called in along with his "family" Over the last 18 years I have
denied 29 charges including them to suspicious behaviour Probyn. for a parole office hearing on
o f ten thought about what
k i d n a p , r a p e a n d f a l s e there. Her step-father, Carl Probyn, Wednesday.
happened to Jaycee. Every time
imprisonment when they appeared "The caller said Garrido was saw his step-daughter being Please turn on JavaScript.
there was a news report about the
briefly in court in El Dorado psychotic and had a sexual snatched from a bus stop in 1991. Media requires JavaScript to play. discovery of bones in California, I
County on Friday. addiction," Sheriff Warren Rupf His now estranged wife told him Sheriff Warren E Rupf: "We
Please turn on JavaScript. told reporters. that Ms Dugard appeared young missed an opportunity to bring would follow up to see if it was
But the investigating police but healthy. earlier closure" the remains of Jaycee. It never
Media requires JavaScript to play. was. Over 18 years my mind
Phillip Garrido and his spouse officer only spoke to Mr Garrido She added that her daughter felt Suspicions had been aroused
and did not enter his property to "really guilty for bonding with when Mr Garrido, who has a wandered back to me sitting in
Nancy denied all charges in court
Mr Garrido, 58, a convicted carry out a search. this guy", Mr Probyn told CBS printing business, was seen acting Jaycee's bedroom with Terry, how
rapist and kidnapper, is suspected "I'm first in line to offer news. suspiciously towards the children neat and tidy it was, ready for her
of fathering Ms Dugard's children organisational criticism and to Mr Probyn said: "Jaycee has as he tried to enter the University return. I hadn't thought about
Jaycee in a while, until today.
while he kept her in his backyard. offer my apologies to the victims strong feelings with this guy. She of California, Berkeley, campus to Anthony Batson, formerly a
He and his wife Nancy, 54, are and accept responsibility for really feels it's almost like a hand out religious literature.
h a v i n g m i s s e d a n e a r l i e r marriage." Diane Doty, a neighbour, said producer for America's Most
accused of abducting her in the
town of South Lake Tahoe, in the opportunity," said Sheriff Rupf. 'A disgusting thing' she often heard children playing Wanted, remembers the day he
Sierra Nevada Mountains. The suspects are being held Fred Kollar, undersheriff in El in the backyard, and wondered interviewed Jaycee Dugard's
parents.
Ms Dugard was bundled into a without bail and a further court Dorado County, described finding why they were living in tents Though the investigation is now
car in the county in 1991 as she hearing has been scheduled for 14 a makeshift compound in the The alleged abductor has
ongoing, perhaps more details
waited at a bus stop on her way to September. backyard consisting of sheds, himself told a US TV channel that
'Like a marriage' tents and outbuildings. his story was "heart-warming". will emerge [about Nancy
school.
Bus stop abduction Ms Dugard and her children are The true identity of the "It's a disgusting thing that took Garrido's] role in this 18-year
Police visited the Garrido staying at a motel near San backyard's inhabitants only place with me at the beginning,
POLICE page 6
6 Top News/ Tech News/
Thousands in Boston Offer Final Tribu... - New
York Times
(Most Popular - Google News)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 7:18:02 AM
BOSTON Thousands of people
lined the rainy streets filled the
rows of a church in a diverse
Boston neighborhood on Saturday
morning to pay tribute to Senator
Edward M. Kennedy in a funeral
that seemed as large as the life of
the man being commemorated.
President Obama was preparing
to deliver the eulogy before an
audience of 1,500 at Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Basilica, where
Mr. Kennedy had once prayed
daily. The guests included former
presidents, dozens of senators and
Congressional representatives,
celebrities and dignitaries from
around the world.
Seven priests were celebrating
the funeral Mass for Mr.
Kennedy, who died Tuesday at
77. The Italian tenor Placido
Domingo was scheduled to sing,
and the cellist Yo-Yo Ma was set
to play a piece from Bach.
As members of Mr. Kennedy’s
extended family exchanged hugs
and handshakes with the guests
inside the church, crowds of his
constituents began to line the
streets to watch a funeral
procession carry Mr. Kennedy’s
coffin through Boston and pay
tribute to a man they called an
irreplaceable political icon.
As a steady rain fell, they stood
under umbrellas, waved flags and
held signs reading “Kennedy
Thanks,” which had been
distributed by the mayor of
Boston, Thomas M. Menino.
One man, David Higgins, was
an Irish immigrant who credited
Mr. Kennedy with helping him
get a visa. Another, Maureen
McQuillen, volunteered as a
greeter at Mr. Kennedy’s wake on
Thursday. Members of a health-
care union stood in purple jackets
and said Mr. Kennedy had helped
labor in “innumerable ways.”
“I came as a sign of respect,”
said Millie Rooney, 56, who lives
in Boston’s Dorchester section.
“Today we had to be here, yes to
see but more to feel. This is being
a part of it.”
A day earlier, the extended
Kennedy family gathered at the
John F. Kennedy Presidential
Library and Museum on Friday
evening to celebrate the life and
mourn the death of its patriarch.
Mr. Kennedy was remembered
as a public servant, a sailor, a
statesman, a raconteur and a
generous friend and family man.
His nephew Joseph P. Kennedy II,
a former congressman who is the
second-eldest child of Robert F.
Kennedy, recalled Senator
Kennedy’s stepping in as
surrogate father to the children of
his slain brothers.
Joseph Kennedy said that after
his father’s assassination in 1968,
“we just needed someone to hang
on to, and Teddy was always
there to hang on to.” “He had such
a big heart,” Mr. Kennedy said,
“and he shared that heart with all
of us.”
Later in the program, Vice
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. told
of how Mr. Kennedy had
consoled him after the death of his
wife and daughter in a car
accident just after he had been
elected to the Senate in 1972, the
beginning of a close 36-year
friendship.
Internet News Record
POLICE
continued from page 5
saga. Was it fear that kept Nancy
silent? Or does this just go to
show how some women can
overlook the monster in their
“He crept into my heart, and of his thought where the sick were husbands?
before I knew it, he owned a piece healed, the spear broken and the YourTango's Julie Leung turns
of it,” Mr. Biden said. “Today I stranger welcomed,” he said. the spotlight on Phillips Garrido's
was thinking about how I Paul G. Kirk Jr., a longtime wife.
wouldn’t be standing here were it Kennedy family adviser and The fact that various
n o t f o r T e d d y K e n n e d y . I chairman of the Kennedy library, acquaintances thought Garrido
wouldn’t be vice president of the said Mr. Kennedy “bore more hurt was crazy and actually saw
United States. I wouldn’t even be and heartache than most humans Dugard and her daughters reveals
a United States senator.” are ever asked to endure.” And how willing we sometimes are to
After his diagnosis of brain yet, Mr. Kirk added, he loved to ignore the strange behavior of
cancer in May of last year, Mr. laugh and make others laugh, lead others, and how this willingness
Kennedy had time to help plan family singalongs and spin can sometimes allow criminals to
Friday’s sendoff. The speakers glorious tales. operate with impunity for years.
and the guests reflected his rich “Be at peace, my friend,” Mr. Jezebel's Anna N wonders
and varied life: family and Kirk concluded. “America will be whether Mr Garrido's neighbours
friends, aides and constituents, in your debt forever.” could have been more vigilant.
local politicians and national One of Mr. Kennedy’s closest Print Sponsor
statesmen. personal and political friends,
The service, formally called “A Senator Christopher J. Dodd of
Celebration of Life,” bore many Connecticut, shared what he
of the hallmarks of an Irish wake: believed was the secret of Mr.
prayer and song, robust laughter Kennedy’s success as a lawmaker
and quiet tears. in his nearly 47 years in the NASA's Most
The memorial took place in the Senate.
same stark, maple-paneled room “People liked him,” Mr. Dodd Awesomely Weird
where thousands of mourners had said in explaining why even some Mission Patches
come to view Mr. Kennedy’s of his harshest ideological critics
coffin on Thursday and Friday. have spoken so well of him since By Alexis Madrigal (Wired Top
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling his death. “He always had a great Stories)
windows, the lights of the Boston staff and great ideas, but that only Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:37:00 AM
skyline blinked on as rain and counts for so much in the United
darkness fell. States Senate if you lack the Perhaps the best habit NASA
Among the speakers were respect and admiration of your picked up from the military is
senators of both political parties, colleagues. And Teddy earned making patches for its missions.
longtime Kennedy family advisers that respect.” Here we go through the some of
and his niece Caroline Kennedy. “We will remember him for the the strangest, including ones
The invocation was delivered by largeness of his spirit,” Mr. Dodd featuring a Teenage Mutant Ninja
the Rev. Gerry Creedon, pastor of said, “the depth of his passion, his Turtle and Stephen Colbert.
St. Charles Borromeo Roman p e r s i s t e n c e i n t h e f a c e o f
Catholic Church in Arlington, adversity and the breadth of his
Va., a counselor to Mr. Kennedy achievements.”
for more than 30 years. Abby Goodnough and Matt
In the fullness of his life, Father Collette contributed reporting.
Creedon said, Mr. Kennedy
suffered through wakeful nights,
but also dreamed. “He gave flesh
to that dream, to the noble house
Internet News Record
18 years of missed chances to find ki... - San
Francisco Chronicle
(Most Popular - Google News)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 12:12:58 AM
During the time prosecutors say
Garrido, a registered sex offender,
kept Jaycee Lee Dugard prisoner,
he had two daughters with her and
allegedly housed all three in tents
and sheds in a walled-off
backyard on unincorporated land
near Antioch. State and federal
agencies had the job of watching
over him during those years, and
local law enforcement had the
responsibility to investigate any
suspicion of criminal activity.
But despite that monitoring -
including twice monthly visits
recently by a state parole officer -
Garrido's lair escaped discovery.
"This guy was definitely very
elusive, very stealthy in what he
was doing," said Gordon Hinkle,
spokesman for the state parole
agency, which was charged with
monitoring the 58-year-old sex
offender for the last decade. "He
had a fence, basically a false front
where he had a secret yard."
Hinkle said the Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation
was proud of its role in breaking
the case - a parole agent followed
up on suspicions raised by UC
Berkeley police Tuesday - but
said there would be a review of
how well Garrido was supervised.
No finger pointing
He stressed that "we think it's
inappropriate to be pointing
fingers at any law enforcement
agency."
The leader of one local law
enforcement agency, however,
admitted Friday to a sloppy
investigation that missed an
opportunity to rescue Dugard and
her girls nearly three years ago
from the man some neighbors
called "Creepy Phil."
Contra Costa County Sheriff
Warren Rupf said that after a
neighbor called 911 with a report
that young children were living in
squalor in Garrido's backyard, the
responding deputy never asked to
look at the yard and concluded
that at most he was dealing with a
code violation.
"We are beating ourselves up
over this," the sheriff said at a
news conference in Martinez. "I'm
first in line to offer organizational
criticism, offer my apologies to
the victims and accept
responsibility." Girls in the yard
Rupf said the 911 call came
Nov. 30, 2006. He would not
identify the caller, but other law
enforcement sources said it was
Erika Pratt, who was staying next
door to Garrido.
Pratt, 25, told The Chronicle on
Thursday that she had seen "little
girls and women" living in
Garrido's backyard, but that when
sheriff's deputies came out to the
paroled sex offender's home, they
told her they couldn't go inside
because they didn't have a
warrant.
Pratt said Garrido had told her
boyfriend that "he was a sex
addict."
An unidentified deputy sent out
to the house on Walnut Avenue
stayed for half an hour, deemed
the situation to be a potential code
violation and concluded that
"there was not any criminal
misbehavior," Rupf said.
The deputy did not ask to see
the backyard. He left after
warning Garrido that no one
should be living outside in a
residential neighborhood, Rupf
said. Missed opportunity
The sheriff said the deputy did
not know that Garrido was a
registered sex offender. A warrant
would not have been needed to
search a paroled sex offender's
property.
"We missed an opportunity to
bring earlier closure to this
situation," Rupf said. "This is not
an acceptable outcome.
Organizationally, we should have
been more inquisitive, more
curious and turned over a rock or
two."
Hinkle said the Sheriff's
Department did not pass along the
2006 tip to the state corrections
department, nor did it alert parole
officers to an investigation last
year into whether Garrido bilked a
neighbor who had moved into an
elder care home. No charges were
lodged in that case.
The state parole agency took
over monitoring Garrido in 1999,
Hinkle said. For the previous 11
years, since being released from
prison on a forcible rape and
kidnapping conviction, Garrido
was overseen by federal parole
officials.
Hinkle said detailed records of
Garrido's state supervision were
not yet available. But, he said, the
parole agent who was assigned to
monitor Garrido since December
had been making two or three
monthly visits to his home.
Supporting agent
"He had no violations while we
had him under supervision,"
Top News/ Tech News/
Hinkle said.
As for the failure to find the
backyard compound, he said: "We
are standing by our agent - he
acted appropriately. Our review
will deal with what level of search
is appropriate."
The head of the San Francisco
federal parole office, Yador
Harrell, declined comment about
the time Garrido was under
federal supervision.
Even a surprise visit to
Garrido's home in July 2008 by a
multiagency task force, checking
up on local sex offenders, turned
up no sign of children, Rupf and
Antioch police said.
A private investigator whom
Garrido hired recently to vouch
for a device through which he
claimed he could talk to God, said
authorities fell down on the job.
Ralph Hernandez, a former
police officer, said he visited
Garrido's home last year and met
his wife and a young girl.
Although he saw nothing
suspicious himself, parole
officials should have done more
than just look around the inside of
the home, he said.
"They should have done
unannounced visits," Hernandez
said. "There were a lot of chances
for them to solve this early on.
They blew it."
E-mail the writers at
jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com,
hlee@sfchronicle.com and
kfagan@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page A
- 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
7
MANY
continued from page 4
find out that a car matching the
description of the one he saw
speeding Dugard away in the day
she was kidnapped was found in
the yard of Garrido's home.
Nancy Garrido also fits the "dead-
on" description he gave of the
woman who pulled her into the
car, he said.
"He had every break in the
world," Probyn said of Garrido's
close encounters with the law.
___
Associated Press Writers Don
Thompson in Sacramento,
Terence Chea in Berkeley, Paul
Elias in San Francisco, Juliet
Williams in Placerville, Michelle
Rindels in Orange, Calif., and
Martin Griffith in Reno, Nev.,
contributed to this story.
Britain's Top Car Nut
Bullish on Green Racing
Tech
By Tony Borroz (Wired Top
Stories)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:33:00 AM
Lord Drayson tells us how auto
racing can go green, and why
green racing isn't an oxymoron.
8 Top News/ Finance/
For immigrants, Kennedy remained tireless
advocate (AP)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 6:34:59 AM
BOSTON – Before 1965, Leticia
Hermosa had little chance of
crossing the Pacific to the U.S.
from the Philippines. Hermosa, a
nurse, and others like her just
couldn't get through the strict U.S.
immigration quota system, which
favored Western Europeans and
essentially excluded those from
Asia and Latin America.
But after Sen. Edward Kennedy
pushed through the Immigration
and Nationality Act of 1965, the
door opened for her to immigrate
in 1973 to Boston, where she
eventually finished school, got a
law degree and became a U.S.
citizen.
On Thursday, Hermosa stood in
line with thousands of others at
the John F. Kennedy Library and
Museum to pay her respects to the
late senator. "If it wasn't for him, I
wouldn't be here today," said the
55-year-old Hermosa, who now
lives in Westwood, Mass.
As the nation mourns Kennedy,
who died this week of a brain
tumor at age 77, historians and
immigrant advocates are
remembering the senator perhaps
more than any other as
championing legislation that
directly benefited immigrants,
their children and their
grandchildren. The 1965 law that
he sponsored fundamentally
changed the demographics of the
country and transformed many
urban enclaves into majority-
minority cities.
But they say Kennedy also
remained a "point man" in the
Senate for immigrant advocates
and minorities throughout his
career, even supporting recent
proposals to overhaul immigration
laws aimed at undocumented
workers.
" Sen. Kennedy was always
committed to us and also tried to
do what he could on our behalf,"
said Arturo S. Rodriguez,
president of the California-based
United Farm Workers, a group co-
founded by the late Cesar Chavez.
Kennedy advocated for the
children of immigrants and
minorities by pushing legislation
on voting rights and health care
for uninsured children, Rodriguez
said.
Tatcho Mindiola, the director of
the Center for Mexican American
Studies at the University of
Houston, said Kennedy remained
an ally for immigrants and
minorities, even though
Massachusetts didn't have a
sizable Latino or Asian
population.
"He had no constituency he was
trying to serve, other than what he
saw was fair and just," Mindiola
said.
Ignacio M. Garcia, author of
"Viva Kennedy: Mexican
Americans in search of Camelot"
and a history professor at Utah's
Brigham Young University, said
Kennedy developed strong ties
with advocates during his
brother's 1960 presidential
campaign.
While campaigning as the point
person for "Viva Kennedy" clubs
in the American Southwest, the
youngest Kennedy brother saw
firsthand the effects of Latino
segregation, Garcia said.
"He established relationships
even before his brothers did, and
in a more direct way," Garcia
said. " John F. Kennedy would
disappoint, Robert Kennedy never
really got the chance, but Ted
would become the go-to guy."
William Bonilla, 79, a lawyer in
Corpus Christi, Texas, and former
national president for the League
of United Latin American
Citizens, said that whenever
Latino groups invited Kennedy to
speak, the room was packed.
"He spoke more for us than our
own senators we elected from
Texas," Bonilla said.
Political observers say
Kennedy's most lasting legacy
may be the rarely mentioned 1965
immigration law. Before its
passage, a national origins quota
system was in place to mirror the
largely white-ancestral makeup of
the U.S.
Rep. Charles A. Gonzalez, D-
Texas, whose late father, Henry,
served in Congress and worked
with Kennedy on the legislation,
said the bill would not have
passed without Kennedy.
"He was huge and instrumental,"
Gonzalez said. "There's no way
you can describe the importance
of his involvement. He put all of
his talents to make it work."
In 1965, the U.S. was around 85
percent white, according to
various estimates. Today, a third
of the country is minority, and
nonwhites are on track to become
the majority sometime in the
2040s.
Minority populations have
grown by leaps and bounds
because of high birth rates among
those first generations of
immigrants and a steady flow
from Latin America, Asian and
Africa since.
Some political observers even
credit the election of President
Barack Obama to the political
maturation of those populations.
Syndicated editorial cartoonist
Lalo Alcaraz said Kennedy's
death has "reawakened" interests
in Kennedy among the children
and grandchildren of immigrants.
He said that when his wife,
Victoria Landeros-Lopez, heard
of Kennedy's passing, she pulled
out an old "Viva Kennedy" button
her mother wore during the 1960
campaign.
That gave Alcaraz the idea this
week to draw a cartoon of a
young Sen. Kennedy with the old
1960 slogan underneath.
"When my wife left to take the
kids to the orthodontist, I kissed
her and said 'Viva Kennedy,'"
Alcaraz said. "She just looked at
me and said back, 'Viva
Kennedy'."
Internet News Record
Toll Brothers
shares rise as
overall market slips
By David Schepp
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:40:00 PM
Filed under: Earnings reports,
Toll Brothers (TOL)
Shares in Toll Brothers(NYSE:
TOL) struggled to hold onto
ground gained early in the trading
session, a day after the luxury
home-builder reported a much
larger quarterly loss. Shares
rallied shortly after the morning
bell on comments from Toll on
Thursday that it sees the U.S.
housing market beginning to
stabilize.
Trading volume hit a peak just
before 10 a.m. ET when 95,000
shares traded hands. But a new
survey showing a decline in
consumer confidence helped push
trading volume lower and the
stock dipped into negative
territory before resuming positive
gains.
Continue reading Toll Brothers
shares rise as overall market slips
Toll Brothers shares rise as
overall market slips originally
appeared on BloggingStocks on
Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:40:00 EST.
Please see our terms for use of
feeds. Permalink| Email this|
Comments
Internet News Record
Space shuttle blasts off, finally flying on try 3
(AP)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 7:03:28 AM
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –
Space shuttle Discovery and
seven astronauts blazed into orbit
Saturday on a spectacular
midnight flight to the international
space station, hauling up a
treadmill named after a TV
funnyman and thousands of
pounds of more solemn supplies.
Discovery lit up the sky for
miles around as it thundered away
on NASA's third launch attempt.
Lightning flashed far in the
distance, and the ascending
shuttle resembled a bright star
until it blinked out of sight five
minutes after liftoff.
The space station was soaring
more than 220 miles above the
Indian Ocean, southwest of
Tasmania, when Discovery took
off. The shuttle will reach the
orbiting outpost Sunday night.
"It looks like third time really is
the charm," launch director Pete
Nickolenko told commander Rick
Sturckow. "We wish you and your
team good luck and Godspeed."
Tuesday's launch attempt was
called off by thunderstorms and
Wednesday's by fuel valve
trouble. Everything came together
in NASA's favor Friday night;
even the valve and its indicator
switch behaved, allowing
Discovery to blast off seconds
before midnight Friday. The
Walmart Gadget Shoppers Sometime Look Like THIS [Image Cache]
By Sean Fallon (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 5:40:00 AM
This guy doesn't look like your
shuttle safely reached orbit eight
minutes later, on the following
day.
NASA officials were relieved to
see no foam flying off the fuel
tank; a surprising amount of the
insulation came off the fuel tank
during last month's launch of
Endeavour, causing minor
damage. More analysis is needed
to ascertain whether any debris
broke off Discovery's tank, said
space operations chief Bill
Gerstenmaier.
Discovery's most prominent
payload is NASA's new $5
million treadmill, which is named
after Comedy Central's Stephen
Colbert.
Colbert tried to get a space
station room named after himself
and even won the online vote
earlier this year, but NASA went
with Tranquility instead in honor
of the 40th anniversary of man's
first moon landing.
The comedian said the treadmill
for "all those chubby astronauts"
is a consolation prize.
The treadmill is flying up in
more than 100 pieces and won't
be put together until sometime
next month.
In all, the space shuttle will
deliver about 17,000 pounds of
gear to the space station. The
experiments include six mice that
will remain at the orbiting
complex until the following
shuttle visit in November. Part of
average gadget shopper...unless
he's shopping in Walmart. We'll
I'll be dammed—he is shopping in
Walmart! I know this because the
a bone loss study, the mice will be
the first mammals other than
humans to spend a prolonged
period at the space station.
"Let's go step up the science on
the international space station,"
Sturckow radioed right before
liftoff.
Three spacewalks will be
performed during the 13-day
shuttle flight, to install a new
ammonia tank, part of the space
station's cooling system, and
replace other equipment and
retrieve outdoor experiments.
The station also will get a new
resident, Nicole Stott. She will
replace an astronaut who moved
in during the 13-day shuttle flight
last month. That spaceman will
return to Earth aboard Discovery,
as will Buzz Lightyear. The action
figure toy has been in orbit for
more than a year, courtesy of
Walt Disney World.
Stott, who will spend at least
three months at the space station,
tapped her heart with her right
hand before climbing aboard
Discovery and said, "I love you"
to the cameras, presumably for
her husband and 7-year-old son.
Discovery's crew includes two
Hispanics, the first time two have
flown together in space. Both are
Mexican-Americans, and one of
them, Jose Hernandez, grew up in
a migrant worker family.
Hernandez will file bilingual
Twitter updates from orbit. A
site People of Walmart told me
Top News/ Finance/ Gadgets/
Swede is also on board.
It was NASA's 33rd nighttime
shuttle launch and preceded, by
just two days, the 25th
anniversary of Discovery's first
liftoff. Flags flew at half-staff
throughout Kennedy Space Center
on Friday in memory of Sen.
Edward Kennedy.
There were times Friday night
that NASA feared thunderstorms
might cause yet another delay.
Launch officials were in touch
with the weather officer every 15
minutes as conditions flip-flopped
between "go" and "no go."
"All the hot air from all the talk
we did blew all the clouds away,"
joked Mike Moses, chairman of
the mission management team.
Only seven shuttle flights
remain, including this one. A blue
-ribbon review committee should
file its report soon, offering
options to President Obama for
the direction of NASA's human
spaceflight program. As it stands
now, the space shuttles will be
retired after space station
construction is completed in the
next year to year-and-a-half.
___
On the Net:
N A S A :
http://www.nasa.gov/mission(und
erscore)pages/shuttle/main/index.
html
so. Hilarous. Sad.
Disturbing...check it out. [ POW]
9
Exxon Mobil (XOM)
gives boost to
student achievement
By Michael Fowlkes
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 5:00:00 PM
Filed under: Good news,
Products and services, Exxon
Mobil (XOM) Students from 12
high schools in Alabama have
been benefiting from a education
program founded by the world's
largest oil company, Exxon Mobil
Corporation(NYSE: XOM).
Students in the Advanced
Placement Training and Incentive
Programs in Alabama's Jefferson
County and Montgomery saw a
very impressive 81% increase in
passing scores in Advanced
Placement math classes.
Continue reading Exxon Mobil
(XOM) gives boost to student
achievement
Exxon Mobil (XOM) gives
boost to student achievement
originally appeared on
BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Aug
2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink| Email this| Comments
10 Top News/ Finance/ Tech/
Jackson death ruled as homicide
(BBC News | Americas | World
Edition)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 2:12:35 AM
Michael Jackson's death was
homicide, primarily caused by the
powerful anaesthetic Propofol, the
Los Angeles coroner has
confirmed.
The singer suffered a cardiac
arrest at his Los Angeles home in
June, aged 50.
Propofol and the sedative
Lorazepam were the "primary
drugs responsible for Mr
Jackson's death", but four further
drugs were also found, the report
said.
The coroner's verdict increases
the chances of criminal charges
being brought against Jackson's
doctors.
Police have interviewed his
personal physician Dr Conrad
Murray but he has not been
named as a suspect. He has
strenuously denied any
wrongdoing.
"The cause of death was
established as acute Propofol
intoxication," a statement from
the coroner said. Propofol is
normally administered to patients
having surgery in hospital.
"The manner of death has been
ruled: Homicide," it adds. In the
US, homicide refers to the killing
Is it safe to buy home builders?
By Louis Navellier
(BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 9:00:00 AM
Filed under: D.R.Horton (DHI), $40 per share in early 2007 to just
K B H O M E ( K B H ) , L e n n a r $8 per share earlier this year.
Corp'A' (LEN), Stocks to Buy,
Housing
The past few years haven't been that the housing market is getting declining less slowly. Existing
what you might call a happy time back on its feet -- or at least, home sales recently registered
of one person by another and
includes manslaughter and
murder.
A cocktail of drugs - also
including sedatives Midazolam
and Diazepam, the painkiller
Lidocaine and the stimulant
Ephedrine - were detected in his
body.
The full toxicology report
remains sealed, at the request of
the LA Police Department
(LAPD) and the city's district
attorney.
California's attorney general
will now open an independent
investigation into several doctors
whose names have come up in
connection with Jackson's death.
Michael Jackson had apparently
been finding it difficult to sleep in
the run-up to a series of comeback
concerts in London.
It was Michael Jackson himself
who persuaded the company that
was promoting his comeback tour
to hire Dr Murray, a cardiologist
by training, on a salary of more
than a $150,000 a month.
Dr Murray has acknowledged
administering Propofol and
Lorazepam on the day the singer
died in an attempt to get him to
sleep.
Dr Murray has denied any
wrongdoing but it will now be up
to the District Attorney to decide
for shares of home building
stocks. Consider that the
Homebuilders Exchange-Traded
Fund(NYSE: XHB) plunged from
Since March, however, things
have improved. There are signs
whether to lay charges in this
case.
Dr Murray's lawyer said the
latest information "contains
nothing new" and demanded that
the coroner's office release the full
autopsy report.
Edward Chernoff said he
needed to know the exact levels of
the various drugs in Jackson's
system and said the refusal to
release the report suggested
"gamesmanship".
"One has to wonder why the
coroner felt compelled to release
anything at all if the police
investigation is not yet complete,"
he said.
Dr Murray told police he had
been giving Jackson propofol as
part of his treatment for insomnia,
according to an affidavit made
public on Monday.
The affidavit said Dr Murray
had been giving Jackson propofol
daily for six weeks but he was
concerned that the singer was
becoming addicted to the drug
and had been trying to wean him
off, using alternative drugs.
Dr Murray told investigators he
was not the first doctor to
administer propofol to the star.
On the morning of the singer's
death, Dr Murray is reported to
have given Jackson a lower
dosage of propofol - on the
singer's insistence - after a
number of other drugs had not
worked.
The last time Dr Murray
administered the medication was
1040 on 25 June, just hours before
Jackson's heart stopped.
Dr Murray is known to have
performed CPR on his patient
while paramedics were called, but
Jackson was declared dead when
he arrived at hospital.
Police and federal agents have
raided Dr Murray's offices in Las
Vegas, Nevada, and Houston,
Texas, and a Las Vegas pharmacy
that provided the drugs.
Jackson's family welcomed the
coroner's findings.
"The Jackson family again
wishes to commend the actions of
the coroner, the LAPD and other
law enforcement agencies, and
looks forward to the day that
justice can be served," the family
said in a statement.
The singer will be buried on
Thursday at the Forest Lawn
Memorial Park in Glendale, a
suburb of Los Angeles, in a
private ceremony.
The burial was initially
scheduled to take place on
Saturday - on what would have
been Jackson's 51st birthday.
Print Sponsor
their biggest gain in more than a
decade. Seasonally-adjusted
single-family building permits are
up 27% since bottoming in
March, while single-family
housing starts have increased five
straight months and are up 36%
since March.
Continue reading Is it safe to
buy home builders?
Internet News Record
And Of Course: DOJ
Announces New Focus,
Funding On Intellectual
Property Enforcement
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:40:00 PM
As we all know by now, the new
administration hired a bunch of
the entertainment industry's
favorite lawyers, and during the
confirmation hearings for the
most senior among them, a desire
to have the Justice Department
focus more on intellectual
property was a key point. So, it
shouldn't be much of a surprise
that the Justice Department has
announced new grants to focus on
intellectual property enforcement.
It's not a huge amount ($1.9
million) and, as per the DOJ's
purview, the focus is on criminal
intellectual property infringement,
but you really wonder if there
aren't more important things for
the DOJ to be focused on these
days. Still... thanks to the Justice
Department PR folks who sent me
a press release for the first time
ever. Apparently, someone there
is reading us.
Permalink| Comments| Email
This Story
Is it safe to buy home builders?
originally appeared on
BloggingStocks on Sat, 29 Aug
2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink| Email this| Comments
Internet News Record
Obama to honor Sen. Kennedy at funeral Mass
(AP)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 7:15:39 AM
BOSTON – Edward M.
Kennedy is getting a final tribute
befitting his huge profile on the
American political scene, his life
celebrated at a funeral Mass by
President Barack Obama, three
former presidents and dozens of
current and former congressmen.
No fewer than seven priests, 11
pallbearers and 29 honorary
pallbearers were presiding over
the Roman Catholic Mass at Our
Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica
on a rainy, unseasonably cold day.
Family and friends were joined
by political figures in gathering
around the 77-year-old senator's
flag-draped casket at the Kennedy
presidential library for a brief
prayer service before his body
was to be brought in a motorcade
to the church. The prayer is part
of the ritual of a Roman Catholic
burial and typically happens at a
funeral home before the body is
brought to a church for the funeral
Mass.
Kennedy's flag-draped casket
carried by eight miiltary
servicemen was wrapped tightly
in plastic to guard against the rain
as it was removed from the library
and put into a hearse. His wife,
Victoria, closed her eyes slowly
A Mega Man II chain-link wall scroll 1.5 years in the making
By Devin Coldewey
(CrunchGear)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 3:30:45 PM
Ta-da! I like to think of myself
as a Mega Man II fan, but clearly
i’m mistaken. I’m a Mega Man II
and appeared to choke back tears
as she watched under cover of an
umbrella.
At the Mass, tenor Placido
Domingo was ready to sing,
accompanied by cellist Yo-Yo
Ma.
Joining Obama and nearly 1,500
other invitees were former
Presidents George W. Bush, Bill
Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well
as 58 current members of the U.S.
Senate, 21 former members and
Supreme Court Justice Stephen
Breyer, once an aide to Kennedy.
The cross-section of those invited
included Boston Celtics great Bill
Russell and actor Jack Nicholson.
White House aides were mum
about the eulogy the president
would offer, but Obama was
expected to focus on the impact
Kennedy had on American life
since first being elected in 1962.
His 47-year career spanned the
assassinations of his brothers,
President John F. Kennedy and
Robert F. Kennedy; the civil
rights era and Apollo moon
landings; and battles over health,
education and immigration; as
well as the country's election of
Obama, its first black president,
who was born roughly 18 months
before Kennedy took office.
Obama, dressed in a dark suit
and overcoat, left his hotel early
poseur. The real fans spend 500
days linking 63,608 tiny rings
together to make a pixel-perfect
wall-hanging of all the major
characters and items in the game.
That’s not Metal Man’s best look,
though.
Saturday to walk in a drizzling
rain across the street to the
Fairmont Copley Plaza for a 10-
minute private visit with
Kennedy's widow, Vicki.
The hotel has been frequented
by the Kennedys for generations,
and the halls on one floor are
lined with family pictures.
After the meeting, Obama,
hands in pockets, ignored a
shouted question about the
contents of his eulogy.
A military honor guard has
stood by Kennedy's casket since it
arrived at his brother's presidential
library Thursday. A rotation of
friends, former staffers and others
Kennedy touched including the
parents of a murdered lifeguard,
the family of an Iraq war soldier
and the widow of a Sept. 11 terror
victim has maintained a 24-hour
vigil.
On Friday, Kennedy was
remembered at a bipartisan
memorial service whose speakers
included Sens. John McCain and
John Kerry, Vice President Joe
Biden and Caroline Kennedy
Schlossberg, JFK's daughter.
"Now Teddy has become a part
of history," Schlossberg said, "and
we are the ones who will have to
do all the things he would have
done, for us, for each other and
for our country."
There we go, that’s the Metal
Top News/ Economy/ Gadgets/
The invitation-only funeral
audience of world leaders and
commoners alike evoked the
funerals for Kennedy's brothers. It
was at RFK's rites in 1968 that the
senator not only emerged as
family patriarch, but also the
person to deliver the final word on
lives cut short.
He memorialized Robert
Kennedy by saying, "My brother
need not be idealized, or enlarged
in death beyond what he was in
life; to be remembered simply as a
good and decent man, who saw
wrong and tried to right it, saw
suffering and tried to heal it, saw
war and tried to stop it."
Following the service,
Kennedy's body was being flown
to Andrews Air Force Base,
which also received JFK's body
after his 1963 assassination,
before being driven to the U.S.
Capitol then along the National
Mall and into Arlington
Cemetery.
There, as evening falls, he was
to be buried on a hillside grave
site near his two slain brothers.
___
AP writer Karen Testa
contributed to this report.
Man I know, love, and always
defeat first because his weapon is 1 6 p o u n d s , s o i t ’ s n o t
s o a w e s o m e . I n t e r e s t i n g l y , inconceivable that I could borrow
speedruns ( the latest TAS clocks it and wear it to PAX.
in at under 24 minutes) don’t use
it much, probably because it
reduces the game to a cake walk.
11
Is the Savings
Trend Dead, Or
Sleeping?
(Financial Sector and Stocks
Analysis from Seeking Alpha)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:35:13 AM
So, is that it then? Are we
already deciding that this whole
“savings” this is just not that
much fun? Two data points make
a trend, as that hoary journalistic
saying goes, and we have now
had two months in the U.S. of
declining monthly personal
savings (according to BEA data).
[via Bloomberg]
Maybe, but I’m not there yet.
This is more likely a bounce off a
record low level of discretionary
spending, not a return to bygone
days of declaring one’s credit
cards as personal savings. Of
course we could see a temporary
flatlining in here at 4-5%, but I’m
guessing that a year from now, all
economic else being equal, the
U.S. personal savings rate will be
higher than it is today.
Anyone want to take the other
side? Make your case.
The chain wall hanging weighs
[via Geekologie]
12 Top News/ Gadgets/ Tech News/ Internet News Record

Mega Millions jackpot hits $333 million -

CNNMoney.com
(Most Popular - Google News)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 1:16:13 PM
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com)
-- Undeterred by the miniscule
odds, people were lining up
Friday for a chance to score the
estimated $333 million Mega
Millions jackpot.
The odds really are microscopic.
You have a one in 175,711,536
chance of winning. That's a
0.0000006% chance.
Still, since tickets are just $1,
and the jackpot payout is double
the odds of winning, if a person
bought all 176 million
combinations, he or she would be
guaranteed to win at least $157
million.
So playing the Mega Millions
on Friday could make sense ... if
you could afford to spend $176
million on tickets. Bear in mind,
that only works if there is a single
winner who doesn't take a lump
sum payout.
The 12-state lottery anticipates
hundreds of millions tickets to be
purchased before the 11 p.m. ET
drawing Friday night for what
will be at least the third-largest
U.S. lottery jackpot of all time.
The New York Mega Millions
branch said it expects ticket sales
to eclipse $1 million per hour
starting with the noon hour on
Friday.
"This is a huge jackpot," said
Jennifer Givner, spokeswoman for
the New York Mega Millions.
"There's a lot of excitement about
it, and we probably made a
conservative estimate of the
jackpot."
Mega Millions guarantees its
jackpot, so it could go even
higher, depending on the number
of ticket sales. In fact, Mega
Millions raised its jackpot
estimate by $8 million on Friday
based on stronger-than-expected
sales.
Sander Sharman, who owns the
newsstand on 9th Avenue and
57th Street in New York said
Mega Millions sales have been
overwhelming. The line for
lottery tickets was out the door.
"It's never been anything like
this," said Sharman just before 1
p.m. ET on Friday. "We usually
do 1,200 sales in a day, and
already we have 4,200."
All of that business is good
news for retailers like Sharman.
Lottery retailers get a 6%
commission on all sales and a
$10,000 bonus for selling the
jackpot-winning ticket.
How it works. After the
drawing, the 12 participating
states begin to count up their
tickets and check to see if there is
a match. Winners get about 50%
of the pool, with roughly 35%
divided between the state coffers
and 15% going to lottery retailers
and administrative costs.
If there is a winner or multiple
winners, the states will likely
know by early Saturday morning,
according to Givner. If not, the
money is returned to the pool and
the game continues with an even
higher jackpot.
That's been the case for the last
14 bi-weekly drawings -- no one
has hit the nail on the head. But
some have come close: On
Tuesday, 17 Pepsi Bottling Group
employees in Albany, N.Y., split
a ticket and guessed right on five
of the five numbers. But they
missed the final Megaball
number, and split just $250,000.
The last jackpot winner was on
July 7, when a former New York
City Transit employee won $133
million. The jackpot then went
back to its base of $12 million.
Winners can choose between a
lump-sum cash payment and
annuity payments. If the $333
million jackpot winner chooses
the annual payment plan, he or
she would receive $12.8 million
per year, before taxes, for the next
26 years.
The lump sum is calculated
using the present value of U.S.
Treasurys based on Friday's
market rates. Using that formula,
Mega Millions estimated that the
winner will take home $210
million before taxes if he or she
chooses the lump sum option.
The vast, vast majority of
winners choose the lump sum
payments, according to Givner.
Jack Peragine, a 54-year old
New York doorman said he hopes
he gets the chance to decide how
he collects his winnings.
"I buy lottery tickets here and
there, but I figured I'd definitely
get one today," he said. "It's like
the [New York] lottery slogan
says, 'Hey, you never know.'"
The 12 states that participate in
the Mega Millions are California,
Georgia, Illinois, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, New
Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas,
Virginia and Washington.
Micah Baldwin on
Startups That Suck
By Jolie O'Dell
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 8:45:48 PM
Micah Baldwin has heard his
share of pitches, and at Gnomedex
in Seattle, he spouted off to us
about startup failure, including
bad ideas, saturated verticals, the
"rule of three," YASE (yet
another search engine) syndrome,
and changing jets mid-runway.
All in all, Micah is
overwhelmingly positive. For
someone who preaches the virtues
of failure, he has a lot of faith in
ideas others would consider
doomed. Watch the video below,
and hear his words of wisdom.
Sponsor
Discuss

The Captivating History Of The Spork [Taste Test]

By Sean Fallon (Gizmodo) spork pioneers: Samuel W. eventually passed down to The we finally experienced its
Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:00:00 PM Francis filed a patent in 1874 for a Van Brode Milling Company in penultimate evolution:
combination fork, and knife and 1970, but they stupidly gave it up Our lives will never be the
Whether you call it a "spork" or spoon. Harry L. McCoy invented to the UK's, Plastico Limited in same. [ Wikipedia T-Shirt via
a " f o o n , " w e m u s t a l l a s k a cutting spoon in 1908 followed 1975. NerdyShirts]
ourselves where we would be by Frank Emmenegger's tined There are many imitators, like
without the genius that brought edge spoon in 1912. However, the Lifeventure's laughable
fork and spoon together as one. first person to actually file a W. Ballard (although there is no "Forkspoon"—but in the end there
Actually, we owe a debt to trademark for the term "Spork" official record of this). The term can be only one true Spork
several industrious culinary proto- appears to be a man named Hyde design. And, after over 100 years,
Internet News Record Top News/ Economy/ Apple 13

Megrahi backs Lockerbie inquiry Thanks to

(BBC News | Americas | World daughter Flora died in the disaster MacAskill during their meeting at and having to pause, but seemed
Edition) and who has frequently called for
a full public inquiry, by handing
Greenock Prison, describing him
as "very decent".
determined to talk about his case
and the fact that in his opinion,
TheAppleBlog
Submitted at 8/29/2009 2:22:24 AM
over all the documents in his Megrahi said his priority was while he will die soon, he said the Sponsors!
The man convicted of the possession. now to spend time with his five truth will never die."
Lockerbie bombing has backed In his first interview since being children. "He is currently writing an By Darrell Etherington
calls for a public inquiry into the released, Megrahi told The Lucy Adams, chief reporter of autobiography in which he hopes (TheAppleBlog)
atrocity. Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:00:48 PM
Herald: "I support the issue of a The Herald, told BBC News that to convince people of his
Speaking to Scotland's The public inquiry if it can be agreed. Megrahi had looked "incredibly innocence. He has documents
Herald newspaper from his home "In my view, it is unfair to the ill and weak" during her meeting which have not yet been disclosed We’d like to say thanks to this
in the Libyan capital, Abdelbaset victim's families that this has not with him, but had clearly been to the public, and documents that week’s TheAppleBlog sponsors:
Ali al-Megrahi said he was been heard. It would help them to anxious for a public inquiry to be were being prepared for his • Mozy: Back up your photos,
determined to clear his name. know the truth. The truth never held. appeal which he dropped last music, and files with Mozy for as
He also said an inquiry would dies. If the UK guaranteed it, I Ms Adams said: "I think week as part of his hopes for low as $4.34 per month.
help families of the victims know would be very supportive." perhaps for those who are returning to Tripoli." • BackBlaze: Online backup for
the truth. But Megrahi said he believed convinced of his guilt it seems The row over Mr MacAskill's only $5/month per computer for
Megrahi, who is suffering from the UK government would avoid interesting that he would back that decision to release Megrahi on unlimited storage. FREE Trial for
terminal prostate cancer, was a public inquiry as it would cost a [an inquiry] and he would hand compassionate grounds intensified Intel Mac users.
released from Greenock Prison in lot of money and also "show how over the papers he has and the on Friday when an ICM Research • Fuze Meeting: Share
S c o t l a n d l a s t w e e k o n much the Americans have been documents he has. poll for BBC News said 60% of everything you see with everyone
c o m p a s s i o n a t e g r o u n d s . involved". "That seems quite an interesting those questioned thought Mr in high definition, anywhere on
He returned to a hero's welcome He said he dropped his appeal in position from his point of view, MacAskill was wrong to release any device.
in Libya after serving eight years the Scottish courts because he because that would indicate he Megrahi, and 57% thought he • Akamai: Join us on September
of a minimum 27 years sentence knew he would not live to see the has nothing to hide." should have stayed in prison until 2nd for a LIVE WEBINAR on
for murdering 270 people in the outcome and was desperate to see Ms Adams said Megrahi had he died. iPhone video distribution
December 1988 bombing of Pan his family, and insisted there was been interviewed in his large villa Thirty-two per cent said Mr strategies and solutions
A m 1 0 3 o v e r t h e t o w n o f no pressure from Libyan or in Tripoli while he was lying on a MacAskill was right, 7% did not
Lockerbie, in southern Scotland. Scottish authorities. "hospital-style bed" in his lounge. know, and 1% would not say.
The scenes prompted international 'Interesting position' She added: "He was surrounded The telephone poll of 1,005
condemnation. And he made scathing by his family, his children and adults took place on Wednesday
The Herald quoted Megrahi as comments about the Scottish legal other relatives, and he seemed and Thursday.
saying he would help Dr Jim system, but said he was impressed incredibly weak and frail. He Print Sponsor
S w i r e , w h o s e 2 3 - y e a r - o l d by Justice Secretary Kenny spent much of the time coughing

Art.view: Flower power

(The Economist: Daily sort of upscale suburb that rings nasty, dirty business of living in The day after the armistice that When the second world war broke
columns) most major American cities. From them is done, they are at last free ended the first world war in 1918, out, it built torpedoes for
Submitted at 8/29/2009 1:17:58 AM the array of pubs, sushi-restaurant to house upscale boutiques selling the United States Navy began submarines and aircraft; when that
chains and pasta joints that line its ornate pepper-shakers, local wine, building the US Naval Torpedo war ended, the building was again
[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve streets, you would never guess birthday cakes for dogs and other station on the waterfront across used for storage. In 1969
full-text content] that within 20 minutes you can essentials. Yet this suburb was a the Potomac and just downriver Alexandria bought the site, which
Arts and crafts in a former find some the best Korean, city before cars existed, making it from the Naval Research had grown to comprise 11
torpedo factory Vietnamese, Chinese, Pakistani or especially dense, walkable and Laboratory in south-west buildings, from the federal
A L E X A N D R I A , Bolivian food in America. Its 18th charming. It has also turned an Washington, DC. After a brief government. ...
VIRGINIA—particularly its well- - c e n t u r y h o m e s h a v e b e e n instrument of war into an period of production, it stored
tended Old Town section—is the carefully maintained; now that the instrument of art. munitions between the wars.
14 Top News/ Tech/
Guests arrive for Kennedy funeral
(BBC News | Americas | World
Edition)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 4:54:20 AM
Guests have begun arriving at a
Boston basilica where the funeral
Mass of US Senator Edward
Kennedy is to be held.
President Barack Obama is to
deliver a eulogy at the funeral
Mass in Boston's Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Basilica.
Mr Kennedy, who died of brain
cancer on Tuesday, will then be
buried in Washington near his
assassinated brothers, ex-
President John and Robert.
An Irish wake-style memorial
service was held late on Friday for
family and friends of Mr
Kennedy, who was 77.
In keeping with the Kennedy
family's Irish heritage, the service
featured laughter and music, as
well as tributes to the senator,
who had long been the leader of
one of America's great political
dynasties.
"Now Teddy has become a part
of history, and we are the ones
who will have to do all the things
he would have done, for us, for
each other and for our country,"
said his niece Caroline Kennedy,
daughter of John.
Earlier, some 50,000 people
paid their respects before the
Massachusetts senator's flag-
draped coffin during a two-day
public viewing at the John F
Kennedy Presidential Library.
Yet Another Study Shows File Sharers Buy More Media
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:40:00 PM
We've seen a bunch of studies
like this in the past, but people
keep submitting this, so figured
Political mourners
Among the 1,500 guests invited
to Saturday's Roman Catholic
Mass are former Presidents
George W Bush, Bill Clinton and
Jimmy Carter, as well as some 80
serving and former senators.
Among the international
dignitaries attending the service is
Sarah Brown, wife of UK Prime
Minister Gordon Brown.
While White House aides would
not reveal the content of the US
president's eulogy, Mr Obama
was expected to focus on Mr
Kennedy's 47-year political
we'd do a quick post on it. Yet
another study has shown that
people who are more active in
unauthorized file sharing, also
tend to spend more on authorized
entertainment purchases. Now, to
Internet News Record
property in Hyannis Port,
Massachusetts.
Please turn on JavaScript.
Media requires JavaScript to play.
John McCain: 'He took the long
view, he never gave up'
His body was then driven in a
long procession to Boston along
roads lined with thousands of
mourners - some waving
American flags, others holding up
signs that read "Thank you
Teddy".
After the public paid their
respects in Boston, a three-hour
memorial service described as a
"celebration of life" began at the
JFK library on Friday evening.
In the US, Mr Kennedy's death
has been seen as the end of an era,
following the assassinations of his
brothers in 1963 and 1968.
In a televised tribute on
Wednesday, Mr Obama said Mr
career. service, accompanied by the K e n n e d y h a d a c h i e v e d
The senator's funeral is to be cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Members of the "extraordinary good" and was
concelebrated by some seven Boston Symphony Orchestra will "one of the most accomplished
priests. also be performing. Americans ever to serve our
Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the After the funeral, Mr Kennedy's democracy".
Archbishop of Boston one of the body is to be flown to Andrews But others have noted that his
most senior members of the US Air Force Base in Washington, legacy of public service was
Catholic Church, is expected to before being driven past the US c o u n t e r - b a l a n c e d b y h e a v y
l e a d t h e f i n a l p r a y e r s o f Capitol and along the National drinking in his early years - and
commendation. Mall for his burial in Arlington the death of a female companion,
Mr Kennedy's coffin will be National Cemetery. Mary Jo Kopechne, in 1969 when
he drove off a bridge at
attended by some 11 pallbearers 'Thank you Teddy'
and 29 honorary pallbearers, Three days of ceremonies to Chappaquiddick in Massachusetts
reports said. commemorate the senator's life and fled the scene.
Famed tenor Placido Domingo began on Thursday with a private Print Sponsor
has been invited to sing at the f a m i l y M a s s a t t h e f a m i l y
a file sharing provider -- so, take Hollywood that people just want
it with a rather large grain of salt. stuff for free.
But similar studies have been Permalink| Comments| Email
done in the past as well, and it This Story
seems to once again call into
be fair, the study was paid for by question the rallying cry in
Internet News Record Top News/ World/ TV 15

DJ AM, Star Disc Jockey, Found Michael Jackson's death

Dead - New York Times ruled a homicide
(Most Popular - Google News) point when he attempted suicide Los Angeles and New York. By Daniel Nasaw (World news "milk", and lorazepam.
Submitted at 8/28/2009 10:11:14 PM in 1997. But he also said he had In 2006, he presided at a party and comment from the Jackson reportedly begged for
cleaned up his life including during Super Bowl XL in Detroit Guardian | guardian.co.uk) an injection of propofol in the
DJ AM, a high-profile disc having gastric bypass surgery that was attended by three Submitted at 8/29/2009 3:51:25 AM hours before his death, and
jockey who was as famous for his after his weight ballooned to 324 generations of the Henry Ford Murray told police he feared
much-chronicled relationships as pounds and had managed to stay family. The Los Angeles County coroner Jackson was addicted. Murray has
he was for his creative scratching sober for nine years. Mr. Goldstein was seriously says Michael Jackson died of not been named as an official
and mixing on the celebrity club “At my core I am a glutton, so injured Sept. 19, in the crash of a 'acute propofol intoxication' suspect but court records have
circuit, was found dead on Friday I’ve had to learn everything in Learjet 60 plane in Columbia, The Los Angeles County i d e n t i f i e d t h e 5 1 - y e a r - o l d
evening in his apartment in moderation,” he said at the time. S.C. The crash killed four people c o r o n e r h a s r u l e d M i c h a e l physician as the subject of a
Manhattan, the police said. In October, The Associated and injured Travis Barker, a Jackson's death a homicide, manslaughter investigation.
The police said his body was Press reported, MTV was to begin musician and former drummer of finding that he was poisoned by In addition to Murray, Los
f o u n d i n h i s s e v e n t h - f l o o r his new reality show, “Gone Too the group Blink-182, with whom a n o v e r d o s e o f s u r g i c a l Angeles investigators have
apartment in SoHo about 5:30 Far,” in which he and concerned Mr. Goldstein frequently anaesthetic propofol. subpoenaed medical records from
p.m. after friends had tried families staged interventions for appeared. On Friday night, In a brief statement to news Jackson's dermatologist Arnold
unsuccessfully to reach him for drug abusers. throngs of friends and fans media today, the coroner's office Klein, plastic surgeon Larry
days. The chief police spokesman, He also survived a plane crash a gathered outside Mr. Goldstein’s said Jackson died of "acute Koplin, anaesthesiologists David
Paul J. Browne, said the police year ago that nearly killed him. apartment building at 210 propofol intoxication". Also Adams and Randy Rosen, and
did not suspect foul play. A native of Philadelphia, Mr. Lafayette Street. Many described contributing to his death were general practitioner Alan Metzger,
DJ AM, 36, whose real name Goldstein was known for his him as a friendly and lorazepam and Valium. who had all recently treated
w a s A d a m G o l d s t e i n , w a s “mash up” style of spinning, in approachable man who was The widely anticipated finding Jackson.
discovered face-down in his bed which he jumped across various serious about his music and who could lead to criminal prosecution The final coroner's report was
wearing only sweatpants, with a genres and eras to combine songs always stopped to talk to fans who of one or more of the several withheld by request of the Los
crack pipe and unspecified from artists as different as Jay-Z recognized him. Mr. Goldstein physicians who treated Jackson A n g e l e s p o l i c e . P o l i c e s a y
prescription drugs nearby, an and Journey. regularly posted messages on toward the end of his life and who Jackson obtained drugs through a
official said. He had been a familiar figure on Twitter, including one final, investigators believe provided variety of sources using several
Emergency workers had to the Los Angeles club circuit since poetic note lyrics from a Jackson with drugs. aliases including Omar Arnold,
break down the door to get in the 1990s, but it was his highly Grandmaster Flash song that he The coroner also found in his J o s e p h i n e B a k e r a n d J a c k
after one of the friends who had publicized relationships with posted on Tuesday. body the stimulant ephedrine and L o n d o n .
been trying to reach Mr. Goldstein Nicole Richie and other starlets in “New York, New York. Big city local anaesthetic lidocaine, Murray has spoken with
called 911 on Friday. recent years that earned him B-list of dreams, but everything in New reportedly used to mask the pain investigators, but has been in
In an interview with The New stardom. He was featured in an York ain’t always what it seems.” of the propofol injections. In the hiding since Jackson's death on 25
Y o r k T i m e s i n 2 0 0 7 , M r . episode of “Entourage” on HBO, Al Baker, Micheline Maynard US, homicide can refer to murder June. In his only public statement,
Goldstein said he drank heavily, and he commanded fees in the and Colin Moynihan contributed or to negligent or accidental he said in a video posted on
used cocaine and smoked crack in tens of thousands of dollars to reporting. manslaughter, but the finding YouTube that he had told the truth
his early 20s, reaching his lowest spin at nightclubs in Las Vegas, need not trigger criminal charges. and "the truth will prevail".
In an affidavit filed in the death • Michael Jackson
How does a nudist cheat on her husband? investigation, a Los Angeles • United States
By Bob Sassone (TV Squad) when the other guy starts taking [via Adfreak] detective said that Jackson's Daniel Nasaw
his clothes off so he can run out of Filed under: Video, p e r s o n a l p h y s i c i a n C o n r a d guardian.co.uk© Guardian
Submitted at 8/28/2009 6:35:00 PM
the house, the opposite of the C o m m e r c i a l s , R e a l i t y - F r e e Murray admitted to giving the 50- News & Media Limited 2009 |
That sounds like the opening of a classic "putting on your clothes Permalink| Email this| | y e a r - o l d s i n g e r a v e r i t a b l e Use of this content is subject to
joke, but it's actually the premise quickly and getting out because Comments cocktail of drugs to help him sleep our Terms & Conditions| More
of this British commercial for the husband comes home" the night and morning before he Feeds
fabric softener. scenario. (Note: contains male died. Those included propofol,
The funniest part of this ad is buttocks.) which Jackson referred to as his
16 Top News/ Finance/ TV Internet News Record

Obama: No turf wars, red tape in Berlusconi sues over

Katrina recovery (AP) scandal allegations
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News) for their future," Obama said in administration officials alike for (Financial Times - US his actress wife, Veronica Lario,
Submitted at 8/29/2009 6:11:02 AM his address, released during his breaking through the gridlock that homepage) accused him of “frequenting
vacation on Martha's Vineyard off has delayed recovery. Submitted at 8/28/2009 12:20:58 PM minors” and asked for a divorce.
O A K B L U F F S , M a s s . – the coast of Massachusetts. Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., The prime minister has denied
President Barack Obama marked Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on recently said he had a lot of Plagued by media reports over anything untoward in his
t h e f o u r t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f Aug. 29, 2005, killing more than respect for Fugate and his team. his relationships with prostitutes relationship with an 18-year-old
Hurricane Katrina on Saturday by 1,600 people in Louisiana and "There is a sense of momentum and teenagers, Silvio Berlusconi, from Naples, but was then hit by
pledging to make sure that turf Mississippi and leaving behind and a desire to get things done," Italy’s prime minister, on Friday revelations of parties with
wars and red tape don't slow the more than $40 billion in property he said of the career emergency sought to silence his critics with a prostitutes hired by a businessman
pace of the continuing recovery. damage. Hurricane Rita followed official. raft of lawsuits against at least under investigation for corruption.
He also said he would visit New almost a month later, with billions In half a year, Obama's team three newspapers in Italy, France The prime minister is exempt
Orleans by years' end. of dollars in additional damage says it has cleared at least 75 and Spain. from prosecution in general under
In his weekly radio and Internet and at least 11 more deaths. projects that were in dispute, The media tycoon’s lawyer and an immunity law passed by
address, the president noted that Obama acknowledged that including libraries, schools and member of parliament, Niccolo parliament a year ago when he
t h e B u s h a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ' s recovery has not come at an university buildings. Ghedini, revealed on Friday that returned to office.
response to the killer storm raised acceptable pace. Even so, many towns remain lawsuits had been filed abroad The main thorn in the side of the
questions among people in the "I have also made it clear that we broken, littered with boarded-up against Nouvel Observateur, a 72-year-old premier has been La
U . S . a b o u t w h e t h e r t h e will not tolerate red tape that houses and overgrown vacant lots. French weekly, for an article Repubblica, Italy’s biggest centre-
government "could fulfill its stands in the way of progress or Hundreds of projects including headlined “Sex, Power and Lies”, left daily which revealed that it
responsibility to respond in a the waste that can drive up the critical needs such as sewer lines, and against Spain’s El Pais for was being sued for defamation
crisis." bill," said Obama. "Government fire stations and a hospital are publishing pictures of guests, over 10 questions it had
He said he wanted to ensure must be a partner not an entangled in the bureaucracy or some naked, at the prime frequently posed in print to Mr
"that the legacy of a terrible storm opponent in getting things done." federal-local disputes over who minister’s private villa in Berlusconi over his scandals.
is a country that is safer and more As a candidate, he promised should pick up the tab. Sardinia. Meanwhile, Mr Berlusconi’s
prepared for the challenges that d u r i n g a s p e e c h a t T u l a n e "No more turf wars," Obama Lawyers were also looking at efforts to win back favour with
may come." University in February 2008 to said. "All of us need to move suing in London. Mr Berlusconi the country’s influential Roman
Since taking office, Obama has help the city hire police officers, forward together, because there is has lashed out at Rupert Murdoch, Catholic bishops foundered after a
sent 11 members of the Cabinet to repair schools, improve public much more work to be done," he his media rival, over articles reconciliation dinner between Mr
the region to inspect progress and transit, finish rebuilding the levee said. probing his private life. Suing for Berlusconi and Cardinal Tarcisio
to hear local ideas on how to s y s t e m a n d o f f e r f i n a n c i a l ___ defamation in the UK would be a Bertone, number two in the
speed up repairs. incentives to attract teachers, On the Net: first for Mr Berlusconi, who has Vatican, was cancelled.
"Our approach is simple: b u s i n e s s e s a n d m e d i c a l The White House: preferred to use Italian courts for His clerical hosts were outraged
Government must keep its p r o f e s s i o n a l s . http://www.whitehouse.gov his frequent lawsuits. His only by an article in a Berlusconi-
responsibility to the people, so Obama's disaster relief chief, FEMA: http://www.fema.gov case so far against a foreign controlled newspaper which made
t h a t A m e r i c a n s h a v e t h e Craig Fugate, has been cited by correspondent – David Lane of allegations about the sexuality of
opportunity to take responsibility Gulf Coast officials and Obama the Economist – was rejected by the editor of the bishops’ own
an Italian judge. publication.
Mr Berlusconi’s private life hit Additional reporting by Reuters
the front pages in early May when
NASA astronauts are going to wear a COLBERT patch tonight
By Bob Sassone (TV Squad) indeed happen tonight (at wearing the patch to the right. Is Reality-Free
Submitted at 8/28/2009 8:07:00 PM 11:59PM ET) , the astronauts are that cool or what? How do we get Permalink| Email this| |
going to be wearing patches, like one? Comments
If the much-delayed launch of they always do. But this time the Filed under: Other Comedy
the space shuttle Discovery does COLBERT treadmill is on the shuttle so the crew is going to be Shows, Late Night, Celebrities,
Internet News Record Top News/ Finance/ Entertainment 17

Preseason Recap: Brady hurts

shoulder - SportingNews.com
(Most Popular - Google News)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 7:07:48 AM
backup quarterback will be. The
former Heisman Trophy winner
Earnings highlights: Burger
If Tom Brady plays, we write
completed 24-of-38 passes for
360 yards, three TDs and an INT
King, Dell, Dollar Tree, J.
about it. This time, there's actually
something noteworthy to discuss.
Brady looked great against the
against Green Bay on Friday. If
anything happens to Kurt Warner,
Leinart is a must-have pickup.
Crew, Staples, Toll Bros. ...
Redskins on Friday, completing The Cardinals offense looked By Trey Thoelcke • Burger King Holdings
12-of-19 passes for 150 yards and good, with Jerheme Urban(six (BloggingStocks) Inc.(NYSE: BKC) posted a better-
two TDs. But late in the second catches, 103 yards), Early Submitted at 8/29/2009 10:10:00 AM than-expected Q4 profit though
quarter, Brady took a big hit from Doucet(five catches, 93 yards) revenue declined.
Albert Haynesworth and landed and Larry Fitzgerald(five catches, Filed under: Earnings reports, • China Petroleum & Chemical
awkwardly on his right shoulder. 75 yards) all turning in solid Dell (DELL), Diageo plc (DEO), Corp. posted a record Q2 profit
He came out for the second half games. Beanie Wells led the Staples Inc (SPLS), Toll Brothers after restrictions on fuel prices
and made some throws on the active in the passing games (three rushing attack, totaling 46 yards ( T O L ) , B u r g e r K i n g H l d g s were lifted.
sidelines before leaving the field catches, 30 yards), but none of the on seven carries. He scored twice (BKC), Marvell Technology • Dell Inc.(NASDAQ: DELL)
and being checked out by Patriots' Patriots' RBs really stood out. -- once on a 20-yard run and once Group (MRVL), American Eagle said its Q2 earnings declined, but
team doctors. Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and a two-yard run -- which bodes Outfitters (AEO) they still topped analysts'
As was to be expected, Bill Wes Welker all sat out due to well for his overall fantasy value. Here are some highlights from e x p e c t a t i o n s .
Belichick didn't have much to say undisclosed injuries. ... Tim Hightower, who started the last week's earnings coverage Continue reading Earnings
about Brady's injury status after For the Redskins, they finally game, had 38 yards on six carries, from BloggingStocks: highlights: Burger King, Dell,
the game. got some good play out of their but he got stuffed on his one "goal • American Eagle Outfitters Dollar Tree, J. Crew, Staples, Toll
It doesn't sound like the injury is QB. -line carry." He didn't get a touch Inc.(NYSE: AEO) Q2 profit fell Bros. ...
too serious, but you never know Jason Campbell, who struggled after Arizona's second series. ... short of estimates as same-store Earnings highlights: Burger
with the Patriots. The good news i n W a s h i n g t o n ' s f i r s t t w o The Packers' offense was also sales declined. King, Dell, Dollar Tree, J. Crew,
is that Brady's left knee is holding preseason games, connected on 13 firing on all cylinders. Aaron • A n n T a y l o r S t o r e s Staples, Toll Bros. ... originally
up fine and he seems to be -of-22 passes for 209 yards. He Rodgers looked great, throwing Corp.(NYSE: ANN) Q2 earnings appeared on BloggingStocks on
clicking in the offense, but the also ran for a touchdown. His for 258 yards and three TDs. beat very low expectations and Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:10:00 EST.
Pats mediocre offensive line could performance was highlighted by a Jordy Nelson led Green Bay same-store sales fell. Please see our terms for use of
open him up to more hits like this 73-yard hook-up with Chris receivers with 88 yards, but TE • Big Lots Inc.(NYSE: BIG) feeds. Permalink| Email this|
throughout the year. For now, Cooley. Jermichael Finley caught two TD reported better-than-expected Comments
continue to draft him as you Rookie WR Marko Mitchell passes. Consider both players, numbers for Q2, sending shares
normally would. continued his ascent up the especially Finley, sleepers this upward.
Both of Brady's TD tosses went Redskins' depth chart, catching year. Greg Jennings reportedly
to Randy Moss, who hauled in six two passes for 40 yards and a TD. suffered a concussion, but he said
passes for 90 yards. BenJarvus He's making a real push to start he was fine after the game.
Green-Ellis had a good day opposite Santana Moss. ... Keep track of every player with
running the ball (six carries, 49 Matt Leinart put to rest any Fantasy Source's Player Updates.
yards) and Laurence Maroney was questions about who Arizona's
Kelly Preston 'Deeply' Healing Since Son's Loss; Cancels Speaking Engagement
(ETonline - Breaking News) speaking engagement in which Shriver, to speak about her loss at that I must pull out from speaking said that I could. But I am still
Submitted at 8/28/2009 5:31:00 PM she was set to discuss the tragic Shriver's annual Conference for at [the] conference. I am sorry, deeply in the process of healing,
loss of her son, Jett Travolta. Women on a panel titled "Grief but I truly believed that I could do and it's just too soon."
ET has confirmed that actress The actress was asked by her and Resilience." it," Preston tells People.com.
Kelly Preston has cancelled a friend, California first lady Maria "It is with my sincere apologies "Otherwise I never would have
18 Top News/ Gadgets/ Tech Tips/ Internet News Record

Space shuttle lifts off for ISS

(BBC News | Americas | World
Edition)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 9:08:39 PM

Please turn on JavaScript. Media Opera 10 Release

requires JavaScript to play.
Space shuttle takes off at the
third attempt
Nasa has launched the US
shuttle Discovery for a mission to
the International Space Station
(ISS), with seven astronauts on
board.
It lifted off from the Kennedy
Space Center in Florida at 2359
EDT Friday (0359 GMT
Saturday).
Two previous attempts to
launch the orbiter had been
postponed by a mix of bad
weather and a technical glitch
affecting its main propulsion
system.
Discovery's mission will be the
30th flight dedicated to ISS
maintenance.
Science equipment and a freezer
to store research samples are
among the items on board.
It also carries a new sleeping
compartment, an air purification
system and a treadmill to help
maintain astronauts' health.
The shuttle entered orbit eight-
and-a-half minutes after launch,
and is due to arrive at the ISS on
Sunday night.
Six sorties
Nasa plans an additional six
sorties to the orbiting platform
before retiring its re-useable
spaceship fleet at the end of next
year or early in 2011.
Managers had been discussing
an early Friday flight but decided
to give their engineers an extra 23
hours to study the hydrogen stop-
drain fuel-valve problem that
thwarted the second launch effort
on Wednesday.
Engineers now believe the
unexpected signals they were
getting from the propulsion
system while filling the orbiter's
giant external tank on Tuesday
were related to a errant sensor.
Heavy rain and lightning had
intervened at the first launch
attempt on Tuesday morning.
Discovery's 13-day mission is
scheduled to include three
spacewalks to replace exterior
science experiments, prepare the
platform for the arrival of a new
module next year, and to install a
new ammonia storage tank and
return the used one.
Ammonia is used to move
excess heat from inside the station
to the radiators outside.
Discovery will also drop off US
astronaut Nicole Stott for a three-
month stay on the ISS, and pick
up colleague Tim Kopra for the
ride home. Kopra has been living
on the platform for the past six
weeks.
The mission is commanded by
Rick Sturckow.
Print Sponsor
Candidate 2 Fixes
"Important" Bugs, On
Track for Tuesday
Release [Updates]
By Azadeh Ensha (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 3:15:00 PM
On Wednesday, we mentioned
that Opera 10 RC had firmed up
its speed and other features. Now
comes news from the Opera team
that a "few important crash bugs"
have been fixed and that the
browser is on track for a Tuesday
release. Featured fixes include
widgets that should be working
again (post Opera 9 upgrade) and
8-bit icons that should look better
in Windows. Hit up the link for
the changelog and, if you haven't
already, take a look at our Opera
Unite tour for a glimpse at one of
Opera 10's marquee features.
Opera 10.0 Release Candidate
2[Opera Desktop Team]

Le Petit Prince roving greenhouse robot is overwhelmingly cute, useful

By Laura June (Engadget) of the most depressing books ever want one to care for a certain, Le Petit Prince roving
Submitted at 8/29/2009 4:17:00 AM written? Either way, we can't finicky houseplant we won't call greenhouse robot is
really argue with his usefulness -- out by name (but we're looking at overwhelmingly cute, useful
Something about Le Petit Prince, the concept can carry about plants you, Venus Flytrap). Check out originally appeared on Engadget
t h e m o b i l e , p l a n t - l o v i n g and care for them, all the while the darling video after the break. on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:17:00
greenhouse robot makes us ravaging the terrain for further Continue reading Le Petit EST. Please see our terms for use
indescribably sad. Is it his one, specimens. He's also designed to Prince roving greenhouse robot is of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email
massive adorable eye? Or merely learn about the optimal growing collects, which really makes us overwhelmingly cute, useful this| Comments
the fact that he's named after one conditions of the plants he Filed under: Robots
Internet News Record World/ 19

The Grapes of Wrath revisited: Dust to dust for ghosts of

Route 66
By Chris McGreal (World news the most famous and well dust bowl and the mass closed. The traffic was just parlour and dress shops are
and comment from the travelled roads in the world, unemployment of the depression- bumper to bumper. I can boarded up. The theatre still gets a
Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Route 66. era northern cities — their plight remember especially when the lick of yellow paint periodically
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:53:34 PM Today all that's left is a string of documented by John Steinbeck in schools would let out in but it's insides are torn up.
dead or dying towns over the Grapes of Wrath. They were California each year then all the A fading mural, proclaiming
Seventy years on, Chris McGreal hundreds of miles of the old road headed to California along what people would hit the road. When McLean "the Heart of Old Route
continues his series following through Oklahoma, Texas and Steinbeck called the "mother they arrived here in Texas there 66" over a depiction of Elvis, a
John Steinbeck's fictional Great New Mexico. road" — Route 66 — in barely was just a solid line of cars, even Chevy and roller skating
Depression journey, and finds life Some are little more than ageing serviceable jalopies, anything that at night, all lights," said Loveless. waitresses at the height of the
has bypassed the famous road's retirement communities alongside could carry the family and a few "In the fifties and the sixties, the rock 'n roll era, covers much of
nearly deserted towns rotting main streets dotted with precious possessions that hadn't town was booming. There were one wall on a tumbledown shop
Interactive guide: The Grapes of the corpses of crumbling art deco been sold to fund the trip. four cafes here, four service on the main street. The wooden
Wrath revisited gas stations and abandoned motels In towns like Adrian, they stations, three garages to work on roof is half collapsed and some of
Tommy Loveless can't put his with rusting neon signs, their watched the passing trek with cars. Then all the stations had the windows smashed.
finger on the exact date that the garish paints long faded. Others sympathy and contempt. Some their tyre shops. The tyres wasn't A couple of blocks back from
modern world came crashing past are ghost towns with no more than offered help to the ill-fed children made as well to last as many the rotting heart of McLean, life
and froze his town in time. a resident or two still holding out. in rags. Others wanted them out miles, to take the heat of the road. goes on. There's a school and a
Around the early Seventies, he "My father had two gas stations of town as fast as possible. It was a big business." part time mayor. But the hospital,
says. here," said Roxann Travis, the last But by the time Tommy The day the section of the opened only in 1964, is gutted.
But he can still picture the day resident of Glenrio straddling the Loveless was born in 1949, the interstate opened around Adrian, The numbers of residents is
the waiters and smartly uniformed T e x a s - N e w M e x i c o b o r d e r . great wave of destitution had the town stood still. dwindling and those who remain
attendants working at his dad's "Traffic would be lined up both given way to a post war boom that "It just broke my mom's heart are mostly elderly.
cafes and filling stations stood on directions. He'd have all five of us fuelled America's love affair with when we had to start closing at At 44 years-old, Lelia
the pavement, stunned by the k i d s o u t t h e r e w a s h i n g cars and its self-belief that the night because there was no Groneman is called a "young one"
sight of an empty road that had windshields and changing the oil dream was all it was cracked up to business. And then that didn't by others around Adrian. She
been packed with cars as far back so all they had to do was pump be. work being open during the day likes the town but there's not
as Loveless could remember. gas and keep moving them Through the fifties and sixties so we closed down the Bent Door much work so she works about 12
"We knew it was coming of through as fast as we could. tourists flowed along Route 66 to and then the gas stations. This hours a day driving the school bus
course. But even then, nothing "We used to keep horses across California and from the coast in place kept operating just with and waitressing at the Midpoint
prepared us," he said, standing the road but it was hard to get to search of the American heartland. local business, a one person team, cafe.
under the awning of the wreckage them there were so many cars. The great heavy sprawling to keep the doors open," said "It helps buy the groceries. We
of his father's old Texaco station. When my kids were being raised vehicles were thirsty for fuel, Loveless. try to use the pay cheques we get
"It killed the town. It killed a lot here, they played ball on the road. wore through their tyres and The same happened in a string from the school to pay bills and
of towns around here. The only You could take a nap on it now." broke down in the heat. The of towns across northern Texas. what I earn here is for groceries or
ones who stay are the elderly folk Yet the deepest US recession tourists needed places to eat and McLean's main street is littered clothes or something the kids
and a few school teachers and bus since the great depression has sleep. with the wreckage of abandoned need. They work here too. I watch
drivers. The young don't want to brought flickers of new life to the Loveless's father did well out of filling stations from the 1940s it. I tried to remind the kids, don't
drive 50 miles to go shopping." old route as hard up Americans it. He owned three gas stations forecourts where gaggles of spend what you earn. Do you
Loveless, 60, works as a waiter forsake flying to vacations in the and a couple of cafes, one of attendants swarmed around cars really need it? Try to tell them to
in the cafe that his father owned sun in favour of discovering the which he named after Tommy. — refuelling, pumping tyres, put their needs in front of their
half a century ago before the vast romance of the old road made The other was the Bent Door, so washing windscreens, checking wants," she said. "We're trying to
Interstate 40 highway opened just famous in novel and song. called because of its ill fitting oil — to the sixties space age pay off our credit cards. The
a few miles away, sucking up the A decade before Loveless was doors taken from a world war two visions with wing-like roofs. finance charges have gone up.
traffic and the life out of his born, hundreds of thousands of airfield control tower. Just off the main street, the once And you're getting more and more
hometown of Adrian that thrived destitute, near broken Americans "We was open seven days a charming Avalon theatre built in calls, like if you're just four days
by providing for the cars pressing made their way through Adrian, week 24 hours a day. There wasn't the thirties stands in a block of
bumper to bumper along one of escaping starvation in Oklahoma's even a lock on the door. We never derelict buildings. The beauty GRAPES page 23
20 World/ Internet News Record

Police missed two chances to rescue Jaycee Lee Dugard

By Ed Pilkington (World news seen in public was on 10 June "She looks very young, she looks Ralph Hernandez, a private Under questioning, both Garrido
and comment from the 1991 when she was snatched very healthy. She told me that she investigator from Antioch, was and Dugard are reported to have
Guardian | guardian.co.uk) outside her home in Lake Tahoe feels really guilty for bonding employed last year by Garrido to separately confirmed the
Submitted at 8/29/2009 3:46:28 AM on the California/Nevada border. with this guy. She has a real guilt help him market a new device that kidnapping, providing details
Police believe that she was trip," Probyn said. Garrido claimed to have invented. which only they could know. A
• Sheriff sorry for allowing taken by Garrido, 58, and his 55- For Probyn, the discovery was The device was a telepathy DNA test is being carried out to
suspect to escape detection year-old wife, Nancy, directly to poignant as for many years he was machine. Garrido claimed that confirm Dugard's identity.
• Suspect's home searched over their house in Antioch, about 170 considered a suspect in Dugard's anyone who wore the headphones To add to the embarrassment of
prostitute murders miles away, where she was kept disappearance. He recalled -like contraption could hear him the authorities, Garrido has been
California police admitted last captive, raped and forced to have yesterday how he had watched his speak even when he remained on federal parole since his release
night that they had missed at least two children by him, now aged 11 stepdaughter, then just 4ft 6in tall silent. over the earlier abduction in 1988.
two opportunities to rescue Jaycee and 15. (137cm), walk to the bus stop on Hernandez told the Guardian He was forced to wear a GPS tag
Lee Dugard from the backyard Dugard and her two daughters the morning of the kidnap. that he visited the Garrido home and was liable to regular parole
where she had been imprisoned were hidden in an elaborate "A car came down and circled where, unknown to him, Dugard visits.
after being snatched at the age of network of tents and cabins and real slow and went back up the and the two girls were Yet Fred Kollar, the police chief
11 by Philip Garrido, who also never allowed to see a doctor or to hill. Once it got next to her, it cut imprisoned. in charge of the investigation, said
fathered her two children. go to school. her off and as soon as I saw the "I sat in his living room. It that the agent attached to Garrido
The sheriff's department that Phillip and Nancy Garrido are door fly open I jumped on my seemed a typical ranch-style had never seen the children. He
covers Garrido's home in Antioch alleged to have abducted Dugard mountain bike. I realised I house, nothing unusual for that described a sophisticated series of
apologised on Friday for two from outside her California home couldn't get to her in time," he neighbourhood," he said. tents and cabins in the backyard
incidents in which it let him slip in 1991 and to have held her in a said. While he was there, Nancy that were screened from view all
through undetected. secret back garden compound for Garrido, 58, who has been Garrido went into the room, as did around and only accessible
The first was in 2006 when a almost two decades. charged along with his wife with a a blond woman aged 15 to 20 who through a piece of tarpaulin.
police officer visited Garrido The Garridos pleaded not guilty range of kidnapping and sex Garrido said was his daughter or Neighbours expressed their
having been tipped off by an yesterday to dozens of charges offences, has given telling daughter's friend. anger. One resident said she was
unnamed caller who called the including kidnap, rape and false insights into his extreme religious Garrido himself came across as concerned that police had
man a sex-addicted "psychotic" imprisonment. As they appeared beliefs. In an interview from his an intelligent man with deep overlooked information and
and said children's voices had in court, forensic experts searched prison cell with a local radio religious convictions. "He wanted warnings.
been heard in the backyard. their home for evidence relating station, KCRA-TV, he said: "It's a to start a church or ministry," "When I moved here, my father
The officer was apparently t o t h e m u r d e r s o f s e v e r a l disgusting thing what took place Hernandez said. went online and looked at Amber
unaware that Garrido had been prostitutes after a search warrant with me in the beginning". But he It was Garrido's religious Alert [the government child
convicted of rape in an earlier was obtained. went on to insist: "I completely commitments that eventually protection website] to see whether
incident, and made no search of Several of the bodies in the turned my life around." trapped him. He was handing out there were any sex offenders in
the property. unsolved murders were dumped Though Garrido refused to evangelical leaflets on Tuesday on the area - and there wasn't
A second sweep of registered near an industrial park where discuss the kidnapping, saying the campus of University of anybody at all. They obviously
sex offenders in the area was also Garrido worked during the 1990s. that he wanted to talk to a lawyer California, Berkeley, weren't keeping very good tabs on
carried out in July 2008, but again There was little reaction from first, he did refer to Dugard's two accompanied by his two him."
Garrido's house was visited but the Garridos as the 29 charges children "that we had together", daughters, when college police • Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnap
not searched. were laid before them at El and implied that he believes she grew suspicious. • California
The local sheriff, Warren Rupf, Dorado superior court, although shares his views. "You are going A background check revealed • United States
said: "We missed an opportunity Ms Garrido cried and put her head to hear the most powerful story that he had a record as a sex Ed Pilkington
to have intervened earlier. We are in her hands. Both were held from the victim," he said. offender - he spent 11 years in jail guardian.co.uk© Guardian
beating ourself up over this and without bail. Garrido has a company and was on life parole for the News & Media Limited 2009 |
are continuing to do so." Dugard was reunited with her registered to his home address 1976 kidnapping and rape of a Use of this content is subject to
He added: "I offer my apologies mother, Terry Probyn, late on called God's Desire, and kept a woman who came, like Dugard, our Terms & Conditions| More
t o t h e v i c t i m s a n d a c c e p t Thursday. blog called Voices Revealed - an from Lake Tahoe. Garrido was Feeds
responsibility for having missed a According to Dugard's apparent reference to his called in for questioning the next
chance to rescue Jaycee." stepfather, Carl Probyn, the conviction that he could speak day, and brought with him his
Before her dramatic rescue this mother was amazed by how little telepathically through powers wife, Dugard - whom he gave the
week, the last time Dugard was Dugard, now 29, had changed. given to him by God's angels. name Allissa - and the two girls.
Internet News Record
Court blocks girl's solo sailing plans
By Caroline Davies (World
news and comment from the
Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 1:33:41 PM
Case of Dutch schoolgirl
planning epic voyage stirs debate
over trend of young people setting
out on solo sea quests
Even as 17-year-old Mike
Perham lands in Portsmouth
tomorrow as the youngest solo
sailor to circumnavigate the
globe, 10,000 miles away in
Queensland, Australia, another
teenager is poised to try to wrest
the record from him.
Jessica Watson, 16, is the next
in a queue of super-teens eager to
pit themselves against the
elements. Her boat, Pink Lady, is
being kitted out, and she goes
next month. Abby Sunderland, 15,
plans to follow in November,
setting forth from California on
the same challenge that her
brother, Zac, 17, completed in
July.
And, had a court not intervened,
a Dutch schoolgirl, Laura Dekker,
would have left next week at 13.
Her dreams of chasing the record
were stalled today by judges in
Utrecht placing her under a two-
month supervision order.
The court ruling highlights the
controversy and concern
surrounding the recent
phenomenon of teenage long-
distance sailors. Born on a boat in
New Zealand and spending the
first four years of her life at sea,
no one doubts Dekker has "salt in
DJ AM Found Dead
(ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:47:00 PM
ET can confirm that celebrity
her veins". But social workers
fear that a desire to impress her
father, Dick, an excellent sailor
with whom she has lived since her
parents divorced, could have
influenced her.
This year she was picked up by
social workers in Britain having
sailed alone to Lowestoft, where
she was sleeping on her boat. She
was put into care for a night while
her reluctant father, who thought
she was old enough to sail back
alone, was ordered to come and
get her.
Now she must be
psychologically assessed to see
whether she is capable of coping
before the court will agree to her
two-year journey. While
remaining with her father, she will
be under the supervision of the
Dutch council for child
protection.
As the quest to set new records
continues, debate is raging. Just
how young is too young? And to
what extent are vainglorious
parents pressurising children into
riskier ventures?
"Million-dollar questions," said
Dee Caffari, 36, the first woman
to sail solo non-stop around the
world in both directions. The
decision by the sport's governing
body, the World Sailing Speed
Record Council, to abandon its
"youngest" category reflects a
desire not to further encourage it,
she believes.
"If everyone keeps trying to
break it, where does it end: with
some 10-year-old having a go?"
club disc-jockey Adam
Goldstein(a.k.a. DJ AM) has died
at the age of 36. Read on for the
details.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, first
to sail single-handed and non-stop
around the world, said: "The
problem is, I don't know legally
how you can have a cut-off. But I
would say that 13 is very
marginal.
"I think parents are going to
have to play a very big part in
this. We all know that some
parents try to relive their lives
through their children. They think,
'Wow, wouldn't it be great if my
son or daughter could do that. I
will get all that glory.' Then it's:
'Right. You're doing it.' That's
probably the biggest danger."
Watson, too, has the proverbial
salt in her veins, having been
home-schooled on a boat for five
years. "I made my mind up when
I was 12," she said from aboard
Pink Lady. "It's not about any
records. It's about fufilling my
dreams. And if that brings a
record with it, then it's a bonus".
It's a statement open to question,
given that her website's address is
youngestround.com.
She is prepared, having sailed
10,000 nautical miles. She has
"stitched up some chickens and
stabbed a few oranges" in first aid
training. The ocean, she says,
doesn't care about age: "It respects
experience." As for the run on
youth records: "I personally think
it is amazing that so many young
people are showing the courage
and belief to live dreams."
"If you see someone else do it,
then you want to do it. And the
more do it, the more want to do
Goldstein was found dead in his
New York City apartment on
Friday, a rep for the late star tells
us, adding that the circumstances
World/ Entertainment
it," said Perham from aboard his
yacht heading towards
Portsmouth. He has not met
Dekker, but "would be fascinated
to". He will not say whether he
thinks she should or should not be
allowed to sail.
"Anyone, whatever age, has to
ask three key things. Are they
physically strong enough? Are
they mentally strong enough to
cope when the going gets tough?
And are they technically good
enough to fix generators and work
as an electrician? The mental side
of this trip is huge," he said.
Knox-Johnston, whose Clipper
Ventures allows people to
experience round-the-world
sailing, said: "You just can't do
this without experience, and
maturity to cope with loneliness.
If something goes wrong with the
boat, and you've got a gale
coming, and perhaps you're
frightened to deal with it, it's
having the strength to say 'I've got
to do this. I can't sit down below
and cry.'"
Caffari, who is currently
involved with the Toe in the
Water sailing charity for injured
service personnel, said her own
experiences had taught her just
how mentally tough it was. "It's
quite surprising, the effect it has
on you. And at a young age, you
are not emotionally strong."
At 14, Perham, from Potters
Bar, Hertfordshire, became the
youngest to sail the Atlantic
single-handedly. Now he has set
the new record, for how long can
surrounding his death are unclear.
The NY Fire Department tells
us they received a call at 5:24
p.m. and were dispatched to an
21
he keep it? "Well, it's going to
take Jessica about eight months to
get round. So I'll hold it for quite
a while.
"But it's not holding it that
counts," he added. "It's getting it."
Yacht pack
Youngest circumnavigation
records
Jesse Martin, an 18-year-old
Australian sailor who in 1999
became the youngest person to
circumnavigate the globe solo,
non-stop and unassisted – a record
that still stands. He remains one
of the biggest inspirations to
today's teen sailors.
Zac Sunderland, from
California. Aged 17 years and 198
days, he became the youngest
person to sail solo around the
globe, and the first aged under 18,
when he returned on 16 July
2009. The record stood for six
weeks.
Mike Perham, from Potters Bar,
Hertfordshire. Aged 17 years and
164 days, Perham claimed
Sunderland's record on Thursday
when he crossed the finishing line
after a journey of nine months.
• Young people
• Sailing
• Children
• Netherlands
Caroline Davies
guardian.co.uk© Guardian
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address where the male on the
scene was pronounced dead at 6
p.m.
22 World/ Gadgets/ Entertainment Internet News Record

Iran continuing nuclear activity, says UN

By Julian Borger (World news The report said the number of heavy water plant under President Ahmadinejad's disputed
and comment from the centrifuges installed at the construction in Arak and agreeing re-election, and are likely to break
Guardian | guardian.co.uk) uranium enrichment plant in to improve monitoring at Natanz the fragile international consensus
Submitted at 8/28/2009 1:55:34 PM Natanz had grown by about 1,000 – as ploys aimed at defusing on dealing with Tehran. As
in the last two months, to 8,000. international pressure. international tensions mounted in
• Country 'fails to co-operate Over the same period there was The IAEA report comes at a the run up to the IAEA report,
with energy inspectors' a slight drop in the number of critical time, just over three weeks ElBaradei came under intense
• West may target foreign those centrifuges being used to
petroleum supplies enrich uranium. The rest are
before a UN summit meeting,
which has become a de facto
pressure over its content and
presentation. There were even How would you
The UN's nuclear watchdog spinning empty or have just been
reported today that Iran was installed. UN officials said it was
deadline for Iran to respond to an
international package of
leaked reports that he was holding
back evidence against Iran. change Pentax's
continuing its uranium enrichment the first time in three years the incentives to suspend uranium Today, the IAEA issued a rare
programme in defiance of UN number of active centrifuges had enrichment. rebuke over those leaks alongside K-7 DSLR?
security council resolutions, declined. It was not clear whether The Iranian government has the report.
setting the stage for possible oil this was intended as a gesture to said it will issue a response, but "Regrettably, time and again By Darren Murph (Engadget)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 1:58:00 AM
and gas sanctions by the west. international opinion or the result has also said it will not negotiate unidentified sources feed the
In a report, the International of technical problems. A UN on enrichment, which it insists is media and member states with Pentax may not be the first name
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) official said: "We prefer not to its sovereign right. If there are no misinformation or
you think of when scouting a new
also repeated its regular complaint speculate." signs of compromise from Tehran misinterpretation," an agency DSLR, but it's certainly closer to
that Iran was not co-operating Despite having fewer then the US, Britain and France spokesman, Marc Vidricaire, said.the top now than it was prior to
w i t h i t s i n s p e c t o r s o v e r centrifuges being used for will lead a campaign to impose "This time around, there are the K-7's release. The semi-pro
unanswered questions about enrichment, the output of the new sanctions, probably focused articles claiming that the cam saw positive review after
evidence of efforts to militarise Natanz plant appears to be fairly on Iran's energy sector. If they fail secretariat is hiding information,
positive review flow in, giving
the programme and produce a steady at 2.77kg of low enriched to win support from Russia and and that there are sharp even the Nikon and Canon
warhead. uranium (LEU) a day. Iran now China at the UN, they will seek to disagreements among staff faithful reason to pay attention. At
In his last report on Iran before has accumulated 1,508kg of LEU. build as much international members involved about the right under $1,300 for just the
leaving his post, the IAEA LEU is used in nuclear power support as they can. contents of the report. Needless to
body it didn't come cheap, though
d i r e c t o r g e n e r a l , M o h a m e d reactors rather than weapons, but The possible targets of new say, such allegations have no the high-def movie capture mode,
ElBaradei, said the evidence Iran's western critics argue it can sanctions are Iran's dependence, basis in fact." ability to snap HDR shots natively
pointing at military aspects of be converted relatively easily into despite being an oil-rich state, on • Iran and 14.6 megapixel sensor help to
Iran's programme "appears to weapons-grade high enriched foreign supplies of refined • Nuclear weapons justify the MSRP somewhat.
have been derived from multiple uranium. petroleum, and its need for • United Nations What we're really after here are
sources over different periods of Iran now has enough, if that was technology and equipment to Julian Borger your thoughts; for those that
time, appears to be generally done, to make a single nuclear update its oil and gas production guardian.co.uk© Guardian bought in, have you been pleased?
consistent, and is sufficiently warhead. Therefore, Iran's critics and export capacity. News & Media Limited 2009 | Is the low-light performance
comprehensive and detailed that it are unlikely to see the drop in the However, there are concerns Use of this content is subject tosufficient? Is the autofocus
needs to be addressed by Iran with number of functioning centrifuges among European and US officials our Terms & Conditions| More snappy enough for your tastes? Or
a view to removing the doubts as an Iranian concession. that such measures, aimed at the Feeds more importantly, how happy are
which naturally arise about the They have also rejected two heart of the Iranian economy, your clients with the results?
exclusively peaceful nature of other recent Iranian gestures – could rally the country around the Comments are all yours, so get to
Iran's nuclear programme." allowing IAEA inspectors to see a leadership in the wake of it!
Friends, Family Celebrate Ted Kennedy's Life Filed under: Digital Cameras
How would you change Pentax's
(ETonline - Breaking News) prominent public figures close to on Friday night. not for Teddy Kennedy." K-7 DSLR? originally appeared
Ted Kennedy offered emotional
Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:16:00 PM "He crept into my heart and "He taught me to be a better on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009
eulogies about the late senator at a before I knew it, owned a piece of senator," said Sen. John McCain. 01:58:00 EST. Please see our
Vice President Joe Biden, memorial service in Boston's JFK it," said Vice President Biden. "I terms for use of feeds. Permalink|
Caroline Kennedy and many other Presidential Library and Museum wouldn't be standing here were it Email this| Comments
Internet News Record
GRAPES
continued from page 19
late they're calling you and that's
never happened before. We use
our cards when we run into bad
spots, to buy groceries. The prices
are going high."
Struggling by has brought its
tragedies for Groneman. Propane
is cheaper to cook on but it is also
more dangerous than electricity.
Four years ago Groneman woke
to find her 15 year-old son dead
from carbon monoxide poisoning.
"We think one of those cold
fronts, it was in December, it just
pushed all the fumes down. by the
time we realised what was going
on it was too late," she said.
"School shut down for his
funeral. That's the kind of town
this is. It's why I stay. Everybody
knows everybody. Everybody
knows everybody's business.
Everybody's there to help you. I
wouldn't trade it. It has its
drawbacks and being younger I
see a lot of it but some of the
older folks here are like family to
me."
The school is one of the few
institutions in town still thriving
but only one in four of the pupils
is from Adrian. The rest come
from further afield where parents
prefer Adrian's small class sizes
and lack of gang and drug
problems.
Some towns have drawn on the
past to try and secure a future.
Sexy S T R E T C H shelf is basically a giant rubber band
By Devin Coldewey
(CrunchGear)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:15:04 PM
You can always use a few more
shelves in your life, right? And
this one is not only original and
cool-looking, but (dare I say it)
Route 66 museums and
memorabilia shops filled with
signs plundered from old gas
stations draw some motorists off
the Interstate for a look at what
used to be. Some towns are
investing in restoration, including
the 1930s art deco classic Conoco
filling station in Shamrock with
its U Drop Inn cafe, named by a
schoolboy who won $50 for his
trouble, which recently earned a
place in the children's animated
film Cars.
In Adrian, Loveless's father's
old restaurant is the last surviving
of the businesses that once served
the golden era. It still attracts the
curious.
As Loveless spoke, members of
a Mini drivers club from across
Texas bustled in, their new dinky
cars strangely out of place in the
big parking spaces where for
decades the great American gas
guzzlers once stood.
But mostly people only come
off the Interstate as darkness falls
for a night at one of the soulless
strip malls that have replaced the
old towns with generic motels,
fast food joints and vast self
service gas stations. The drivers
move on the next morning barely
aware of other life signalled by
the occasional sign to some small
town at a rural off ramp.
Loveless says Adrian is in
flexible as well. Because it’s
rubber! I’m such a card!
It is nice-looking, though, that’s
no joke. And you can rearrange
the pegs, so it really is flexible. I
wonder, though, doesn’t it have a
bit of a design flaw there?
I mean, if you have it on your
terminal decline.
"There's no future for the town.
The little towns that were on
Route 66 are all dying. What's
happening to Glenrio is happening
to the other towns, even this one.
As people get older and there's
nobody to move out here and take
over the housing, then when you
don't have enough people to keep
the water system going, the sewer
system.
Eventually they just die out
because there's no one interested
in moving out to the small
communities on Route 66," he
said.
Roxann Travis hangs on in
Glenrio as the only real resident.
She still lives in her father's
house, dilapidated now, alone
with seven dogs.
"It's sad to keep watching this
deteriorate," she said. "I don't
have much money so I've worked
on my own plumbing, fixed my
own vehicle, fixed my own riding
mower. Fixed my refrigerator. But
there's the roof."
The Texaco filling station is still
standing too, although it has long
since been stripped of the classic
signage.
The door is missing on an old
fridge in Coca Cola red. The
pumps are long gone but still
standing on the forecourt is a
rusting white 1968 Pontiac
wall the way it’s shown, all the
Catalina, a popular "muscle car"
of its day that Travis's husband
drove to work on the day he was
shot dead in a robbery at a gas
station he owned in Adrian.
The killer, who murdered
another man earlier the same day
in 1976 in central Texas, forced
Larry Travis to his knees and shot
him through the back of the head,
execution-style.
Travis says there's just too much
history for her to leave.
"My daughter was just talking to
me about the whole family thinks
I need to get out of here and move
to the city," she said. "Sometimes
with all the problems with the
house, sometimes it'd be nice to
have a house with everything
working and closer to stores
instead of driving 70 miles to
grocery shop. But I'm happy here.
I don't want to leave.
For the most part I feel safer
here than in the city. I guess I'm
the last ghost."
• United States
• Global recession
• John Steinbeck
Chris McGreal
guardian.co.uk© Guardian
News & Media Limited 2009 |
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weight is on the top peg, minus a
little bit being put sideways onto
the lower pegs. If they rate the
shelf as holding fifteen pounds,
for example, that’s probably only
if it’s evenly distributed among
the three pegs. I’d think carefully
about the physics before I put
Gadgets/ TV 23
Disney Channel's
president loves the gay
Miley Cyrus video spoof
By Mike Moody (TV Squad)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 8:29:00 AM
The video below features a
group of gay dudes in speedos
dancing on the beach to Miley
Cyrus' "Party in the USA." And
Disney loves it.
Seriously. In a surprising move,
Disney, who owns Miley's music
(as well as her soul), has allowed
the video to become a hit on
YouTube, and Disney employees
have reportedly been e-mailing it
to each other all week. It even got
the seal of approval from Rich
Ross, the president of Disney
Channels Worldwide. Mr. Ross
recently placed a phone call to the
maker of the video, Esquire
marketing exec Dave Fudge, just
to tell him he "loved it."
Continue reading Disney
Channel's president loves the gay
Miley Cyrus video spoof
Filed under: Video, Reality-Free
Permalink| Email this| |
Comments
anything in there. The four-peg
approach looks more stable,
though.
It’ll cost around $120, but don’t
expect to see it in your local Ikea.
It was created by Pete Oyler for a
design showcase and probably
will only be in boutique stores.
24 World/ Economy/ TV Internet News Record

Obama to speak at Kennedy funeral This week's top stories

(World news and comment
from the Guardian |
guardian.co.uk)
Carter, as well as 58 current
members of the US senate, 21
former members and Supreme
for our country."
McCain, the 2008 Republican
presidential nominee, called
[28 August 2009]
Submitted at 8/29/2009 5:32:19 AM Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Kennedy "the best ally you could (The Economist: News unemployment figures are
who was once an aide to have", while Kerry promised to analysis) published. The housing market
Representatives from across the K e n n e d y . deliver the overhaul of healthcare Submitted at 8/28/2009 6:00:29 AM has started to show some
US political and social spectrum White House aides would not be that his fellow Massachusetts encouraging signs of life and
gather to pay respects to revered drawn on the eulogy the president Democrat had sought for so long. The coming days rallies of various stockmarkets
former senator would offer, but Obama was "He laboured with all his might Aug 2nd 2009 around the world have given
President Barack Obama is to expected to focus on the impact to make healthcare a right for all From Economist.com New optimists cause to cheer. President
deliver the eulogy for Senator Kennedy had on American life America, and we will do that in evidence of the state of the Barack Obama has suggested that
Edward Kennedy today, taking on since he first being elected in his honour," said Kerry, his American economy, and other the recession in America is
the role to which the senator 1962. party's 2004 presidential nominee. news nearing an end. However
himself was so often called as the His 47-year career spanned the Following the service, • IN IRAN president Mahmoud unemployment typically continues
longtime patriarch of his famous assassinations of his brothers, Kennedy's body was to be flown Ahmadinejad is expected to to rise for a period even after a
family. President John F. Kennedy and to Andrews Air Force Base, consolidate his grip on power, recession has ended. A rapid
The funeral was expected to Robert F. Kennedy; the civil which also received JFK's body after disputed elections. On increase in unemployment would
draw mourners from across the rights era and Apollo moon after his 1963 assassination, Monday August 3rd the Supreme not only be bad news for the
political spectrum and all walks of landings; and battles over health, before being driven to the US Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, jobless but could indicate a
life. education and immigration; as Capitol then along the National will hear Mr Ahmadinejad give greater risk of a weak recovery or
The Massachusetts Democrat, well as the election of Obama, the Mall and into Arlington the oath of office. Later in the a double-dip recession.
who died on Tuesday at age 77 first US black president, who was Cemetery. There, as evening falls, week a public ceremony is For background, see article
from cancer of the brain, was o n l y 1 8 m o n t h s o l d w h e n he is to be buried on a hillside planned. Although Mr • MEXICO'S president, Felipe
being sent off in high fashion on K e n n e d y t o o k o f f i c e . grave site near his two brothers. Ahmadinejad has emerged Calderón, will welcome Barack
Saturday with a Roman Catholic Kennedy was remembered on • The Kennedys triumphant in his contest with Obama and Stephen Harper,
Mass presided over by no fewer Friday at a bipartisan memorial • United States opposition figures, his dominance Canada’s prime minister, to a two
than seven priests, 11 pallbearers service whose speakers included • Barack Obama of Iranian politics has been -day summit of North American
and 29 honorary pallbearers. senators John McCain and John • Democrats constrained by fellow leaders in the western city
Tenor Placido Domingo was to Kerry, Vice President Joe Biden guardian.co.uk© Guardian conservative politicians. Guadalajara starting on Sunday
sing, accompanied by cellist Yo- a n d C a r o l i n e K e n n e d y News & Media Limited 2009 | See article August 9th. Discussions are likely
Yo Ma. Schlossberg, JFK's daughter. Use of this content is subject to • AMERICA'S secretary of state, to centre on measures to tackle
Joining Obama and almost "Now Teddy has become a part our Terms & Conditions| More Hillary Clinton, sets off on a greenhouse-gas emissions, the
1,500 other mourners at Our Lady of history," Schlossberg said, "and Feeds seven-country trip to Africa threat of swine flu and prospects
of Perpetual Help Basilica were we are the ones who will have to beginning on Wednesday August for economic recovery. Canada
former presidents George W do all the things he would have 5th. Mrs Clinton will travel to and Mexico want assurances that
Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy done, for us, for each other and Kenya, South Africa, Angola, America will not resort to
Congo, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape protectionism particularly in light
Doctor Who next season spoilers Verde. She has sidelined recently of Mr Obama’s election rhetoric,
by a broken elbow, by President which suggested that he wanted to
By Brad Trechak (TV Squad) jump. The rest of you can go Barack Obama's recent trips, renegotiate the North American
Submitted at 8/29/2009 9:29:00 AM about your business. including one to Africa, and by Free Trade Agreement.
Continue reading Doctor Who the vice-president, Joe Biden, who For background, see article
Filming is underway for season next season spoilers has been enthusiastically Back to top ^^ Readers'
five (called series five in the Filed under: OpEd, Doctor travelling the world. comments
U.K.) of the adventures of Who, Reality-Free For background, see article Readers have commented on
everyone's favorite Time Lord, Permalink| Email this| | • MORE evidence of the state of this article (the window for new
Doctor Who, and naturally, a few For the benefit of those who Comments health of America's economy will comments is now closed).
secrets of the next season have don't wish to be spoiled, the become available on Friday
already been leaked. goodies will be revealed after the August 7th, when monthly
Internet News Record
A dash for trash may yet become a flight to quality
(Financial Times - US
homepage)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 12:28:20 PM
A mere six months ago investors
were contemplating the wreck of
the global financial system, the
collapse of world trade and an
imminent threat of deflation
comparable to that of the 1930s.
Today the headlines trumpet a
surge in equities redolent of the
euphoric upswing after the
economic catastrophe of 1929-32.
For many, the unsettling feature
of the post-March bounce is that it
was driven by a dash for trash.
Undercapitalised banks and
companies with overstretched
balance sheets have been in the
vanguard. Still more worrying is
that the S&P 500 index is once
again way above fair value as
measured by the cyclically
adjusted price earnings ratio,
which is a multiple of average
earnings over 10 years.
As Jeremy Grantham of Boston-
based fund manager GMO
recently remarked, after 20 years
of more or less permanent
overpricing of the S&P 500, we
saw just five months of
underpricing after the March
trough. In which case, has the
transition from fear to greed run
away with itself? Could the rally
prove as evanescent as the great
bull market of 1932, which was
followed by one of the longest
250GB Xbox 360 revealed in South African ad: the “Super Elite”
By Devin Coldewey
(CrunchGear)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 5:27:42 PM
Confirming what we saw
yesterday on Amazon.de, there is
indeed a new 250GB model of the
bear markets in history?
On this occasion investors have
not completely parted company
with their wits. Fears of global
financial collapse and, at least in
the short term, deflation have
been put to rest by the huge policy
response. The effectiveness of the
various initiatives – Tarps, Talfs,
quantitative easing and the rest –
may have been mixed. But the
outcome is clear. These and
similar moves around the world
have prompted an incipient
economic recovery.
Leading economic indicators
have turned. The economies of
Japan and Germany are on the
mend. The Chinese economy has
responded, like the half-command
economy it is, to reflationary
instructions from Beijing.
Residential house prices in the US
and UK have stabilised. The US
corporate sector has retrenched to
the point where it is generating a
positive cash flow. The prospect
of a Japanese-style lost decade in
the world’s largest economy has
thus retreated.
The pattern of the stock market
upturn is likewise perfectly
logical. Since the collapse of
Lehman Brothers last year, it has
become clear that governments
have no appetite for further
systemic shocks. So big banks are
in clover because their capital
position continues to be
subsidised by the state. Loose
Xbox 360 called, disappointingly,
the “Super Elite,” unless that’s
just what this particular South
African retailer decided to go
with. Forza 3, two controllers, no
HDMI cable. Seriously? at this c a b l e s i n m y M u l t i - G r a i n
point, I should be getting HDMI C h e e r i o s .
monetary policy delivers easy
profits by cutting their borrowing
costs and increasing their interest
spreads. Increased concentration
resulting from bail-outs means
that pricing power is
strengthened.
As for the big gains in the share
prices of financially stretched
smaller companies, this reflects
the stock market’s switch from
valuing shaky companies on a
break-up or firesale basis to a
going-concern basis. After
financial crises the biggest stock
market killings tend to come from
buying into companies that defy
the general expectation that they
will go bust.
And yet. There remains a real
question about the robustness of
the recovery. Fiscal
expansionism, which shifts the
burden of indebtedness from the
household to the public sector, is
a jump-start remedy that cannot
be sustained because indefinite
increases in borrowing threaten
sovereign debt ratings. Other
policy measures, such as “ cash
for clunkers” car scrapping
schemes, bring expenditure
forward, leaving a hole later on.
The problem of global
imbalances has lessened, but has
not been resolved, since the US
still carries a disproportionate
amount of the reflationary policy
burden. The collapse of business
investment spending in the UK
indicates how difficult it is for
current account deficit countries
to rebalance their economies away
from debt-financed consumption
towards investment and export-
led growth.
In the private sector corporate
profit margins have held up well
against the recession, thanks to
cost-cutting. Yet one company’s
cost-cuts subtract from another
company’s revenues. As wages
are cut and people laid off,
consumption is dented. Much of
the upturn in global
manufacturing simply reflects the
end of a savage inventory
adjustment, which is a one-off
boost to the economy.
A more profound question is
whether the stock market has
sufficiently grasped the nature of
the post-crisis model of capitalism
the world is moving towards.
Governments will be exercising
greater control over the
management and levels of profit
in banking, the motor industry and
elsewhere. Regulation will
increase, as will taxes. And the
populist backlash against bank
bonuses threatens to spill over
into a wider resentment of profits
and wealth creation.
In short, the stock market
entertains hopes of a strong
sustained recovery that will
probably not be fulfilled. After the
extraordinary rise through August,
a pause would anyway be
Oh, there is one wrinkle. The here in the states, this model
advertisement has the price at should be $400.
4200 Rand, which translates to… [via Joystiq]
about $550. Let’s hope that’s just
the local price.
Okay, that’s just alarmism.
Based on the pricing we’ve seen
Finance/ Gadgets/ 25
justified.
Yet the problem for investors in
an overextended market such as
this is that it could become even
more overextended, especially
given that monetary policy is
(with the possible exception of
China) set to remain loose. For
while quantitative easing, the
modern equivalent of printing
money, has so far failed to crank
up bank lending significantly, it
has undoubtedly put money into
the hands of the investment
institutions from whom central
banks have been buying bonds.
For them, as for everyone else,
there is a swingeing penalty for
staying in cash that yields
precious little interest.
So for those who worry about
being out of the market while
remaining suspicious about the
strength of the recovery, there is
one clear message. Blue chips, the
big quality and defensive stocks,
have lagged in the upturn. In an
anaemic recovery they should at
least outperform lesser forms of
corporate life that have been
carried up on an increasingly
frothy rising tide.
The writer is an FT columnist
and chairman of Quintain plc
john.plender@ft.com
More columns at
http://www.ft.com/columnists/joh
nplender
26 Finance/ Economy/ Sports Internet News Record

‘Shorters’ retreat helps fuel volatility Causes of the Crisis:

(Financial Times - US
homepage)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:30:51 AM
Why Debt Is Bad among short sellers,” said Gordon
Charlop, managing director at
Rosenblatt Securities. The low
volumes and resulting short (Financial Sector and Stocks Reserve earlier this decade, and
Short sellers have been deserting squeeze, in turn, have cast doubt Analysis from Seeking Alpha) the growth of a large and
the US stock market in droves on the current rally’s Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:27:35 AM unregulated financial sector:
during its sluggish summer sustainability. Essentially, the development of
sessions in a retreat that has “There is less legitimacy about By James Kwak an unregulated financial sector
helped fuel the recent volatile the rally in the last week as it has Menzie Chinn, one of my has circumvented the entire
trading in AIG and other beaten- been based on low volumes,” said favorite bloggers, and Jeffry panoply of banking regulation
down financial shares, analysts Jim Paulsen, chief investment Frieden have a short and highly created in the wake of the Great
said on Friday. strategist at Wells Capital readable article up on the causes Depression. This made the
Short sellers seek to profit from Management. of the financial crisis. Chinn is not financial system vulnerable to
price declines by selling borrowed Analysts said they expect that in given to ideological ranting and is traditional “bank panics,” or
shares and then “covering” their major equity indices had fallen to September, fundamentals will a great believer in actually “runs” on the financial system.
positions with purchases of the the lowest levels since at least return as the main driver of equity looking at data, so I place The abdication of regulatory
same stocks. When large numbers October 2007. prices. significant weight in what he says. oversight (particularly in allowing
of short sellers close their “The US Fish and Wildlife AIG officials declined to Chinn and Frieden place the high leverage) in the presence of
positions by buying shares at the Service may have a new candidate comment on the share price. But emphasis on excessive American too many institutions “too large to
same time, the stocks involved for its endangered species list,” people close to the company said borrowing, by both the public and fail” meant the buildup of implicit
can register explosive – and often said Paul Hickey of Bespoke. “It’s executives attributed the sharp private sectors. financial liability on the part of
inexplicable – gains. short sellers.” rise in the stock to a combination This disaster is, in our view, the government.
Although stocks gave back Closing short positions has been of a short-sellers covering their merely the most recent example But the overall story is that high
some of their gains in early particularly difficult recently positions and a widespread stock of a “capital flow cycle,” in which borrowing brought in foreign
trading on Friday, the S&P has because of low summer volumes. market rally. foreign capital floods a country, capital; insofar as the borrowing
climbed steadily in August to its At the same time, trading - which The said recent strong stimulates an economic boom, was spent on nontradable goods,
highest levels in 10 months, with is now dominated by rapid-fire performances in the broader encourages financial leveraging such as housing and financial
some of the best performing computer systems - has become market had increased investors’ and risk taking, and eventually services, necessarily pushing up
stocks being those that were most fragmented across exchanges and expectations of the value of the culminates in a crash. prices (there is no way for
heavily sold short – AIG, Fannie various electronic platforms. The large businesses AIG has to sell in They have little patience for the competition from houses in China
Mae, Freddie Mac and Citigroup. result has been agony for short order to repay some $80bn in idea that the financial crisis was to keep U.S. housing prices
Analysts say short sellers have sellers of stock such as AIG, who federal aid. Recent comments by the fault of Chinese over-saving: down).
been closing many of their have been squeezed, in the market Robert Benmosche, the insurer’s It is necessary to dispense with I think it’s hard to argue against
positions in recent weeks. Short place, as they try to buy shares to new chief executives, suggesting the view that all this excess saving the idea that a huge debt-financed
interest as a percentage of S&P close their positions. AIG shares the company will slow down its from the rest of the world was bubble was a bad, bad thing. I still
500 stocks fell to its lowest level has soared 260 per cent since disposals programme in order to “forced” upon us. The rest of the think, as you might predict, that
in eight months by mid-August, early August. reap as a high a price as possible world’s capital flowed to us, in the nature of our particular
according to the most recent data. ”Trading volumes are somewhat also helped, according to people part, because we wanted to financial system both made the
Bespoke Investment Group said lower and centred around a few familiar with the matter. borrow, and we wanted to borrow bubble larger than it might
average short interest in other stocks that have been in play because of the Bush otherwise have been, and made its
administration’s emphasis from collapse more spectacular than it
Lincecum, Giants narrow Rockies' wild-card lead 2001 to 2008 on cutting taxes had to be.
while still spending. The article is drawn from a
By Associated Press for his 13th win. eight scoreless innings. No other They do endorse as
(ESPN.com) • The Giants trimmed the pitcher has done so more than book they are working on, which I
exacerbating factors the low will be sure to buy.
Submitted at 8/29/2009 4:47:10 AM Rockies' wild-card lead to two three times. interest rates set by the Federal
games with their MLB-leading -- ESPN Stats & Information
Fast Facts 17th shutout of the season.
• Tim Lincecum threw a season- • It is the sixth time that
high 127 pitches in eight innings Lincecum has pitched at least
Internet News Record Finance/ Economy/ Tech/ 27

‘N Korean arms for Iran’ seized by Cost-Benefit Analyzing

UAE the Financial Sector
(Financial Times - US items, including rocket-propelled Pyongyang. (Financial Sector and Stocks somehow escaped attention is the
homepage) grenades and ammunition. He The binding resolution Analysis from Seeking Alpha) cost of running the system.
Submitted at 8/28/2009 3:59:51 PM said the consignment had been authorises states to seize and Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:21:55 AM In particular, Friedman wonders
ordered by Iran’s TSS, a company dispose of items that break the at the relationship between the
The United Arab Emirates has said to be linked to Iran’s embargo. The resolution also By James Kwak value provided by financial
seized a ship secretly carrying Revolutionary Guard Corps and requires states to report to the Benjamin Friedman, in the services and the opportunity cost
embargoed North Korean arms to previously subject to international committee on what action they are Financial Times(hat tip Yves involved:
Iran, say diplomats. bans on importing weapons- taking to implement sanctions. Smith), questions the high cost “Perversely, the largest
News of the interception comes related items. The UAE is a hub for goods (read: compensation) of our individual returns seem to flow to
at a sensitive time. North Korea The vessel, identified by moving in and out of Iran. financial sector. But he does not those whose job is to ensure that
has invited the US for bilateral diplomats as the Bahamian- Western powers have pressed for simply say that huge bonuses for microscopically small deviations
talks on nuclear issues and the UN flagged ANL-Australia, has been greater co-operation from UAE bankers are unfair. Instead, he from observable regularities in
S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l ’ s w e s t e r n allowed to leave the UAE after authorities to track shipments and says that the costs of financial asset price relationships persist for
members are pressing for greater being seized some weeks ago. monitor Iranian finances. They services need to be balanced only one millisecond instead of
Iranian co-operation over its Diplomats said it was the UAE’s have also closed some companies against their benefits. three. These talented and
nuclear programme. responsibility to dispose of the that have been involved in The discussion of the costs energetic young citizens could
The UAE reported the seizure to cargo of weapons found on board. allegedly exporting dual-use associated with our financial surely be doing something more
the UN sanctions committee The UN sanctions committee has materials that could be used for system has mostly focused on the useful.”
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r v e t t i n g t h e written to the Iranian and North nuclear technology or explosive paper value of its recent mistakes This reminds me of something
implementation of measures, Korean governments pointing out devices found in Afghanistan and and what taxpayers have had to Felix Salmon wrote about a while
including an arms embargo, that the shipment puts them in Iraq. put up to supply first aid. The back: If profits and compensation
imposed against North Korea violation of UN resolution 1874. While most focus is on dual-use estimated $4,000bn of losses in in the financial sector go up and
under Security Council resolution The seizure took place in the technology, diplomats said the US mortgage-related securities keep going up, that’s a priori
1874, according to diplomats in UAE, but not the shipping hub of clampdown on public dissent after are just the surface of the story. evidence of inefficiency, not
New York. The committee, Dubai, the person added, without Iran’s contested elections had also Beneath those losses are real efficiency. Those higher profits
chaired by Turkey, has made no elaborating. raised concerns about supplies of economic costs due to wasted mean that customers are paying
formal announcement about the The UN resolution, adopted arms to state-linked militias. resources: mortgage mis-pricing more for their financial services
case. following North Korea’s second The UAE, a US ally, is also led the US to build far too many over time, not less, which means
A UN diplomat whose country nuclear test in May, extended an worried about Iran’s nuclear houses. Similar pricing errors in t h a t f i n a n c i a l s e r v i c e s a r e
is represented on the sanctions existing ban on the transfer of ambitions. the telecoms bubble a decade ago imposing a larger and larger tax
committee said the UAE reported heavy weapons and nuclear and led to millions of miles of unused on the economy. Now, it is
t h e s h i p w a s c a r r y i n g 1 0 missile-related technology to fibre-optic cable being laid. possible that they are also
containers of weapons and related c o v e r a l l a r m s e x p o r t s b y The misused resources and the increasing in value fast enough to
output foregone due to the c o v e r t h e t a x , b u t t h a t i s
recession are still part of the s o m e t h i n g t o b e p r o v e n .
calculation of how (in)efficient
our financial system is. What has

CONGRATS: Mashable Marriage Proposal Live at #SocialGood [Video]

By Mashable Team
(Mashable!)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 3:49:00 PM
By all accounts, today’s Social
Good Conference was a huge
success. For those of us on staff
not in attendance, we’ve been
following the live stream, the
hashtag, and media coverage.
But we had no idea what was
planned for the grand finale: our
COO Adam Hirsch proposed to
Managing Editor Sharon Feder
We applaud Adam for his those who captured it on camera
creativity (and ability to keep his and TwitPic’d.
awesome plan a secret) and Tags: marriage proposal, sosg,
congratulate the couple on their video
engagement. Below, video of the
(she said yes)! event (the proposal is in the last 2
minutes) and a few pictures from
28 Finance/ Gadgets/ Entertainment Internet News Record

Classic cars put investors in pole position DJ AM Friends,

(Financial Times - US Kinney, publisher of Hagerty’s
Colleagues React
homepage) Cars That Matter, a US group that (ETonline - Breaking News)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 12:00:06 PM also publishes a collectors’ car Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:44:00 PM
index. “Part of the reason is that
The Shelby Daytona Cobra there’s passion involved in it.” Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein's
Coupe sold for $7.25m His group’s “Blue Chip” index friends and colleagues are
Someone who bought a rare shows that values of 25 of the speaking out about his shocking
Bugatti, Jaguar or Ferrari in top most sought-after cars have nearly death.
condition would have done better doubled since late 2006. MTV released a statement that
during the downturn than an Cars whose prices have suffered reads, "Adam "DJ AM"
investor in almost any other asset, are those whose value rose Goldstein’s death is an incredible
industry observers say, including sharply before recession, Mr loss to the music community, his
stocks, fine art or even gold. Kinney said. friends, family and his fans, and
“There has been a flight into real The HAGI index, which Mr to those of us who had the
assets,” says Historic Automobile Hatlapa designed with another privilege of working with him.
Group founder Dietrich Hatlapa, a former banker and which tracks MTV was honored to support him
former Baring Securities and ING 11 marques and 38 models, has as he helped young people battle
banker and collector who risen by nearly 39 per cent from their own addictions. Our heartfelt
designed the HAGI Top, a new its launch at the beginning of thoughts go out to his family."
index that tracks the prices of a 2008 to the end of July. Las Vegas hotel mogul George
cross-section of historic cars. Artprice.com’s Art Price Global Maloof said in a statement, "I am
“People want something they d r i v e n t o v i c t o r y b y B o b motoring department at Bonhams, Index fell by 29 per cent in euro deeply saddened by the news of
can look at and touch in the Bondurant in Reims sold in the auction house. terms over the same period. The the passing of DJ AM. He was our
evening, rather than a piece of Monterey for a record $7.25m, the Bonhams reports a sale rate of Liv-ex 100 Fine Wine Index, resident DJ at Rain Nightclub at
paper in the bank.” highest price ever paid for an 80 to 98 per cent at its recent car tracking 100 sought-after wines, the Palms Casino Resort. We
While turnover at top classic car American car at a public auction. auctions, compared to a norm of fell by more than 10 per cent. considered him a friend and a
auctions has fallen since before “We’re seeing certain cars 60 to 80 per cent. Rare Edwardian Spot gold prices have risen by great artist. He will truly be
the financial crisis, auction houses making more money than they’ve and “veteran” motor cars from the about 15 per cent since the missed."
are still reporting brisk business, ever made before, especially cars dawn of automaking are doing beginning of 2008.
and setting records. with brilliant provenance or that particularly well.
Earlier this month, the 1965 are inherently rare,” said James “Overall, prices have held up
Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe Knight, head of the global very, very well,” says Dave

More 7D ephemera surfaces, along with two awesome lenses

By Devin Coldewey below a 5D mk II. Say $1899 probably is LiveView look fantastic. 15-85 and 18-135,
(CrunchGear) MSRP, just off the top of my x) What looks like “artificial f/3.5-5.6 IS? Damn, son, sign me
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:59:01 PM head? horizon tilt” up! That puts Canon in a much
The specs on the box are in And another 2 items which I better position when comparing
A poster showing the rumored Chinese, but helpful commenter cannot make out. One of them against Nikon’s excellent kit
Canon 7D, along with some maxxevv gives a translation: looks like “zone metering” … ? lenses, which have always been a
specs, has entered the rumor i) 18Mp Sounds like dynamite, assuming selling point for their cheaper
arena, and it looks totally legit to ii) 100% viewfinder the movie mode isn’t the same DSLRs. We’ll see what the
me. I would guess, from the name iii) 8 frames / second shabby one that’s on the T1i. pricing and performance are, but
and specs (18MP, 8FPS, 100% iv) Digic IV In addition to the poster, there the numbers are looking hot like
VF coverage), that this is a direct v) 19 pt AF viii)Video were leaked the following two magma.
competitor with Nikon’s D300s, vi) 3 inch LCD ix) “Real Time Display” which lenses:
priced well above a 50D but far vii) ISO 6400 Are you kidding me? Those
Internet News Record Economy/ 29

Net1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. F4Q09 (Qtr End 6/30/09)

Earnings Call Transcript
(Financial Sector and Stocks statements. In addition during this quarter and growth of 16% year- we were still able to grow our term, we are poised to benefit
Analysis from Seeking Alpha) call we will be using certain non- over-year on a constant currency core pension and welfare revenue from governments continued
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:00:46 AM GAAP financial measures and we basis. including merchant acquiring by efforts to widen the welfare net
have provided a reconciliation of The weaker South African rand over 10% year-over-year on a and assist its efforts to improve
Net1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. ( these measures to the most versus the US dollar during both constant currency basis. efficiency by leveraging our
UEPS) directly comparable GAAP periods adversely impacted our Similarly, during the fourth technology platform on a national
F4Q09 (Qtr End 6/30/09) m e a s u r e s . dollar based results by 6% and quarter we kept our transaction basis.
Earnings Call We will be discussing our 23% respectively. As of June 30, based activities, operating margin Moving to our other South
August 28, 2009 8:00 am ET results on a constant currency 2009 we had $221 million of cash flat year-over-year at 59% despite African initiatives, EasyPay
Executives basis. As we analyze our results on the balance sheet having incurring one-month of free continues to gain share in the
Dhruv Chopra - VP, IR of operation in our latest 10-K and generated $107 million in funding cost, which was offset by merchant processing industry,
Serge Belamant - Chairman and in our press release in South operating cash flow during the the continued migration of our while driving greater efficiencies
CEO African Rand to assist investors in fiscal year 2009. We are pensioners to our merchant of scale and therefore
Herman Kotze - CFO understanding the changes in the comfortable with our cash and acquiring network. profitability. We process roughly
Analysts underlying trends of our business. cash generation potential and as Looking forward, we are 60% of retail transactions in the
Dave Koning - Robert W. Baird As you know the company’s disclosed earlier this month we confident that we will remain an country. With the acquisition of
& Co. results can be significantly repurchased 9.2 million shares integral supplier of social welfare RMT, one of the three major
Sean Cain - Morgan Keegan affected by currency fluctuations from Brait and its affiliates for grants in South Africa, despite the prepaid electricity providers in the
Presentation between the US dollar and the $125 million. short-term nature of the contracts Cape Town area during the fourth
Operator South African rand. I will now address the key governing our pension and quarter of 2009, we are able to
Good afternoon and welcome to Let me now hand the call over strategic trends in our business welfare business for the past offer additional value added
the Net1 results conference call. to Serge Belamant. before handing over to Herman, several years. The new services such as bill payments,
(Operator Instructions) At this Serge Belamant who will discuss our financial administration in South Africa is insurance, loans, prepaid utilities
time I would like to turn the Thank you, Dhruv. Good results in fiscal 2010 guidance. publicly communicated, two key anytime and alike, driving a
conference over to Dhruv Chopra. morning and good afternoon to all Starting with our South African initiatives to the public. higher revenue and profitability
Please go ahead sir. of you. Overall we produced pension and welfare business, First, to continue widening the going forward.
Dhruv Chopra another strong quarter, which was effective April 1, 2009 we entered social welfare net as a tool to We now have over 300 billion
Thank you. Good morning and driven primarily by our core into a new one-year contract with alleviate poverty; and second shares including all of the largest
good afternoon to our investors business. We believe that we SASSA. Under the terms of the improve efficiencies in the utility companies on our network
around the world. Thank you for continue to execute on our long- new contract we grant SASSA a distribution of social grants, also and giving a significant
joining us for the fourth quarter term strategy by making progress concession on price in exchange which we can have government distribution base and breadth of
2009 and full-year 2009 earnings on expansion both within and for the elimination of our pre- deliver. Over the next 12 months, products. We would expect
call. On the call with me today are outside South Africa, on rolling funding requirement. In addition SASSA is expected to issue a new further growth and penetration
D r . S e r g e B e l a m a n t , o u r out new and expanding existing we have moved to a standardized tender but we believe our current over the next few years
Chairman and CEO and Herman products and services, and of passing formula earning a flat fee contract expiring March 31, 2010 specifically targeting the many
Kotze our CFO. Both the press course buying back material per beneficiary paid versus is likely to be extended given smaller [bill] issuers in South
release and our Form 10-K are amount of our own stock. different passing methodologies further potential delay. Africa.
available on our new website at For the fourth quarter and the in each of our provinces To conclude on our pension and The mandatory upgrade to EMV
www.net1.com. full-year of 2009, we reported previously. welfare business in fiscal 2010, compliance in South Africa has
As a reminder during this call revenue of $62 million and $347 The net financial impact of the we expect to generate modest resulted in an opportunity for us
we will be making forward- million respectively representing changes in our contract is revenue growth in the segment to replace the non-compliant point
looking statements and I request 5% and 19% constant currency negligible to the bottom line, as a while earning growth should be of sale devices with our new
you to look at our cautionary y e a r - o v e r - y e a r g r o w t h . modest reduction in our greater driven by the expected biometric UEPS enabled devices
language contained in our press Fundamental EPS for the fourth associated revenue and operating increase in a number of and we have engaged the largest
release and Form 10-K regarding quarter and full-year 2009 was profit in offset by our interest beneficiaries on welfare, as well retailers in this regard. The
t h e r i s k s a n d u n c e r t a i n t i e s $0.38 and $1.47 respectively income and the lower share count. as continued migration to our
associated with forward-looking which is a decline of 1% for the During the fourth quarter of 2009, merchant infrastructure. Longer- NET1 page 30
30
NET1
continued from page 29
replacement cycle is expected to
take between 24 and 56 months.
Our wage payment initiative is
making steady progress. We now
have four building blocks in place
to make a large scale marketing
push into the marketplace, and we
received a MasterCard issuing
certification during the fourth
quarter of 2009. We are currently
in the process of enrolling all
30,000 employees of South
Africa’s largest security guard
company and further business
development efforts are underway
to sign additional corporate
customers.
We are currently in the process
scaling up our business
development team in order to
pursue this market opportunity
more aggressively. To address
this market segment we are
targeting large trade unions,
payroll companies, macro lenders
and large individual corporate
customers.
The final leg of our strategic
plan relates to international
expansion and new technologies.
Starting with our existing
projects, our UEPS team has
delivered in excess of 1.1 million
cards in Iraq, out of 1.5 million
cards ordered to-date. Our local
partners have thus far enrolled in
excess of 600,000 welfare
recipients. We expect Iraq to
contribute to our financial result
in fiscal 2010 and with the Iraqi
government indicating the need
for additional cards, ATMs and
point-of-sale terminals, we are
very optimistic about the prospect
in this country.
Our adoption rates in Ghana
continue to surpass our
expectations with almost three
million cards having being
delivered and 40 banks already
adopting the system. Ghana have
issued approximately 350,000
cards thus far as both government
and financial institutions are
focusing on building up the
infrastructure and access points
before they take up a more
aggressive card issuing push.
In addition to our recurring
maintenance and license fees and
additional hardware orders with
the Central Bank, we are currently
exploring incremental
opportunities with local partners.
To pursue transaction based
projects focusing on specific
applications such as mobile
banking, prepaid utilities and bill
payments giving us an EasyPay
equivalent network in that
country.
Namibia and Botswana are
deploying Phase II expansions
and in Nigeria we have finally
recommenced discussions with
additional participants. In Malawi,
we have now issued an amount of
600,000 cards most of which have
been used in the double UEPS
environment.
We are also pleased with the
progress we made by our BGS
acquisition, both in terms of
restructuring the business model
towards more of a transaction
based and in terms of pursuing
new business development
opportunities. We expect the
transition to a transaction model
to take another 12 to 24 months.
We have successfully completed
our initial palette with State Bank
in the Astrakhan province of
Russia where we issued over
70,000 cards and we are able to
demonstrate the full breadth and
depth of our technology, which
included transportation, as well as
payment, as well as biometric
identification.
State Bank has subsequently
asked us to expand the palette to
additional provinces and we are
separately in preliminary
discussion with them to set up a
joint venture to address Russia’s
desire to create a national
payment system. Given the
certain scope of this project
however over, such negotiation
and implementation could take
time. Outside of Russia, BGS
continues to actively pursue new
project in some of its CIS space as
well as other geographies.
Looking ahead to our
prospective other geographies, our
new corporate structure allows
focus and dedicated teams to
pursue multiple opportunities
within the targeted geographies.
We managed our prospect using a
portfolio approach with some
countries at earlier stages of
discussion and others at more
advanced stages. We have over a
dozen prospects in our portfolio
and we will expect to convert at
least one or two of these over the
next 12 to 18 months.
Finally in terms of new
technologies, our VCC Solution
completed proof of concept with
live demonstration taking place in
the fourth quarter of 2009. We
have a pipeline of opportunities,
which we are pursuing in some
developed markets and remain
cautiously optimistic about our
prospect over the next few
quarters. Similarly, we have
completed functionality of UEPS
in a mobile environment and are
actively pursuing potential
applications with our existing and
potential customers in multiple
geographies.
In summary, we are very
pleased with the performance of
the group in fiscal 2009 and we
are well positioned to sustain long
-term growth given our path line
of opportunities and with that let
me turn it over to Herman.
Herman, over to you.
Herman Kotze
Thank you, Serge. I will discuss
the key results and trends for the
fourth quarter of 2009 compared
to the fourth quarter of 2008.
We’ve also updated the frequently
asked questions we historically
put in our press release, but now
can be found on our website
www.net1.com.
Again, my discussion will be
based on our results on a constant
currency basis, as this provides
the best indicator of the group’s
actual operating performance. In
order to review our results in US
dollars and in US GAAP, please
refer to our Form 10-K and our
press release filed yesterday
evening.
For Q4 of 2009, our average
rand dollar exchange rate was 6%
weaker at ZAR8.26 compared to
ZAR7.80 for Q4 of 2008 but an
improvement from ZAR9.96 in
Q3 of 2009. Over the past few
months the rand has continued to
strengthen and is currently trading
below ZAR8 to the dollar. Any
fluctuation in the rand obviously
influences the dollar equivalent
results of the operations, which is
why we provide you with constant
currency information in our press
release as a clear indicator of our
operating drivers.
I am pleased to report another
quarter that reflects solid
fundamentals of our core
business. Apart from the currency
depreciation, there were a number
of sectors that has a significant
bearing on the comparability of
our year-over-year results. Such
factors include adverse currency,
lower tax rate last year,
contribution from BGS in 2009
which was not part of the group in
2008, increased intangible
Internet News Record
amortization expenses related to
BGS and RMT acquisitions, high
margin contributions from Ghana
in 2008 and greater stock
compensation expenses.
We use our non-GAAP
measure, called fundamental
earnings per share, which
eliminates some of these one-off
items that impact year-over-year
comparisons. We typically
exclude the effect of irregular tax
changes, amortization of
intangibles, stock compensation
charges and unusual non-
operating or non-cash flow items
when we calculate this measure.
On a consolidated basis, for the
fourth quarter of 2009 and full
year 2009, we reported revenue of
$62 million and $247 million, an
increase of 5% and 19%
respectively in constant currency.
Similarly, fundamental EPS was
$0.58 and $1.47 respectively in
the fourth quarter and full year of
2009, representing constant
currency decline of 1% and
growth of 16% respectively. We
measure the group’s profitability
by looking at operating income
and margin by segment.
On a consolidated basis,
operating margin adjusting for
one-time items and intangible
amortization was 41% during the
fourth quarter, a decline from
46% last year, primarily due to
lower margins in our hardware
and software segment.
Let me now spend a few
minutes on our segments.
Transaction-Based Activities
posted revenue of $59 million
during Q4 of 2009, a growth of
9% in local currency. Our core
welfare business including
merchant acquiring grew 11%
year-over-year or the number of
NET1 page 31
Internet News Record
NET1
continued from page 30
EasyPay transactions process
increased 10% to $147 million.
Segment operating income grew
12% from Q4 in 2008, while
operating margin improved 90
basis points to 59%. Growth in
revenue and profitability was
driven by higher pricing on our
welfare contract, continued
adoption of our merchant
acquiring network and greater
contribution of delivery services
at EasyPay. We posted an
improvement in segment
profitability, despite including pre
-funding costs during the month
of April.
Key metrics driving our welfare
business during the fourth quarter
includes first; the number of
beneficiaries paid, which was
3.8% lower compared to the
fourth quarter of 2008 and in line
with our expectations following
our new contract with SASSA
during this quarter. As a reminder,
we are now contracted to a
guaranteed minimum number of
beneficiaries paid, thereby
limiting any downward pressure
on revenue due to a reduction of
beneficiaries serviced. Second,
the price concession [afforded] to
SASSA and third, continued
strong performance of our
merchant acquiring network.
In the fourth quarter, we
processed a total of ZAR2.9
billion to the network on a
completed pay cycle basis,
representing 51% year-over-year
growth. In addition, the
productivity of our 4,427 installed
terminals improved to 1,076
transactions processed through a
point-of-sale device during a
complete pay cycle compared to
956 transactions during the fourth
quarter of 2008.
While Serge discussed the
general mechanics of our new
SASSA contract earlier, I want to
add one further clarification on
the new pricing arrangement in
the contract. Our previous
contracts included a component
associated with the cost of pre-
funding in the price, which was
passed on to government. Under
the new terms, the price
concession granted to SASSA
largely represents the cost of pre-
funding, which is no longer
required to be done by us. This is
the primary reason why we expect
our current contract to be neutral
to the bottom line.
In the fourth quarter of 2009,
EasyPay processed 147 million
transactions with an approximate
value of ZAR32 billion, an
increase of 11% compared to our
153 million transactions worth
ZAR50 billion posted a year ago.
Growth in the number of
transactions was lower than in
each of the previous three
quarters, primarily as a result of
slower retail spending due to the
recessionary environment, but
offset by growth in our value-
added transactions.
South Africa has one of the
largest prepaid mobile and utility
markets in the world, and we
believe through our integrated
EasyPay offering, we can
generate additional revenue
streams from the provision
switching services to retailers and
other sellers of prepaid airtime
and electricity. The average fee
per transaction during the fourth
quarter of 2009 was ZAR0.21
consistent with our prior year
period. We expect the average fee
per transaction to remain
consistent during the first quarter
of 2010.
EasyPay operating margins
continued to improve, as the
efficiencies of our new operating
platforms and expense
management systems bear fruit,
and as we continue to sign up
more bulk payment issuance and
other value-added service
providers.
EasyPay’s operating margin
improved to 45% during the
fourth quarter of 2009, compared
to 33% in the fourth quarter of
2008, mainly due to higher
volumes of value-added services
posted during the quarter and
economies of scale. Excluding the
amortization of intangibles,
EasyPay margin improved 11
percentage points to 55% when
compared to last year.
Our Smart Card Accounts
segment posted revenue of $8
million in the fourth quarter of
2009, a 4% year-over-year decline
in constant currency. The total
number of active Smart Card
Accounts were $3.9 million, a
decrease of 3.8% from $4 million
last year. Operating margins for
the segment remained consistent
at 45%.
Turning to our Financial
Services segment; revenue in the
fourth quarter of 2009 declined
53% year-over-year in constant
currency to $1 million, primarily
reflecting the style of our
traditional microlending business
to Finbond in March 2009. We
have final agreement with
Finbond under which we can
install our UEPS technology and
point-of-sale devices for the
marketing of prepaid electricity
airtime and bill payments at all of
the 178 branches.
We completed this installation
over the past couple of months,
and now have the ability to
leverage the branch and broker
network to market our wage
payment and EasyPay bill
payment solutions. We recorded a
$1.2 million gain on the sale of
this business.
Segment operating margin
excluding such a gain for the
fourth quarter of 2009 improved
to 30% from 27% in the fourth
quarter of 2008, driven by the
elimination of the low margin
traditional microlending business.
Our final operating segment is
Hardware and Software, which
traditionally includes BGS and
revenues that occur on an
irregular once-off basis and can
make it difficult to predict sales
from year-to-year.
Segment revenue in the fourth
quarter of 2009 was $14 million,
representing 7% year-over-year
growth in constant currency.
Revenue growth was driven by $6
million contribution from BGS,
but offset by the absence of over
$3 million of high margin revenue
from our Ghana contract in the
fourth quarter of 2008. The
[EBIT] changing contributed to
the segment’s cause volatility in
operating margin from quarter-to-
quarter.
Operating margin for the
segment decreased to minus 20%
from 15% in the fourth quarter of
2008, mainly due to seasonality in
BGS profitability, amortization of
intangibles, the absence of high
margin contributions from Ghana
and pressure on certain hardware
commodity products. Excluding
the amortization of intangibles
segment operating profit declined
to 3% in the fourth quarter of
2009 from 21% a year ago.
Moving to our equity accounted
investments, our JVs in Namibia
and Botswana, Colombia and
Vietnam continue to grow inline
with our expectations and are
beginning to deliver on our Phase
II expansion plans. Loss from
equity accounted investments
31
narrowed to $77,000 in the fourth
quarter of 2009 from $235,000 a
year earlier.
Historically our cash flow was
subject to fluctuations as a result
of the timing of commencement
of our monthly welfare payment
activities and pre-funding
requirements. During the fourth
quarter of 2009 our cash flow
generation improved significantly
with the elimination of our pre-
funding requirement effective
from May 1, 2009. We continue
to provide one to two days pre-
funding for the merchants who
will assist us with the distribution
of grants through the merchants
acquiring network.
During the fourth quarter of
2009, we generated cash from
operating activities of $89 million
and include capital expenditures
of $1 million. As of June 30, 2009
we had $221 million of cash and
cash equivalents on our balance
sheet. The business remains very
cash generative and I remain
comfortable that we have
sufficient liquidity between our
cash and short-term facilities to
fund our working capital
requirements.
Earlier this month, we
announced the repurchase of 9.2
million shares owned by Brait and
its affiliates for $125 million.
Following this transaction our
cash balances stood at $96
million. In addition to the Brait
repurchase during the fourth
quarter of 2009 we brought back
approximately $16 million of our
common stock and our previously
authorized share repurchase
program.
Our fully distributed share
counts for the fourth quarter of
2009 was 55 million shares.
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continued from page 31
Following the share repurchases
we expect our share counts for
fiscal 2010 to be approximately
46.5 million shares.
In conclusion we are excited
about the future opportunities and
prospects for our business both in
South Africa and internationally.
To that effect in fiscal 2010 we
expect to grow our constant
currency fundamental earnings
per share by at least 20%, which
includes the contribution of the
lowest share count as a result of
the Brait repurchase.
With that operator please open
the call for Q&A.
Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions) Our first
question is from Dave Koning of
Baird. Please go ahead, sir.
Dave Koning - Robert W.
Baird& Co.
I guess one of the biggest
positive surprises to us in the
quarter was that sequentially it
looked like revenue program was
actually up a little bit down
despite the new contract and it
looks like about ZAR25 per grant
during Q4. Is that amount
sustainable through fiscal 2010?
Serge Belamant
All right, Dave. I think it is
probably sustainable. In the fourth
quarter there were a number of
final adjustments that were made
also in accordance with a previous
contract. You recall that new
contract really commenced on
April 1st, but some of the final
adjustments that were due to us in
accordance with our previous five
contracts were processed and
made but those were in now way
significant enough to have made a
significant difference on the
average revenue per grant for the
quarter. So, going forward I think
what you’ve seen for the fourth
quarter is probably in line with
what we expect during the next
four quarters of 2010.
Dave Koning - Robert W.
Baird& Co.
Great and do you have any
comments that you could share
just on the minimum number of
beneficiaries that you get paid on.
I mean, are you pretty close right
now to that minimum beneficiary
number or could it actually go
down?
Serge Belamant
It could go down somewhat. We
are above that minimum right
now. We actually set the
minimum number when we
negotiated, at the level that the
beneficiaries were in December
2008. We use that as a base line
number to determine going
forward the level beyond which it
cannot drop.
Dave Koning - Robert W.
Baird& Co.
Okay good. So in another words
it really can’t. It can possibly go
down that much?
Serge Belamant
Not that much. No.
Dave Koning - Robert W.
Baird& Co.
Okay. And then just on the
guidance, just to make sure we get
the math right. If we started $1.47
that you did in fiscal ‘09, if we
grow that 20% we get the ballpark
$1.77, but then with the rand
where it is today, it’s moved
about 10% relative to ‘09, you
know seems that that dollar $1.77
could go to $1.90, $1.95. Is that
kind of the math that we should
be thinking of?
Herman Kotze
Well, for us we like to think of
our guidance in constant currency
terms. So, I would not want to
include any currency appreciation
or depreciation effect. Obviously
right now, with the rand having
strengthened over 10% in the last
quarter or so, your math would
make sense, but of course
anything is possible and the
opposite could happen as they did
last year. So, for us from an
official point of view we would
like to stick to the constant
currency guidance.
Dave Koning - Robert W.
Baird& Co.
Okay, that’s fair. And then, just
the last thing on the tax rate, in
‘09 it ended up averaging about
33%. Are you expecting it to go
back to kind of 34.5% rate for
fiscal 2010?
Herman Kotze
Yes. I do. There are a couple of
taxation effects by the way as they
relate to the Brait repurchase, as a
result of the structure of the
transaction and you may recall
that we used our local currency
and we did the shake ride on the
JSE. There may be some deemed
dividend implications of having
made the transaction in the
manner that we did in order to
utilize our rand reserve that will
become evident during the course
of the next year. Obviously, we
have to calculate all of our foreign
tax credits. These are fairly
complex calculations, but our tax
advisors will obviously advice us
on. But as a general rule of thumb
there is no reason barring any
significant permanent differences,
why our tax rate should deviate
from the fully distributed rate of
34.55%.
Operator
Our next question is from [Tim
Wodge] of Robert W. Baird.
Please go ahead.
Tim Wodge - Robert W. Baird
Just, I guess, just with could you
pay in terms of transaction growth
has been 10% or 15% the last four
quarters. Within the repo
environment, do you think that
that can stay at double digits for
fiscal 2010?
Herman Kotze
The number of transactions at
EasyPay, obviously we’ve
actually had what I think in my
view is quite a weak quarter,
simply because in South Africa in
the month of the winter season,
our first quarter is typically strong
depending on when the Easter
holidays are. We normally have a
pretty strong third quarter. So sort
of January to March quarter, and
obviously the second quarter
being December when we have
our summer holidays, those were
well traditionally the much
stronger quarters. They are
looking forward.
I think that Q1 of 2010 will be
fairly slow in my view, given that
South Africa is also in the middle
of the recessionary cycle right
now, but it will probably pick up
again significantly towards the
end of the year we would hope.
We are not really that focused
right now on growing the number
of transactions that we process
through EasyPay. That number
will continue to grow as debit and
credit card adoption increases
amongst the general population.
For us it’s more important right
now to focus on the value-added
services that we can process
through the EasyPay switch,
simply because that’s the high
margin business that we would
like to pursue.
Tim Wodge - Robert W. Baird
Margins, they are about 55%
actually amortization this quarter.
Can those be somewhere in the
ballpark to 60% to 65% over
time?
Herman Kotze
Over time yes, we would aim to
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get to those sort of level, but I
think it will take us another 12 to
24 months to get there.
Tim Wodge - Robert W. Baird
Then, on BGS, can you just
remind us of the Q1 seasonality, I
know it’s a seasonally weak
quarter? Should BGS be
profitable in fiscal 2010, I know
the amortization is large, but there
was a GAAP loss I guess in ‘09?
So just I guess expectations for
Q1 in BGS and then just the
profitability of fiscal 2010?
Herman Kotze
Q1 in BGS has traditionally
been quite weak, that corresponds
with the European holiday season.
So a lot of our customers and
clients traditionally would buy
from us almost that active during
the first quarter of the fiscal year.
Moving into the second quarter;
that specifically our strongest
quarter in BGS, simply because
that’s the quarter during which
our Russian customers
particularly do most of their
procurement as they move
towards the end of the budget in
fiscal year. So I think that Q1 will
be pretty slow for us, pretty flat,
but excluding the effect of the
amortization of intangibles, we
would still expect BGS on the full
year basis to be profitable.
Tim Wodge - Robert W. Baird
Then, finally, you guys still
have $2 per share of cash. Any
thoughts on any of the
deployment there, or are you just
comfortable with having them on
the balance sheet right now?
Herman Kotze
At this point in time, we are still
staring at the blank list by the
$165 million share repurchase
over the last six months. So there
is always a use of cash flow,
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continued from page 32
whether it’s for our M&A
strategy, we obviously like to
have a bit of a worksheet in place
or whether we decide to
recommend our share repurchase
program when it makes sense to
do so. There is a method in the
maintenance in keeping that
amount of cash on the balance
sheet.
Tim Wodge - Robert W. Baird
Okay. Great, guys.
Operator
Our next question is from Sean
Cain of Morgan Keegan. Please
go ahead.
Sean Cain - Morgan Keegan
I have a couple of questions.
First of all, what do you see
including all components for sales
in BGS? Then, secondly, can you
give us an update on your "card
not present" initiative with
MasterCard?
Herman Kotze
On the sale of the BGS, I think
in the next 12 months as we
transform the business from being
one that is primarily focused on
the sale of hardware and software
licenses into something that is
similar to the rest of the Net1
Group. In other words a
transaction focused and
transaction-based activity. The
contribution made by the sales of
hardware and software will
continue to be important to us
obviously as we transform it, but
having said that, we are not going
to put all of our efforts and energy
into the sales of segment that we
want to transform. So there could
be a weakening in terms of the
revenue or the sales number that
we see reported from BGS as we
transform into the financial or the
transaction-based processing side.
The margins may differ
materially as well over the next
year as we transform from the one
business module to the other, but I
think it’s important to note that
the existing customer base that
BGS service has obviously
remained in place. They have a
number of customers in a number
of countries that those remain
loyal customers. They are
continuously exploring new
opportunities in other
geographies, which obviously the
sale cycles in the utilities can be
long so it’s difficult for us to put
any specific (inaudible)
projection, but all new projects
that we are evaluating right now,
whether it’s from the BGS side or
whether it’s from the other
business within it one focusing on
new geographies point of view,
those are all transaction-based
initiatives where we’d obviously
like to earn a transaction fee based
on the number of transaction
processed to other than on the
number of sale of hardware and
software.
Sean Cain - Morgan Keegan
Can you give us a quick update
on your "card not present" with
MasterCard initiative?
Herman Kotze
Yes. Well, if we now focus on
the VCC a little bit, the first thing
we have to clarify is that the
MasterCard relationship is based
on the fact that we cannot issue
MasterCard branded credit cards.
So MasterCard themselves have
nothing to do with VCC. So I
don’t want to sort of imply or we
have not implied that we have any
sort of agreement with
MasterCard vis-à-vis VCC.
What we use the MasterCard
credit card for is because we
require a MasterCard issuing a
facility for us to be able to prove
that VCC can work from
anywhere in the world by routing
"card not present" transaction
through the Visa or the
MasterCard networks without any
changes being required. On top of
it, as you know we also use the
MasterCard in South Africa as
part of our Grindrod initiative in
order for us to be able to brand
some of our cards with the
MasterCard logo, but this is a
different initiative to VCC.
Now, going back to VCC,
what’s important to understand is
that we have now made contact
with numerous institution
organizations in the US as well as
in Mexico. We have been talking
definitely to most of the large
cellular phone providers in order
for us to get a feel in terms of
their own strategy vis-à-vis card
or payments, let’s call them by
cell phones rather than any other
method.
We’ve also been talking to a
number of very large card issuers
to try to also understand, are they
believe that payments should be
handled over the cell phones.
Now, at this stage we thought
mentioning any sort of names and
we’re talking about some
organization that they have got to
any 30, 40 million accounts.
So we’re talking about some
large players. There is absolutely
no doubt that we have had more
than positive replies from about
80% of all the people that we’ve
spoken to vis-à-vis our VCC
solution. They believe it is
incredibly innovative, they
believe it’s something that would
be easily picked up by customers
and like many of the other
technologies which they have
been using at this point in time or
even considering to use and
therefore we feel very confident
that we are going to make a
breakthrough in a very short-term
with at least one or two customers
with a little bit of luck.
Obviously, these types of sales
cycles take time for the simple
reason that you have got to
convince sometimes an issuing
bank, you may have to convince a
cell phone operator and of course
you need to be able to have a
financial model that suits both of
them. But at this grant we feel
quite good about the fact that
VCC is demonstrable, actually
operates that people like what
they see and candidly between the
US and of course I am being keen
on actually penetrating the US
first and foremost. We know we
will have some successes outside
of the US as well, but at the
moment we are really trying to
see if we can’t get a breakthrough
in the United States itself and then
focus perhaps on countries like
Mexico and Europe.
Operator
Our next question is from
[David Toget] of First Manhattan
Corp. Please go ahead.
David Toget - First Manhattan
Corp.
Herman your guidance indicates
that you expect meaningful
contribution at fiscal ‘10 from
new country implementation. Is
that based on business you have
already signed and/or based on
business you expect to sign in
fiscal ‘10?
Herman Kotze
It’s definitely a business we
expect to sign in fiscal 2010.
There are number of initiatives
underway between Brenda her
team, the BGS team and other
business units were active
internationally, as an example our
VTU and our [SIM team]. Iraq
obviously will become I think a
much bigger contributor to the
groups results next fiscal year and
that’s going to be one of the
33
drivers, that will drive the sort of
20% guidance that we’ve given
and added to that of course the
reduce share count, as well as the
increase in our activities in South
Africa. We feel really comfortable
that we can get to that 20% level.
David Toget - First Manhattan
Corp.
Given the long sales cycle
you’ve had on some of these
international deals. Is the 20% an
extremely conservative number or
is there risk around timing of
some of these new deals signing?
Herman Kotze
There only is a bit of risk, but
we typically try to be as
conservative as we can be and
bearing in mind that there is at
least as we say during the call
when we announced the bright
side that 18% kick in terms of the
reduced share counts for us, I
don’t think its going to be too hot
or we are not too reliant on having
to absolutely sign a major new
territory in order to achieve our
total.
Serge Belamant
David just maybe to up you out
a little bit because you’ve been
with us for a very long time. I
think it’s important to note that
Brenda’s as well, her initiatives in
places like Iraq and Ghana. I think
have been embedded down
extremely well. Now that doesn’t
mean that she is not actively
involved right now in a number of
other territories without naming
any of them, but there are number
of territories that she has been
definitely in for quite a while and
are certainly maturing very fast,
but she is recognized.
At the end of the day the
potential of countries like Iraq
where today they are issuing in
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continued from page 33
excess of 6,500 cards a day,
which does account for substantial
amount of cards to be issued in a
very short space or time and
considering that that revenue
model is based on transaction
fees, but now we are getting a
percentage of the transaction fee
that’s being charged plus of
course the money that we make
out of the cards in the sales of
terminals et cetera, et cetera.
I think Brenda has realized and
certainly to me has my full
backing that we should certainly
bed down these incredible growth
areas in order to get them into
basically operational mode where
they can kick start spitting out
cash the way that our cash
payments systems in South Africa
are spitting out cash and really
that’s where we want to go to.
In the meantime of course
whatever extra time they have,
they obviously are putting down a
board of activities or let’s call
their potential countries in which
they can go into, some of which
are fairly sizable and of course the
idea would be to convert them
into Ghana or Iraqi top models.
So, I think when you say, we’re
being conservative, Herman
mentioned 20, you did mention 10
that came out of simply the
question that we have less shares.
Therefore in theory the number
that Herman put forward all
things being equal should be
conservative rather than
aggressive. So, like usual we
would be a little disappointed if
we would not do a little bit better,
but we know that with you guys
out there, so it’s better to be rather
under than over.
David Toget - First Manhattan
Corp.
Then Serge on WPS, it has been
developed quite a while and you
now finally have the MasterCard
[payment], when will this become
material. Years ago you talked
about having I think 1.5 million
accounts over a multiyear period,
is that still a reasonable objective?
Serge Belamant
Once again, I think you have put
your finger on all of things. One
of the things that candidly we’re
being as you know working hard
in getting was all to put all of our
ducks in a row to be able to do
this job. I don’t think we are short
of customers and I don’t think
we’re short of the opportunities.
What we didn’t have, we didn’t
have the banking license, we
didn’t have the certification for
MasterCard, we didn’t have the
certification in [Toopaza], which
is the South African basically
banking regulatory processes and
all of this, believe it or not, by
hook or by crook, by intent or by
simply anything else took us quite
a bit longer than we thought.
There is no doubt that the fact
that the four South African banks
here do run, for like of a bit of
word a very, very close team, they
don’t particularly like it when
other people are going to
challenge their space. With both
control of this and now we are
able to actually roll out. I think
government did mention that
we’ve already got a very large
customer that has around 30,000
employees and I know that that
particular deal is done and that is
actually now rolling out very,
very, very fast.
Now, we believe that those
particular deals are going to come
now fast and furious to us. There
are a lot of people, that have been
waiting for us to being able to do
it, we did not want to actually
launch any thing on the large
scale until we knew that we could
support the initiatives and you
only get one shot at this and if you
don’t do it properly from the
beginning, you’ll end up with a
bad reputation and then you’ll end
up by not getting any extra
business.
We believe we’re particularly
ready now to actually do this. I
don’t want to upset you in any
way, but you know that now there
is also an EMV certification that
we’re also getting. So, at the
moment we’ve been certified by
MasterCard and a number of other
players, of course for our [mag-
stripe] technology, which is all we
need for now.
We are also negating our EVM
certification as well, because we
know that sooner or later we’re
going to move across, but at least,
we now have a product that we
can actually sell and deploy
without any impediment and that
to me is the exciting piece. The
actual customers have always
been there and candidly the South
African profile has not changed.
The people that we are not banked
last year or the year before are
similar banked today. So it’s an
open market for us to really make
big penetration.
David Toget - First Manhattan
Corp.
Just finally, Serge, can you take
us inside what SASSA is thinking
at this point. Assume it’s been
empowered now for a number of
months. What is the likelihood
that they might actually use your
tech backbone and some of the
grants penetration technology
over the next year or so?
Serge Belamant
Again a good question. I know
you have been following SASSA
for quite a while. You know that
they have hit a few new problems
within SASSA where by the way
to suspend the Managing
Director, our close friend, Fezile
Makiwane, as well as a number of
these sort of Chairman or
Managing Director stuff. So once
again they are going through a
little bit of trouble whatever, but
new people now is coming into
SASSA to sort of do a bit of care
management and to try to unwind.
What has been happening under
the sort of reign of Fezile and that
would take them in our view of
good three to six months before
they even actually get to a stage
of being able to say, this is where
we are and this is the way we
should grow forward. So what’s
upsetting to us is that we would
have love it for them to make a
final decision and to say, let’s go
for this thing and actually let’s get
it done, let’s put in the new
tender. Let’s put the tender out
because it’s the only way we’re
going to be able to grow this
business unless if we capture
other provinces from other party.
All that’s happening to us at the
moment is that all of these
delayed are simply re-giving us
what we have already got for
another period of time can be
limited and could be unlimited. It
could be the next year, two years,
four years, five years. So we are
hoping that under the new Zuma
government, the changes will be
of such a nature whereby they will
be positive and definite directions
in terms of what is it that SASSA
wants to achieve.
Now, we don’t believe that
those goals have changed, and
therefore, we do not believe for
one second that we would not be
as a number one provider either of
directly of technology or of
payment services on behalf of
SASSA or any new government
entity that is going to be given the
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task of actually performing that.
So we are little bit frustrated
that we haven’t been given the
opportunity yet to take over our
country and certainly that is
something that we would be
welcoming whereby if there was a
process that we run from A to Z
and actually being finished, we
know we should come out better
that where we are now. In the
meantime, we’ve got to simply
keep on doing what we are doing
and keep on making the sort of
income that we’ve been making
out of SASSA. We are not going
to be able to grade very big and
still we have the opportunity to
take over more of the territories.
David Toget - First Manhattan
Corp.
If you fast forward the margin
2010, what sort of economics do
you expect on another one year
renewal with SASSA?
Serge Belamant
Nothing is going to change,
David. You are right, I mean,
obviously you have been thinking
about this. The chances are that
there will be another extension
simply because of what has
happened within SASSA. So
these guys aren’t going to be able
to do anything in terms of
providing, developing and even
publishing a tender, let alone
adjudicating and awarding
anything in the next 12 months or
18 months.
So in my view there is no doubt
there is going to be a further
extension, very positive for
another 12 months, maybe even
for longer, I hope it’s not too
much longer because otherwise it
will keep us out of actually
growing this business even faster
if we actually being get out of it
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Tech.view: Machines in control
(The Economist: Daily
columns)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 1:15:15 AM
Tech.view
Aug 28th 2009
From Economist.com How real
is the threat of autonomous
technology?
HOLLYWOOD has made at
least half a dozen films based on
Mary Shelley’s gothic
masterpiece—mindless travesties
all of them, even the Kenneth
Branagh version released in 1994.
That is a pity because the parable
of the Genevan protagonist,
Victor Frankenstein, deserves
wider appreciation, especially
among those concerned about
technology getting out of control.
In the actual story, there is no
crazed assistant, no criminal brain
stolen from a grave, no violent
rampage, and no angry mob
hunting down and killing the
monster. Instead, the rejected
creation pleads to be accepted,
and cared for, by its creator and
tries hard to fit in with society.
Yes, there is violence and
revenge—it wouldn’t be a gothic
novel without them. In the end,
however, the autonomous being
departs to commit suicide after its
creator dies of disease.
What makes the tale such an
enduring classic are the moral
questions it raises about creation,
responsibility and unintended
consequences. The lessons are as
relevant in today’s world of
autonomous technology—whether
driverless vehicles or surgical
robots—as they were in 1818
when the melodrama first scared
the daylights out of Georgian
England.
Whether consciously or not, the
Royal Academy of Engineering in
Britain seems lately to have taken
Shelley’s fable to heart. In a
report published last week, the
academy urges opinion-formers to
start thinking seriously about the
implications of autonomous
technology—machinery that can
act independently by replicating
human behaviour. The intention is
to have such machines do the sort
of jobs people find dull, dirty or
dangerous. Many such systems
either already exist or are closer to
reality than is generally realised.
And right now, the ethical, let
alone the legal, framework for
dealing with any untoward
consequences of their actions
simply does not exist.
The academy looked at two
areas of the technology that are
expanding fast: autonomous
transport and automated help
around the home for the elderly.
Within ten years, driverless
vehicles that use lasers and radars
to sense their surroundings will be
able to thread their way through
traffic. They are already
widespread in controlled
environments such as warehouses,
airports and mines. Whether they
will be seen on the public
highways is not a technological
issue, but a political and legal
matter.
With their digital controllers
programmed to obey the highway
code, driverless trucks will be far
safer and more predictable than
human-operated vehicles. They
won’t suddenly pull out in front of
you, or refuse to give way when
they should. But if a mechanical
failure or software glitch should
ever cause a driverless truck to
collide with a car, who would be
legally responsible—the truck
company, the manufacturer, the
systems engineer? (Under today’s
product-liability law, the motorist
would doubtless get off scot-free,
even if the accident was his fault.)
There are similar concerns
about automatons designed to
watch over the elderly. Systems
exist to check when people are
awake, whether they have taken
their medication, and what their
vital signs are. Privacy issues
aside, such aids are to be
welcomed for their greater good.
But once sensor data can be
used to tell people with dementia
what to do and what not to do, the
potential for abuse can become
real. The benefits of such patient-
monitoring in the home may be
that the individual wanders
around less, suffers less
incontinence and sleeps better.
But can even the most responsible
of families and carers be trusted to
supervise such technology day in
and day out for years on end, to
stop accidents happening? The
answer may be not more
technology, but better social
engineering. For sure, people have
barely begun to think about such
issues.
In 2006, a survey by Elon
University and the Pew Internet
Project in America asked some
742 technology experts and social
critics whether autonomous
machines would leave humans out
of the loop. Slightly over half
thought people would not lose
control, but not all that many
fewer felt they might.
Respondents were invited to
give their views. A recurring
theme was that “technology
beyond our control” was rather
alarmist. The history of applying
automation to human tasks
(telephone operators, for instance)
had not left people unduly at the
mercy of autonomous
contraptions. Defying Shelley’s
prognostication, many
respondents felt few technologies
live beyond the control of their
creators: everything has a “choke
point” of one sort or
another—built in, often
subconsciously, for reasons of
convenience, safety or mistake.
That was three years ago, when
few were probably aware of how
quickly a technology known as
“evolvable hardware” was
emerging from the shadows. Like
the “brute-force” methods
standard in code-cracking and
computer chess, evolvable
machines try billions of different
possibilities. But the difference is
that they continually crop and
refine their trial-and-error
solutions—mimicking the way
natural selection works in the
wild.
How soon before evolvable
machines become cleverer than
people? Little over a decade is the
current consensus. One such
machine has already been
awarded a patent for something it
quietly invented on its own.
The temptation to surrender
control to machines that are
smarter, more vigilant and less
prone to boredom, irritation and
emotional outbursts than people
will be overwhelming. People will
do so for reasons of comfort,
convenience, safety and cost. So,
what happens when a one-in-a-
billion bug causes the software to
crash, or the safety valves are not
Economy/ 35
operated properly?
That is what happened at Three
Mile Island in 1979. Though the
nuclear power station was not an
autonomous system, it was
running automatically with its
human controllers outside the
loop. When things went horribly
wrong, inexperienced operators
tried desperately to take
command, only to make one
compounding mistake after
another—turning a control system
with good negative feedback into
a positive, runaway disaster.
Though now dated, Langdon
Winner’s oft-cited book “
Autonomous Technology” (MIT
Press, 1977) was one of the first
to call attention to the way the
complexity of big systems can
lead to loss of control and
disaster. That was two years
before the explosion at Three
Mile Island.
Dr Winner was also one of the
first to note that Frankenstein’s
invention represented a giant leap
in the capability of a certain kind
of technology. Yet, it was sent it
out into the world with no concern
for how best to include it in the
community. When the creature
returned as an autonomous force
with demands that it insisted were
met, its creator was unable to find
a way to repair the damage done
by his imperfect invention.
Shelley’s story may have been the
first to show how good intentions
behind technological inventions
can go awry. It surely won’t be
the last.
Back to top ^^ Readers'
comments
The Economist welcomes your
views.
36 Economy/ Gadgets/ Internet News Record

Avoiding recession
(The Economist: News marked the third consecutive economies have begun growing other crops. And industry
analysis) quarter of double-digit decline. rapidly in "sequential" quarter-on- contracted for the second straight
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:49:47 AM At the same time, fiscal quarter terms, they are still quarter, falling 0.3%. Although
stimulus helped to support contracting quite sharply in year- the government's fiscal measures Australian PS3 Ultimate
Aug 28th 2009 domestic demand, boosting on-year terms. This highlights the boosted construction, which rose Blu-ray Movie Kit isn't
F r o m t h e E c o n o m i s t government consumption as well fact that, while the lowest point of by 16.9%, and mining and
Intelligence Unit ViewsWire The as investment, in particular in the downturn has probably passed quarrying also recorded a big as ultimate as you might
economy of the Philippines is construction. (Public-sector (which quarter-on-quarter gain, growth in these areas was expect
starting, just, to recover construction investment grew by comparisons would indicate), the more than offset by the decline in
Like a number of its Asian a r o u n d 3 0 % i n t h e s e c o n d recovery is occurring from a low manufacturing. This underlines By Ross Miller (Engadget)
neighbours, the Philippines has quarter.) Meanwhile, private base. Economic activity in those the weakness of demand for Submitted at 8/29/2009 6:33:00 AM

begun to rebound from the consumption—the mainstay of the countries is still much weaker Philippine exports, which has hit
economic downturn. In the three P h i l i p p i n e e c o n o m y — f e l l than at the same time last year. manufacturers hard. Outlook Sony's PlayStation 3 already
months to June, year-on-year real somewhere between these two Not so in the Philippines, Despite the encouraging second only does everything, so what
GDP growth recovered to 1.5% extremes. It grew by 2.2% year on however. Although the return to quarter, the Philippine economy more could you possibly need?
from 0.6% in the first quarter. In year, an improvement on the first robust quarter-on-quarter growth faces a tough period of Australians can find out for
seasonally adjusted terms, the quarter, when consumer spending of 2.4%—the highest in over two adjustment. Although an themselves with the Ultimate Blu-
economy grew 2.4% from the increased by just 1.3% in real years, following a first-quarter increasing number of indicators in ray Movie Kit. Don't let the name
previous quarter, thereby avoiding terms from the same period a year contraction of 2.1%—fits the many countries suggest that the fool you, it's really just the PS3
a technical recession. The global earlier, but far below the quarterly international pattern, the economy world economy is emerging from remote and two discs, but at $60
c r i s i s h a s n o t a f f e c t e d t h e average of 5.3% in the five years has not contracted at all in year-on recession, growth in the next three AUD (that's $51 for US), it's only
Philippines as badly as it has from 2004 to 2008. Private -year terms during the current or four years will be substantially one Banjo Paterson / $10 AUD
some other Asian economies, but consumption nonetheless made global crisis. Growth of 0.6% in lower than in the recent past. The more than what the remote retails
conditions will remain tough until the biggest contribution to GDP the first quarter appears to have Philippines will not feel the on its lonesome. Both bundles
there is a sustained recovery in growth, of 1.7 percentage points. marked the low point in the impact of the weak recovery as include 300 as the first film, so
global demand. A key factor in this performance current cycle. Still, the recovery is directly as many other Asian you're really choosing between
In many respects the latest is that remittances from overseas far from entrenched. At just 1.5% economies, which are much more 10,000 B.C. and Batman Begins.
government data, released on F i l i p i n o w o r k e r s h e l d u p year on year, real GDP growth in export-dependent. But the indirect Not exactly a tough decision
August 27th, confirm a pattern of reasonably well—growing by the three months to June was far impact on private investment and unless you already own Batman,
r e c o v e r y s i m i l a r t o t h a t 3.1% in US-dollar terms in the below the 2004-08 quarterly consumption will be important. In but then again, you still might opt
increasingly appearing in other second quarter—despite fears that average of 5.5%. addition, the country's chronic for a second copy instead.
crisis-hit economies (both in the global downturn would In output terms, the service fiscal weakness means that public [Via Kotaku]
emerging markets and advanced drastically reduce such inflows. sector was the main driver of debt is relatively high, limiting the Read- Batman Begins / 300
economies). Exports remain That said, remittance data have economic growth in the second government's scope to continue bundle
extremely weak, reflecting the probably been flattered by the fall quarter. Services output rose by with fiscal stimulus if there is no Read- 10,000 B.C. / 300 bundle
severe problems in markets such in the peso compared with the 3.1% year on year, up from 2% in pick-up in external conditions to Filed under: Gaming, Home
as the US and EU. In real terms, same period last year. the previous quarter. Government support a self-sustaining recovery. Entertainment
the Philippines' exports of goods Where the Philippines differs services rose by 7.7% in real Back to top ^^ Readers' Australian PS3 Ultimate Blu-ray
and services contracted by 16% from its neighbours—and indeed terms, reflecting stimulus comments Movie Kit isn't as ultimate as you
year on year in the three months f r o m m o s t c r i s i s - h i t spending. Trade rose by 3% on The Economist welcomes your might expect originally appeared
to June, hit by the continued lack economies—is that the crisis has the back of strong growth in retail views. on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009
of overseas demand for goods g e n e r a t e d l e s s p r o n o u n c e d activity. In contrast, agricultural 06:33:00 EST. Please see our
such as electronics, electrical economic ups and downs. Most growth slowed sharply due to terms for use of feeds. Permalink|
equipment and garments. This strikingly, whereas many other weak production of rice and some Email this| Comments
Internet News Record Gadgets/ Entertainment 37
NET1
continued from page 34
by simply by then giving us through money, signing up the Thank you. OF THE APPLICABLE
another 12 months. largest retailers in the country is Serge Belamant COMPANY’S CONFERENCE
In terms of the economics, I not something that happens over Operator, we have time for one CALL, CONFERENCE
don’t believe the economics are the couple of weeks or couple of last question? PRESENTATION OR OTHER
going to change at all from now months. Operator AUDIO PRESENTATION, AND
on until the new tender is out and So we feel pretty good that the There are no further questions. WHILE EFFORTS ARE MADE
once the new tender is out, we economics would remain the same Thank you. TO PROVIDE AN ACCURATE
know that our economical let’s and hopefully with a little bit of Serge Belamant TRANSCRIPTION, THERE
say that the way that we have the new tender coming through, Okay, thank you for joining us MAY BE MATERIAL ERRORS,
tended in the past is that certainly we must then been able to actually on the call. Replay for the O M I S S I O N S , O R Samsung's upcoming
we will reduce our fees but by with a bit of luck to increase once webcast should be available on INACCURACIES IN THE WB5000 24x zoomer
definition, we would double the and for all to get a bigger chunk our website www.net1.com. REPORTING OF THE
number of beneficiaries. of that market for ourselves. Thank you. SUBSTANCE OF THE AUDIO shoots RAW photos and
So at the end of the day we are Operator Operator PRESENTATIONS. IN NO HD video
not going to reduce the fees by (Operator Instructions). Our next Thank you. On behalf of Net 1, WAY DOES SEEKING ALPHA
half, but if we can double the question is from Dave Koning of that concludes today’s call. You A S S U M E A N Y By Paul Miller (Engadget)
beneficiaries, we have the Baird. Please go ahead. may now disconnect your lines. RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY Submitted at 8/29/2009 10:13:00 AM
capacity in the network. We Dave Koning - Robert W. Baird Copyright policy: All transcripts INVESTMENT OR OTHER
would end up by making Just a follow-up on one of the on this site are the copyright of DECISIONS MADE BASED Samsung has a new one in the
substantially more money than David’s questions about the Seeking Alpha. However, we UPON THE INFORMATION works, the WB5000, presumably
what are we making now, simply contribution from newer view them as an important PROVIDED ON THIS WEB offering the price advantages of
because we are the contractor that contracts. Is the best way to think resource for bloggers and SITE OR IN ANY an 24x zoomin' all-in-one with
today has 9000 points of service about the 20% EPS growth this journalists, and are excited to TRANSCRIPT. USERS ARE some of the features and image
and 65% of the point of service year that the 10% from share contribute to the democratization ADVISED TO REVIEW THE quality of a DSLR -- that's the
that can actually drop (inaudible) repurchase and then maybe half of financial information on the APPLICABLE COMPANY’S dream, anyway. The camera
through retail. each of the rest, I guess 5% each Internet. (Until now investors AUDIO PRESENTATION shoots 12.5 megapixel stills, with
So there is no one out that can from kind of the core business and have had to pay thousands of ITSELF AND THE full manual controls, face
actually do this job and every year then 5% from newer country dollars in subscription fees for APPLICABLE COMPANY’S detection and support for RAW
that goes pass David, we actually wins? Is that maybe a simpler way transcripts.) So our reproduction SEC FILINGS BEFORE formatted images, while also
become bigger and bigger in to think about the contribution? policy is as follows: You may MAKING ANY INVESTMENT offering HD recording and a
terms of infrastructure, not Serge Belamant quote up to 400 words of any OR OTHER DECISIONS. relatively compact form factor.
smaller and smaller, so it’s Dave, it’s true. I don’t think transcript on the condition that If you have any additional True details are scarce, but it
actually making it even more and we’re going to go into more you attribute the transcript to questions about our online sounds promising on the surface.
more difficult for any of our details than we’ve already Seeking Alpha and either link to transcripts, please contact us at:The WB5000 should be out in the
competitors if we relegate any provided. So I think we’ve said the original transcript or to transcripts@seekingalpha.com. fourth quarter, no word on price
real ones to actually come into that 10% will come from the fair www.SeekingAlpha.com. All Thank you! just yet.
this market and compete simply buyback and then the balance will other use is prohibited. [Via Engadget Spanish]
because they don’t have that be a mix of contributions from the THE INFORMATION Filed under: Digital Cameras
infrastructure and that’s not only a various sources. CONTAINED HERE IS A Samsung's upcoming WB5000
question of building infrastructure Dave Koning - Robert W. Baird TEXTUAL REPRESENTATION 24x zoomer shoots RAW photos
and HD video originally appeared
on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009
DJ AM's Final Twitter Message; Stars Tweet Reactions 10:13:00 EST. Please see our
(ETonline - Breaking News) to the news that celebrity club posted on August 25, reads: "New Flash. terms for use of feeds. Read|
Submitted at 8/28/2009 5:20:00 PM disc jockey Adam Goldstein(a.k.a. york, new york. Big city of In reaction to the sad news, Permalink| Email this| Comments
DJ AM) was found dead. First, we dreams, but everything in new Lindsay tweeted, "i can't believe
Stars such as Lindsay Lohan, have the final message the late york aint always what it seems." this.. i'm in shock. why? why?
Sean "Diddy" Combs, John star posted on his own Twitter The cryptic line comes from the r.i.p. adam"
Mayer and Alyssa Milano are account. opening lyrics of "New York,
tweeting their heartfelt reactions DJ AM’s final Twitter message, New York" by Grandmaster
38 Economy/ Gadgets/ Entertainment Internet News Record
Michael
Japan's election: Braced for changed Jackson's Unique
(The Economist: News tremors. As it got under way former prime minister, and the started to grow again, figures
analysis)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:09:41 AM
nearly two weeks ago, there was
something quaintly old-fashioned
LDP’s upper-house defeat two
years later.
released on Friday showed that
unemployment had crept up to
Birthday Lesson
in the absence of television Their opinions fluctuate wildly, 5.7%, the highest level since the (ETonline - Breaking News)
Japan's election hoopla. Even the two main but they can be decisive. The second world war. Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:01:00 PM
Aug 28th 2009 candidates for prime minister, Mr lesson for the 2009 election is that Whether the DPJ, an unknown
From Economist.com Japan Aso and Yukio Hatoyama of the winning the “flexicons” is crucial. quantity, can make a better fist of Michael Jackson would have
prepares for political upheaval DPJ, have resisted tearing into To this end, the DPJ has put running the economy is open to turned 51 years old on Saturday,
after Sunday’s general election each other. And in a country forward youthful, telegenic question. Mr Hatoyama railed and the late King of Pop had a
IN A land of volcanoes and otherwise obsessed by mass- candidates; typical LDP against American-led “market different way of looking at
earthquakes the seismic shift is all m e d i a , a b a n o n i n t e r n e t candidates are in their late 60s and fundamentalism” preferring a birthdays, according to his
too common. But for decades campaigning also recalled a have little to say on matters woolly-sounding concept, that he Invincible album music producer.
Japan’s political landscape has not bygone era. But if the LDP affecting younger voters. Mr calls fraternity. He says it means "I was turning 25 and he said,
reflected the country’s geological thought that keeping politics off Hatoyama has also borrowed that activities such as 'So you're going to celebrate your
uncertainty. A general election on t h e w e b w o u l d t h w a r t t h e Barack Obama’s successful agriculture—already heavily mother, correct?' -- and I was like,
Sunday August 30th should opposition, which enjoys more appeal for “change”. The DPJ protected—will not be left “at the 'Huh, but it's my birthday!'"
change all that. Opinion polls support from younger, wired says evicting the ruling party will mercy of the tides of globalism”. Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins,
suggest that when voters go to the voters, as some DPJ politicians break the stranglehold on the Businessmen fear the noises currently a judge on MTV's
polls for the powerful lower house claim, it seems to have failed. budget held by mandarins, giving coming from the DPJ that seem to reality series "Starmaker," tells
of the Diet (parliament), the In a recent survey, support for it freedom to cope with Japan’s promise more worker-friendly ET.
opposition Democratic Party of the DPJ was more than twice that ageing population, the low birth- policies such as banning the use "He's like, 'We need to celebrate
Japan(DPJ), will trounce the for the LDP among the young. rate and a dangerously lopsided, of temporary labour in your mother; she had you on your
Liberal Democratic Party(LDP), But strikingly, an even bigger export-oriented economy. manufacturing and raising the birthday,'" explains Jerkins. "And
thus ending over 50 years of share of voters—a whopping Mr Aso has questioned the minimum wage. The DPJ has also I had this big party and I
nearly continuous rule. 38%—said they were undecided. DPJ’s ability to pay for expensive promised to loosen Japan’s close celebrated my mother that day
The magnitude of the defeat These flighty voters, referred to as campaign promises, such as a ties to American foreign policy. because Michael told me you
facing Taro Aso, the prime yawarakai hoshu-so, or “flexible ¥26,000 ($280) a month child So if Sunday’s election produces should celebrate your mother on
minister and LDP leader, is c o n s e r v a t i v e s ” , a r e t h e allowance to push up the birth the political earthquake predicted that day."
startling. A poll in Thursday's kingmakers of Japanese politics. rate, heavily subsidised schooling, the next question will be whether
Asahi Shimbun suggests that the Typically in their 30s, they are dropping road tolls and income the DPJ is capable of delivering a
LDP’s representation in the Diet university-educated, middle-class, support to farmers. But these series of aftershocks too.
could be more than halved to prefer stability to big changes and counter-attacks may not be Back to top ^^ Readers'
about 100 seats. The DPJ could do not care much about politics. enough to quell voters’ comments
take as many as 320 of the But they tend to vote as a block, dissatisfaction with the long rule The Economist welcomes your
chamber’s 480 seats. and can sway the outcome of of the LDP and the leadership of views.
Japan’s political fault-lines have elections. They played a large part gaffe-prone Mr Aso as economic
opened up despite an election both in the landslide victory in conditions remain difficult.
campaign that has hardly caused 2005 of Junichiro Koizumi, a Although Japan’s economy has

Let’s remember Azeroth as she once was: Proud, full of confidence

By Nicholas Deleon
(CrunchGear)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:30:35 PM
It’s sort of a shame that the
Azeroth we all know and love will
be going away with World of
Warcraft: Cataclysm, the game’s
next expansion. To that end, one
brave soul has taken it upon
herself to collect desktop
wallpaper-sized images of the old
game world.
Says the collector:
If anyone has suggestions of
particularly picturesque places for
me to use, please let me know. I’d
like this to be a good tour of all
the places that make Kalimdor, lands? I don’t know if that means
Eastern Kingdoms, Outland, and we have a problem, or just know a
Northrend particularly beautiful, good game when we see one.
so I’m happy to head out to any via wow.com
spot on any continent!
How weird is it that some
people, myself included, actually
have sentiment for these virtual
Internet News Record Economy/ Gadgets/ Tech/ 39

Moody's Expects Faster Decline in EMEA CMBS

Performance
(Financial Sector and Stocks down to some extent, the negative delinquency rates throughout
Analysis from Seeking Alpha) commercial property market EMEA CMBS transactions over
Submitted at 8/28/2009 12:12:58 PM environment combined with the the coming quarters.
still limited amount of capital in “In light of the recent
Ratings firm sees no signs of a t h e m a r k e t a v a i l a b l e f o r loan performance to accelerate p e r f o r m a n c e o f E M E A Mario Kart: The Movie
slowdown in the pace of c o m m e r c i a l r e a l e s t a t e further over the coming months. commercial property markets and
performance deterioration in the investments is putting increasing “In Moody’s view, the prevalent the near- to medium-term outlook Trailer Races Around
EMEA commercial real estate pressure on securitised loans. f a c t o r i n p e r f o r m a n c e for future property value
deterioration will be the failure of developments, principal losses on
the Internets [VIDEO]
loan universe in the second “The number of transactions that
quarter. experienced adverse events borrowers to refinance loans with E M E A C M B S l o a n s a r e By Barb Dybwad (Mashable!)
Excerpted from EMEA CMBS continued to rise during Q2 upcoming maturity amid the inevitable,” says Ms. Yegenaga. Submitted at 8/28/2009 5:15:34 PM

Q2 2009: Surveillance Review 2009,” says Lifang Chen, a significant property value declines In Moody’s view, due to the
The performance of commercial Moody’s Senior Associate and co- experienced and the current lack expected enforcement timing, Who’s that climbing up the
m o r t g a g e - b a c k e d s e c u r i t i e s author of the report. of available financing in most which is also driven by the YouTube charts? It’s-a-Mario!
(CMBS) and multi-family commercial real estate markets,” strategy of special servicers, A trailer for the allegedly
The cumulative number of loans forthcoming fan-made live-action
transactions in Europe, the Middle on the respective servicer’s says Deniz Yegenaga, a Moody’s l o s s e s o n E M E A C M B S
E a s t a n d A f r i c a ( E M E A ) watchlists, in default and/or in Associate Analyst. film based on Nintendo’s classic
transactions will occur in most
Mario Kart franchise is making
exhibited further deterioration special servicing continued to Even if commercial real estate cases towards the mid to end of
during Q2 2009. The rating trend increase at a fast pace during the lending and investment markets the respective transaction term. the rounds on YouTube and
of EMEA CMBS in Q2 2009 was q u a r t e r . M e a n w h i l e , t h e recover from their current state, However, Moody’s expects that Twitter. Featuring hastily-applied
significantly negative, with many p e r f o r m a n c e o f l o a n s w a s most loans will be highly levered first losses will be allocated to facial hair and a few memorable
transactions experiencing multiple negatively impacted by both the at maturity unless property values certain transactions over the wigs, the trailer tells the secret
notch downgrades, driven mostly sustained pressure on property recover substantially, which course of the next few quarters. and shocking tale of Mario’s past
by loan performance-related values and declining property Moody’s does not expect to “These losses will relate to life.
concerns. happen in the near- to medium- defaulted loans for which the A production of comedy troupe
cash flows as more tenants had DrCoolSex, the film counters the
Property values decreased difficulties in making rental term. servicer and other relevant parties
f u r t h e r , d r i v e n b y f u r t h e r payments, especially in the retail In addition to increased see limited scope for property myth that Mario lacks narrative
increasing property yields and s e c t o r . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e r e f i n a n c i n g r i s k , M o o d y ’ s management and will instead appeal. We find out that plumbing
weaker occupational markets. occupational markets showed cautions that weaker occupational pursue an immediate sale of the was actually the mustachioed
Although Moody’s notes that further signs of weakening as markets and adverse tenant mortgaged properties,” adds Ms. man’s second career after racing,
towards the end of Q2 2009, the rental values fell and vacancy performance will also result in Chen. a sport he is called back “to race
yield widening for prime UK levels increased in many markets. more loans suffering payment one more time” in order to avenge
commercial properties with defaults during their term, the death of his brother Luigi.
Moody’s expects the Check out the video below with
beneficial lease profiles slowed deterioration in EMEA CMBS resulting in further increasing
a bonus video of Mario Kart In
Interview: Jordan Rudess from Dream Theater Real Life after. Let us know what
you think — is the Mario Kart
By Daniel Brusilovsky also is a big geek. So like most recordings. JR Hexatone is just M o v i e d e s t i n e d t o b e a
(CrunchGear) musicians, he combined his the first of many apps to come blockbuster hit? Mario Kart: The
Submitted at 8/28/2009 6:26:17 PM passion for music and technology, from Jordan. Movie
and released an application to the Below you’ll find an interview Mario Kart In Real Life
I recently had the privilege to App Store. His first application is that I did with Jordan before a Reviews: Twitter, YouTube
interview Jordan Rudess from the called JR Hexatone[App Store show in San Jose on August 27. Tags: funny, gaming, mario
progressive rock/metal band, link], is a 6-directional drum [ Image via Jordan Rudess' site] kart, Movies, trailers, video, video
Dream Theater, while the band machine / melodic sequence Jordan actually uses the app while games, youtube
was on tour. Not only is Jordan an generator for the iPhone/iPod p l a y i n g d u r i n g s h o w s a n d
amazing keyboard player, but he Touch. What’s more cool is that
40 Gadgets/
Report: Are iPhones Really Exploding All Over the World?
[IPhone]
By Jesus Diaz (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:20:00 PM
We have done some research,
and it appears than the rumors of
iPhones exploding all around the
world—"world" as in "France,
UK, and Belgium"—are greatly
exaggerated. Here are all the
known cases, and Apple's official
answer:
In France
• 26-yo security guard Yassine
Bouhadi claims that his iPhone
exploded when he was texting his
girlfriend. He claims that "a little
bit of screen hit me in the eye and
I had to remove it with a
tweezer." Obviously, Yassine
Bouhadi is a pseudonym for
Chuck Norris.
• French teen Romain Kolega's
mom claims that her son was also
hit in the eye by a piece of glass
from the handset, when it
"suddenly broke." Reportedly,
Romain's mom had an affair with
Chuck Norris.
• A young guy called Raphael
claims that his iPhone exploded
too, but he was not injured.
Allegedly, he watched a Chuck
Norris movie once. Or maybe it
was just a Steven Seagal one.
• 80-yo Roland Cauffman claims
that he was injured too, according
to this report. Perhaps the
shockwave from the explosion
broke his hip.
• The same happened to
Valentine, a Parisian girl who
claims her iPhone cracked when
she was writing a text message.
Maybe the phone self destructed
after Valentine used LOL and
XXXOOOXXX for the last 542
messages.
• Unlike Valentine, supermarket
manager Fabrice Lerebourg got
the same effect while—attention,
s'il vous plaît!— downloading an
iPhone app.
• Frank Benoiton says his iPhone
3G's screen broke suddenly while
using it. One moment it was ok.
The next, broken. Such is life.
One moment you are here, the
next you are gone.
• 40-yo Olivier Milano said that
his iPhone"self-destructed" in his
hand. Unconfirmed sources point
that Milano likes to be called
James by his friends.
• 20-yo Edward—in
Marseille—says his screen broke
too, also automagically.
• A teenage couple said that their
iPhone's screen did the same after
doing a "crackling" sound. One of
them also got a glass shard in his
eyes. His name was Richard. I call
him Richard the Fake One-Eyed
Pirate.
• Finally, a cellphone seller
working for SFR claims that he
has seen two iPhones imploding.
Somehow, the iPhone owners
managed to create black holes
inside their handsets.
One thing is clear from all these
cases: The iPhone hates French
people. And really, who can
blame it? I know I can't—but then
again, I'm Spanish, and we hate
them by default*. Like the rest of
the European countries.
But that aside—looking at all
these reports—it seems that a lot
of people are trying to get free
replacement iPhones following a
media craze. At least, according
to the Agence France Press, who
has reported on Apple and the
French consumer affairs minister's
statements on the matter.
Talking to the AFP, Apple
France declared that the reasons
for the alleged "explosions" in
this country is not the battery, but
"external forces":
To date, there are no confirmed
battery overheating incidents for
iPhone 3GS and the number of
reports we are investigating is in
the single digits. The iPhones with
broken glass that we have
analysed to date show that in all
Internet News Record
cases the glass cracked due to an
external force that was applied to
the iPhone.
Apple France's commercial
director Michel Coulomb met
Herve Novelli—the French
consumer affairs minister—to talk
about the investigation by the
state's consumer safety agency.
According to Novellin, it seems
that initial findings give the
reason to Apple:
The first results show that the
iPhones weren't damaged by a
battery defect leading to an
explosion, but that there had been
a prior shock that cracked the
screens.
So at least in France, the
exploding reports seem like utter
bollocking. However, we don't
know yet about the following yet:
In the UK
• A girl said that her iPod touch
exploded and Apple offered
money to zip it. Obviously, she
didn't. It's unclear if she asked to
be a page 3 girl in The Sun. Oh,
you little minx you.
In Belgium
• A boy called Salvatore said
that his iPhone exploded "inside"
when he was making a call. It's
like when I eat too much pizza.
Something always explodes
inside. Then I poop it out. In his
case, the iPhone kept it all inside,
making the screen black.
Looking at all these cases, it
doesn't seem like iPhones are
exploding all over the world.
More like there are a couple of
alleged cases, and a bunch of
froggers whining.
In other words: You don't need
REPORT: page 41
Internet News Record
The Daily Roundup: here's what you
might've missed
By Ross Miller (Engadget)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 12:12:00 AM
iPhone coming to China Unicom
in Q4 -- it's official
The carrier will offer two
different "3G iPhones" to its 141
million subscribers and it will buy
the phones wholesale from Apple
-- no revenue sharing deal here
kids. Creative Zii EGG orders
shipped, hands-on videos posted
"The screen," he says, compares
"very favorably" with the S Series
Walkman, with colors described
as bright and vibrant, even if the
blacks leave something to be
desired.
PS3 Slim already sold out at
many a retail store
We know plenty of folks who've
had no trouble scoring one online,
but who knows how long that
supply will last. Other news of
import
• Nikon D300s spotted and
tested at Best Buy with its little
brother, still does that jelly video
thing
REPORT:
continued from page 40
a bullet-proof vest to operate an
iPhone or iPod touch. Carry on, By Associated Press
people. Nothing to see here.
* OK, not all the French. Just the Submitted at 8/29/2009 4:46:49 AM
snotty ones.
Gadgets/ Sports 41
• Video: Pleo gets new dance • Blockbuster DVD kiosks
moves, alpha dev kit creeping into New England
• Overheating iPhone reports supermarkets
'exploding' all over France, Apple • Ask Engadget HD: Best way to
responds feed HD to two TVs?
Clear QAM HD isn't going • Nokia N900 now giving
anywhere! Germany and Italy a way to pre-
The bottom line is that local
broadcast channels are available
order
• HTC posts firmware update for
Kindle is More Environmentally
in HD to any cable subscriber
with a clear QAM tuner, whether
Rogers' Magic and Dream
• Motorola takes
Friendly Than Old-School
you have a set-top-box or not.
Vodafone kicks off 14.4Mbps
environmentally-conscious
MOTOCUBO A45 to Brazil
Books [Ebook Readers]
HSDPA upgrade in UK The Daily Roundup: here's what By Rosa Golijan (Gizmodo) month for four years; and up to
Before Vodafone UK gets to you might've missed originally Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:40:00 PM 26,098 kg of CO2 when used to
HSPA+, it wants to take plain ol' appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 the fullest capacity of the Kindle
HSPA just as far as it'll go by Aug 2009 00:12:00 EST. Please According to an analysis by the DX. Less-frequent readers
pushing downlink speeds all the see our terms for use of feeds. Cleantech Group, the Kindle is attracted by decreasing prices still
way to 14.4Mbps. Permalink| Email this| Comments more environmentally friendly can break even at 22.5 books over
• 1080p Android demo'd, set-top than plain ol' paper books, the life of the device,
boxes prepare for a new master assuming you're not a freak who We found the "fullest capacity"
reads less than five books a year. of the Kindle a bit amusing. Sure,
The analysis compared carbon the study compares the number of
Pujols' walk-off HR lifts Cards in emissions from the production of books you can have on a Kindle at
Smoltz's start electronic books to that of
traditional book publishing.
a given moment, but what about
the infinite number of deletions,
pinch-hit homer and first HR Despite the manufacturing and downloads, and books stored on
(ESPN.com) overall since June 21. mining process required for the your computer for syncing?
• J o h n S m o l t z m a d e h i s Kindles being taken into account, Either way, the gist of this is
C a r d i n a l s h o m e d e b u t a n d they still came out as the more that if you only read 22.5 books or
Fast Facts received a no-decision, but he has eco-friendly contender since the less every four years, then you
• Albert Pujols' eighth walk-off allowed just one earned run over Kindle doesn't exactly compare to don't have to feel guilty about
homer lifted the Cards. He has 11 innings with 15 strikeouts and a single book as Emma Rich, who mucking up the environment by
homered in all three games one walk in his first two St. Louis conducted the analysis, explains: not using an electronic reader.
against the Nats this season. starts. The roughly 168 kg of CO2 The rest of us though are going
• Khalil Greene tied the game for -- ESPN Stats & Information produced throughout the Kindle's green and ordering a Kindle.
St. Louis with his first career lifecycle is a clear winner against Well, at least I am. [ CNET]
the potential savings: 1,074 kg of
CO2 if replacing three books a
42 Gadgets/ Picture Tech/ Internet News Record

How Many Nukes Will It Really Take to Instantly

Annihilate Humanity? [Data]
By Jesus Diaz (Gizmodo) post form
Submitted at 8/28/2009 9:00:00 PM Now divide the total number of
Forget about nuclear winter.
Humans are resilient. We will
square kilometers by the
destruction radius of the B83 to
get the total number of nukes
20 Creative
survive. So how many nukes will
it take to destroy every single
required for instant annihilation.
As you can see, we need 123.36 Apps For
human being in the planet, on first times the amount of nukes
blast? Here's the calculation in
graphic form—with a surprising
available today: 10,227 nukes vs
1,241,166 nukes needed to
Your iPhone
answer: completely disintegrate every By Natasha Wescoat
The first part of the single one of us in a millisecond. (Mashable!)
graphic—created by David Conclusion: WE NEED MORE Submitted at 8/29/2009 6:53:38 AM
McCandless—shows how much NUKES, NOT FEWER. Better
space is actually used by the die instantly than having to We all know that the iPhone
entire population. According to post form does a lot more than just call your
Complete instant tanning, and survive nuclear winter and friends. As an application
the Guardian Datablog and the Now, the most powerful active obliteration of anything in sight. another yet another horrible
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, nuclear warhead in the world is To give you an idea of what this movie with Mel Gibson playing platform, the iPhone has been
only 12.5% of the planet's surface the B83, which has a destructive space means, Manhattan is 58.8 Mad Max. One that would last for embraced by developers in a
is actually occupied by humans. A power of two hundred Little Boys, s q u a r e k i l o m e t e r s . C e n t r a l a few hundred years at that. [ massive way, and there are apps
t o t a l o f 1 8 , 6 1 7 , 5 0 0 s q u a r e the bomb that destroyed part of London is 26 square kilometers. David McCandless—Thanks that can help you do everything
kilometers. from learning to cook to watching
Hiroshima. That's a 14.9-square- Click next above to continue or David Keyes]
Click next above to continue or kilometer total destruction area. here to see the gallery in normal
here to see the gallery in normal

Fuseproject commissioned by the City of New York to make bike helmets

look less bad
By Laura June (Engadget) you haven't noticed. Well, the pricing or availability yet, but we bike helmets look less bad
Submitted at 8/29/2009 8:27:00 AM City of New York's do know that you can score one originally appeared on Engadget
commissioned Projectfuse for free -- yes, free -- at various on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:27:00
In cities like New York, where helmets -- that combine safety events around the city. Let us EST. Please see our terms for use
bikers ride right alongside heavy with an attempt at decent stylings. know if you snag one! of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email
traffic, bike helmets are a must. The helmets feature a two-fold [Via Wired] this| Comments
Trouble is, apparently plenty of design, with an inner protective Filed under: Misc. Gadgets,
riders don't like wearing them p o l y s t y r e n e , w h i c h i s t h e n Transportation, Wearables
because of vanity -- most bike covered with a customizable soft No, you cannot buy them yet, and Fuseproject commissioned by
helmets aren't exactly attractive, if fabric that attaches with straps. we don't know anything about the City of New York to make
Trailer life
By Cris Stoddard (Flickr Blog) healthy, even bored solitude in the weekend? and Lost America.
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:18:10 PM wilderness, finding himself Photos by Dr Strangelove! …
depending solely on himself and Evaristo El Santo Demonio,
No man should go through life thereby learning his true and Where will you get lost to this leahleaf, BetterOffDead (Claire
without once experiencing hidden strength. – Jack Kerouac Marie Vogel), tryred62, Lee Otis,
Internet News Record
CREATIVE
continued from page 42
live TV.
The iPhone and iTouch are also
great tools to channel your
creativity and there are a wide
variety of available applications
that can help you create works of
art or get inspired.
Here is a list of some of the best
artistic, creative applications that
you can get for your iPhone and
iTouch, whether for professional
or personal reasons, or simply for
pure amusement.
Drawing Apps
1. Finger Paint- For 99 cents,
you can enjoy finger painting on
your iPhone/iTouch. The Finger
Paint app gives you control of
color, size of brush and opacity.
Pictures can be saved in your
photo album and you can draw
directly on your other album
photos.
2. Scribble– Scribble is a multi-
touching drawing, painting and
tracing tool. The app allows you
to shake to erase the picture,
which is reminiscent of the classic
“Etch-a-Sketch” toy.
3. Color Tilt– This app allows
you to finger paint in 4,096
colors, which lets you create very
complex works of art, and gives
you the ability to create 3D
graphics effects. It was selected as
the iTunes Top Paid App of 2008
by Apple.
4. Layers– Allows you to create
art using 5 layers, so that you can
develop more complex images. It
features high quality brushes, a
full-featured eyedropper tool,
adjustable brush sizes, an undo
history tool and the ability to
export images as hi-res PSD files
or JPGs.
5. SpinArt– This app allows you
to swipe the canvas at varying
speeds to create spiraled art
effects.
6. Anarchy Graffiti– This is a
fun application that allows you to
vandalize your photos with
graffiti art. It is complete with
sound effects for “realistic”
graffiti action.
7. iCanSketchIt– iCanSketchIt
is a competitive drawing game
that determines the best finger-
sketch artist in the world. It works
by challenging artists on their
accuracy and speed via unique
drawing games. It has 80 levels
with a sketch grading system and
online scoring, and the app is
supported by community chat
rooms and allows you to
communicate with other players.
8. Fluid Motion Painter– Draw
by injecting and manipulating the
flow of ink. Watch it dance
around the screen as the colors
blend in a silky fluid motion, alter
movement to create the effects
you want and pause the frame
when you’re satisfied with the
design.
9. Squiggles– An app
specifically for doodling on a
select image or photo from your
album. You can decorate photos
with overlay images and special
stamp brushes.
10. Paint Light– A simulation of
the classic Lite Brite, Pain Light
lets you select from 24 different
colored pegs, which you can use
to create drawings. Toggle the
light switch to see the colors light
up.
11. Type Drawing– Selected by
O’Reilly as Best iPhone App in
their upcoming book, Best iPhone
Apps. A unique drawing
application that offers the ability
to draw with the use of type. Type
a sentence, word, or letters for
each drawing, select font, size,
color and opacity as well.
Background papers or photos can
be chosen, and the finished
drawing can be saved in your
album.
12. Light Writer– The app
allows you create messages that
can be moved in a steady motion
while you take pictures in a longer
shutter setting on your camera.
Pick your own colors, images and
even choose rainbow mode. Photo
Apps
13. Camera Zoom v1.1– The
iPhone doesn’t have an optical
zoom and the built-in camera
doesn’t have digital zooming
capabilities. But this app allows
you to zoom in and out in real-
time when taking pictures up to
4x, as well as adjust the photo
quality.
14. CameraBag– CameraBag
lets you dramatically enhance
your photos using 10 unique
camera filter simulations like
“Magazine,” “1974,” or
“Fisheye.” Layering can also be
done to create unique effects.
15. Green Screen Studio–
Allows you to choose or take pics
and remove the background to
add in new backgrounds from
your library of wallpapers and
photos.
16. ToyCamera– Like
CameraBag, this applications
features 8 different photos effects
that you can apply to your
pictures, including “Vintage
green,” “Low Saturation,”
“Toning Sepia,” and “HiCon
Black&White.”
17. Pano– Take panoramic
images with up to 16 photos. The
app features advanced alignment
tools and blending and color
correction algorithms. The
panoramas you take can be saved
to your phone in resolutions of up
to 6800×800. Panoramic images
can be resumed should your
phone be interrupted by calls or
other notifications.
18. DSLR Camera Remote
Professional Edition– This is the
next generation cable release for
your Canon EOS DSLR Camera.
Just connect your camera to a Wi-
Fi enabled computer and you can
instantly adjust settings, fire the
shutter, review images, and even
get a live viewfinder preview
using your iPhone/iTouch.
19. Tattoo Shop– This app lets
you add real-looking tattoos to
any photo in your album. Ever
wondered what grandma would
look like with a skull on her arm?
Now you can find out.
20. SpiritCam– More of a fun
tool than anything, this app allows
you to take photos and unique
apparitions will appear on the shot
taken. It makes for a fun prank to
pull on friends as well. More
iPhone resources from Mashable:
- iPhone TV: Top iPhone Apps
for Live Streaming Television
- 10 Fantastic iPhone Apps That
Use Facebook Connect
- 7 iPhone Apps That Can Save
Lives
- 15 iPhone Apps to Tame the
Kids
- 14 iPhone Apps With Push
Notification for Productivity
Tags: apps, art, Creative,
iphone, itouch
Tech/ 43
Wouldn't The Last
Thing We Want During
A 'Cybersecurity
Emergency' Be For The
Gov't To Take Over
Private Networks?
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 3:56:49 PM
A bunch of folks are sending in
this News.com story about a draft
of the latest cybersecurity bill,
that still includes bizarre and
totally unnecessary language that
would allow the President to
declare a cybersecurity
emergency and then be able to
take control over private computer
networks. First, the idea of the
whole "cybersecurity emergency"
that would require such a thing
still remains a science fiction idea.
Yes, there can be cybersecurity
attacks and they can cause all
sorts of problems, but these are
problems that generally are not
life-threatening or that can't be
handled reasonably.
But the bigger issue is why the
government should be taking
control over private networks.
This is the same gov't that doesn't
let people in the State Department
use Firefox and which thinks that
RealPlayer is the state of the art in
online video streaming. Even if
there were a "cybersecurity
emergency," I would think the last
people I'd want to take charge
would be the federal government.
Permalink| Comments| Email
This Story
44 Tech/ Tech News/
Shmoop sends your kids to school--online
By Don Reisinger
(Webware.com)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 10:29:28 AM
Shmoop, an online learning tool
designed for high-school students,
has unveiled several new
categories and a whopping 115
iPhone apps.
The site now features study
guides on poetry, bestselling
books, civics, and biography. It
already offered in-depth
information on U.S. history and
literature.
The timing on Shmoop's
announcement is certainly
appropriate. School is about to be
back in session. Students will be
needing Shmoop's online
offerings to help them get through
class.
But just how they use Shmoop's
features is up for debate.
The basics
Shmoop is basically a study
guide, although the site's founder
Ellen Siminoff, said that it aims to
become the first online textbook
for high schools all over the U.S.
In either case, it provides in-depth
information on topics ranging
from the basics like what's in the
Bill of Rights to more obscure
topics like the U.S. Gilded Age.
The site does remind me of a
textbook on topics like U.S.
history, biography, and ethics.
Shmoop provides in-depth
information on great
novels.(Credit: Screenshot by Don
Reisinger/CNET)
But I'm not necessarily
convinced that Shmoop is as
useful to educators as the
company wants everyone to
believe. Siminoff was quick to
point out that several teachers
have been using Shmoop in the
classroom. But when pressed
about the possibility of students
using its material to help them
cheat or not complete
assignments, Siminoff said that
her company's focus on reading
battles that.
"Shmoop starts out every section
with a 'Why you should care,'
item," Siminoff said. "We sell
reading the book."
I'm not convinced of that.
Although Shmoop does provide a
nice resource for kids who have
already read a book for literature
class, it also provides a fine
resource for kids who decide they
don't want to read the book and
would rather use Shmoop to learn
all about it.
Each book listed on Shmoop's
site includes a basic summary, in-
depth analysis, themes, and other
information that practically every
teacher is referencing when they
ask students to write essays on
those topics. Similar to
CliffsNotes, Shmoop can be used
as a free alternative to actually
reading the book. It's an intrinsic
issue with Shmoop that I just
don't see the company fixing. It's
a necessary cost of doing business
for a site like this.
Information overload
Outside of that, Shmoop's
content is extremely informative.
In fact, the company hires Ph.D.
and master's students to write the
content on the site. Siminoff
wouldn't say how much they pay
those students, but once they write
an in-depth analysis, all
ownership is transferred from the
graduate student to Shmoop, so it
Internet News Record
function as the site--study guides
for great novels. Considering
Apple's troubles with developers
in the past, getting 115 apps in its S4ve.as: Upload Any
store is quite a feat. It underscores
Shmoop's desire to bring its Size File, Get a Bit.ly
can do what it wants with the offering to as many places as
content. possible.
Link for 24 Hours
Shmoop features some Shmoop is on the iPhone By Jolie O'Dell
interesting biographies.(Credit: too.(Credit: Screenshot by Don (ReadWriteWeb)
Screenshot by D o n Reisinger/CNET) Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:55:53 PM
Reisinger/CNET) Looking ahead
As good as the content is, it's Shmoop is a fine study guide for For anyone who deals with large
limited. You won't find math help. students, but it also has the files or multimedia content, file
You won't see any science topics. potential of being an assistant for sharing can be the bane of one's
So far, the company has decided those who don't want to study. It existence sometimes. And trying
to stick to novels, poetry, and has interesting content, but its to find workable solutions for
g e n e r a l h i s t o r y , i n c l u d i n g content won't appeal to many these individuals involves a ton of
biography and civics. That's a people outside of high-school age. capital expense and overhead in
problem. Until Shmoop can offer And its coverage is great for terms of server storage and
all kinds of subjects, the chances history and literature buffs, but bandwidth.
of it gathering significant support math and science lovers are left S4ve.as has a nice stopgap
from the educational community out in the cold. solution: They'll host any file, any
are limited. So it seems that Shmoop is a size, for up to 24 hours.
I also wonder if Shmoop will little perplexing. On one hand, it Sometimes, 24 hours is just
eventually expand its focus. The has the features users want. On enough time to get that 5GB video
company currently only caters to the other hand, it's lacking many footage from one hard drive to
high-school students. Some of the other features those same users another. For this reason, we like
content, Siminoff claims, can also are looking for. But since Shmoop S4ve.as. They're so l337.
b e u s e d i n f i r s t - y e a r is still in its early stages, it's hard Sponsor
undergraduate programs. I believe to fault a company that has As far as we can tell, s4ve.as is
it. Considering the sheer breadth p r o v i d e d s o m u c h g r e a t a free version of parent company
of the content the site offers on information to students. From the Media Hog's yet-to-be-release
important topics, I could see a common topics to the obscure, digital assets management
freshman U.S. history class Shmoop provides every last platform. It's one of the simplest
analyzing some of the content the detail. That counts for something. systems we've seen around the
site offers. But what about If you're a parent or a teacher, web.
younger kids? Middle-school Shmoop is worth checking out. File uploads are relatively
students are just as much in need Just make sure to monitor your quick, require no login, have no
for this kind of service. Hopefully students to ensure that they're not weird redirects for downloading.
Shmoop will offer content for using it for anything other than a S4ve.as is, in a word, elegant.
them, as well. study guide. Take a look at these
I was also surprised to learn that screenshots, and definitely try out
Shmoop, which already features the service on your larger files.
study guides for the Kindle, has We plan to do the same as soon as
delivered 115 apps for the iPhone. we have the time and bandwidth.
Those apps offer the same basic Discuss
Internet News Record
BrowserPlus rides on Yahoo
Messenger coattails
By Stephen Shankland
(Webware.com)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:49:00 AM
Yahoo has begun bringing its
BrowserPlus technology to a
broader audience, making
installation of the browser-
boosting plug-in a default part of
installing the beta of the new
Yahoo Messenger 10 that
emerged this week.
BrowserPlus gives Web sites
some better abilities taken for
granted in applications that run
natively on a computer, and
because it's a framework, new
abilities can be added later.
Among the current features are
the ability to drag files from the
desktop to the browser, to read
accelerometer data to judge a
computer's orientation, to edit
images, and to upload many files
at once.
BrowserPlus is installed by
default during the installation of
the Yahoo Messenger 10 beta.
Those who don't want it can
deselect it through the custom
installation path.
Yahoo announced BrowserPlus
in May 2008, then upgraded it and
made it open-source software in
November.
BrowserPlus is one of many
extras that can be disabled in the
custom section of the Yahoo
Messenger 10 beta
installation.(Credit: Screenshot by
Stephen Shankland/CNET)
Adobe Systems' Flash Player
plug-in is widely installed, but
plug-ins in general are hard to
propagate enough that Web site
programmers can safely assume
they can be used. One way to
tackle the issue is to piggyback on
the distribution of other, popular
software--a technique long
employed to encourage adoption
of browser toolbars.
Many companies are working
hard on the "Open Web," in
which advanced abilities are built
directly into Web standards such
as HTML 5. However, plug-ins
such as Flash, Microsoft
Silverlight, BrowserPlus, and
Google's Gears can advance the
state of the art faster.
Update 4:55 p.m. PDT: Yahoo
said it does in fact plan to include
BrowserPlus in the final version
of Yahoo Messenger. Also, it
shared this list of the browsers
and operating systems the plug-in
Questions Raised As To Why
Connected Nation Selected In Florida
Despite Costing More Than Double
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 5:18:00 PM
We've already discussed how
Washington DC darling
Connected Nation appears more
and more like a telco sponsored
boondoggle to control gov't
mapping mandates and collect
gov't money, without having to
give up real data on broadband
access. But, for some reason,
politicians just seem to love
Connected Nation (CN). Last time
I was in DC, it was all anyone
was talking about concerning
broadband policy. However, there
are more and more questions
being raised now. Apparently,
Connected Nation got a big win in
Florida recently, despite the fact
supports: that its bid for mapping was more
Windows XP: supports Firefox than double the next runner up,
2 or newer, Safari, IE6 or newer, ISC. Connect Florida -- a brand
and Google Chrome new "affiliate" of Connected
Windows Vista: supports Nation, bid $7.1 million. ISC,
Firefox 3 or newer, Safari, IE6 or which is actually based in Florida
newer, and Google Chrome and has worked with Florida gov't
Windows 7: Same as Windows agencies in the past, bid $2.8
Vista, in experimental status million. ISC used references for
Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5: its actual work on the ground in
Recent versions of Safari and Florida, including "the Florida
Firefox 3 or newer Department of Health, the Florida
Mac OS X 10.6: Firefox 3 or Department of Transportation, the
better (Safari support in the Florida Department of Agriculture
works) and two local businesses,
Updated 1:58 p.m. PDT to i n c l u d i n g a n E c o n o m i c
correct the initial release date of Development Council. The ISC
BrowserPlus. application also listed 11 contracts
Originally posted at Deep Tech the company has with Florida
state agencies." Connect Florida,
on the other hand, named out-of-
state references who were
Tech/ 45
involved in other Connected
Nation projects, raising questions
about Connect Florida's
understanding of the Florida
market. So how did Connect
Florida win? According to
sources, one of the five judges
gave ISC the win, with an eight-
point differential over CN. Two
other judges gave CN a two-point
win. One other judge gave CN a
15-point win over ISC. Yet in
another curiosity, one judge gave
CN a 51-point win. That judge
was Bill Price, currently the
broadband stimulus program
manager for the state of Florida, a
position he has held for the past
three months. According to his
profile on the Linked-In social
networking site, Price was vice
president for business
development for BellSouth
Business. Remember how
Connected Nation is really closely
connected to the telcos? And a
former telco exec who only
recently got the state gov't job
suddenly happens to rate it up
massively over the second place
competitor? Doesn't that at least
raise some ethics questions?
Perhaps there's more to it, and
perhaps there are good reasons
why Connect Florida is better
than ISC. But it sure does seem
like Florida owes the public an
explanation of what those good
reasons might be.
Permalink| Comments| Email
This Story
46 Tech/ Sports Internet News Record

Failure to launch: Apple bungles Snow Leopard Cowboys Do-

distribution in New Zealand
By Chris Rawson (The
Unofficial Apple Weblog
(TUAW))
Submitted at 8/29/2009 10:00:00 AM
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion,
OS, Retail, Bad Apple, Snow
Leopard So, how's everybody
enjoying Snow Leopard? Good
stuff, isn't it? Gotta love those
new Exposé options in the Dock,
and all that saved hard drive
space, and the faster if slightly
quirkier performance... isn't it,
um... great?
Argh. I can't keep up the
charade anymore. I know nothing
about the Snow Leopard
experience other than what other
people have told me, because it's
not available in New Zealand yet
(at least not outside of Auckland).
And I'm not happy about it. And
I'm going to rant... now.
In July of 2008, the Apple-
loving (and Apple-hating) world's
eyes locked onto a small, isolated
nation in the South Pacific: New
Zealand, home to 40 million
sheep and a few hundred
otherwise perfectly normal human
beings dressed as hobbits. Why so
much attention on New Zealand?
Because of all the countries
getting the iPhone 3G, New
Zealand was getting it first thanks
to its location just west of the
International Date Line.
The logistics involved in a
rolling launch across most of the
world must have been
many countries on the same day,
it ought to be a simple matter to
do the same thing with a much
smaller and simpler product. I
mean, it's got to be harder to
coordinate the launch of a big ol'
phone compared to what's
essentially just a plastic disk in a
box, right? Right...?
Well, not so much. Apple has
fumbled the NZ launch of Snow
Leopard like a wide receiver
wearing butter-coated gloves. Plus
the receiver is blind. Also, he
doesn't know how to play
football.
Continue reading Failure to
launch: Apple bungles Snow
Leopard distribution in New
Zealand
staggeringly complex, but with a TUAW Failure to launch: Apple
few bumps here and there, Apple b u n g l e s S n o w L e o p a r d
pulled it off. The launch of the distribution in New Zealand
iPhone 3G was a success not just originally appeared on The
in New Zealand, but worldwide. U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g
That led me to believe that (TUAW) on Sat, 29 Aug 2009
something similar would happen 10:00:00 EST. Please see our
for the launch of Snow Leopard. terms for use of feeds.
After all, if Apple could pull off Read| Permalink| Email this|
launching the iPhone 3G in so Comments
Overs Could Be
Trouble
By Michael David Smith
(FanHouse)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 9:45:00 AM
by Michael David Smith
Filed under: Cowboys
The NFL announced on Friday
that nothing will change in
response to a Titans punt hitting
the low-hanging video board in
the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium
last week: Any play on which a
ball hits the board will continue to
be treated as a "do-over," and the
Cowboys will not be required to
raise the board.
In other words, the league isn't
doing anything except hoping this
issue goes away -- and ignoring
the fact that the "do-over" rule
could create all kinds of problems.
Cowboys Do-Overs Could Be
Trouble originally appeared on
Fanhouse NFL Blog on Sat, 29
Aug 2009 09:45:00 EST . Please
see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink| Email this| Linking
Blogs| Comments

IBM’s New Remote Control Will Tweet Your TV Watching

By Barb Dybwad (Mashable!) The patent talks about a while before this thing comes to TV that already supports social
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:57:59 PM networkable remote controller market. Nevertheless, it’s another widgets? Let us know in the
that can “send a blog posting to a stepping stone on the road to comments.
There’s no doubt about it: TV is blog,” which can be set up to send socially-enabled television. [via NewTeeVee] Reviews:
getting way more social. A recent posts automatically. It includes Check out the original patent Boxee, Twitter
patent filed by IBM reveals that the ability to comment on the diagram below. Let us know if Tags: blogging, IBM, remote
Big Blue wants to help it get even shows you’re watching, either by most of us means Twitter. you’re excited about the idea of control, social tv, television, tv,
more social, by developing a selecting from a pre-populated list The patent was filed April 14 of social TV. Do you use twitter
r e m o t e c o n t r o l t h a t w i l l or authoring your own. It also this year, and the approval process applications like Boxee already?
a u t o m a t i c a l l y b l o g a n d / o r mentions posting automatically to can take some time so it may be a Do you watch Hulu with your
microblog what you’re watching. microblogging services, which to Facebook friends? Do you have a
Internet News Record
Snow Leopard: Another upgrader's
experience
By David Winograd (The
Unofficial Apple Weblog
(TUAW))
Submitted at 8/29/2009 12:01:00 AM
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion,
OS, Software, Snow Leopard I
got to the Walt Whitman Mall on
Long Island yesterday and they
were doing land-office business,
according to the blue (not orange)
shirt I was speaking with. He told
me that he lost count, but they
must have moved over 150 copies
of Snow Leopard per hour.
Two minutes later (they really
do have their system down), I left
the store in a foreshadowing
downpour. After looking at the
startup, shutdown and disk
capacity notes I've been collecting
for a few days, I removed the
shrink wrap and got down to
business with the hopes of
upgrading four computers today.
Yes, I did buy the family pack.
Five hours later, I'd only upgraded
two machines. This is not because
the upgrades didn't move along
speedily, it was because I had
some real head scratching
problems to deal with.
The first: my 8GB 17" Unibody
Macbook Pro running at 2.93
lot of storage at all.
I'd suspected that much of the
reclamation of storage is due to
clearing out caches and other
garbage. What led me to believe
this was that I ran Onyx
beforehand, and that gave me
back about about 8GB of storage
right there from maintenance and
cleanup. The truth about SL's
space savings, however,
according to David Pogue: most
of the excess storage given back is
saved in compressed code and not
installing gigabytes of printer
drivers that most users will never
need.
What follows are a few initial
notes from an installation that
didn't go quite as smoothly as I
had hoped.
Ghz, took about 34 minutes to Continue reading Snow
upgrade. As I thought, Apple Leopard: Another upgrader's
hadn't gotten any better about experience
realistic install times with the last TUAW Snow Leopard: Another
'under a minute' taking 7 minutes. upgrader's experience originally
No news there. Additionally, I appeared on The Unofficial Apple
gained only 2 GB of usable Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 29 Aug
storage; I did do a Rosetta install. 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see
Damn you Quicken! our terms for use of feeds.
If you haven't installed Rosetta, Read| Permalink| Email this|
and find that you need it, a very Comments
helpful box is displayed asking if
you want to. It really didn't take a
US Open Warns Tennis
Stars About Tweeting
By Jennifer Van Grove
(Mashable!)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 6:01:15 PM
Tennis’ twittering heavy hitters
like Serena Williams and Andy
Roddick better watch what they
tweet. The 2009 US Open starts
Monday and tennis authorities —
ie. the Tennis Integrity Unit —
are doing everything in their
power to discourage athletes from
turning to Twitter to reveal
inappropriate information.
News is trickling out of the
Billie Jean King National Tennis
Center that cautionary signs now
litter locker rooms and players’
lounges, while emails to all
players with similar strict
messages have been sent out. On
top of forbidding tweeting on the
court during matches, players,
coaches, agents, and family
members are being instructed to
keep their off-court Twittering to
an absolute minimum.
The big concern is over tennis
gambling and how tweets could
potentially be construed as
sharing insider information, which
is strictly forbidden. The signs
posted around the facility indicate
that the Tennis Integrity Unity
will be proactively monitoring
tweets for “information about the
likely participation or likely
performance of a player in an
event or concerning the weather,
court conditions, status, outcome,
or any other aspect of an event
which is known by a covered
Tech/ 47
person and is not information in
the public domain.”
According to the Telegraph, Jeff
Ress, formerly of Scotland Yard,
also emailed players with a
warning that had a headline of,
“Important player notice – Twitter
warning,” and “informed players
that they should not be sending
‘tweets’ that include “sensitive
information” which relates to their
own matches, or to other players
and their matches.”
Unlike the SEC ban of social
media from college stadiums,
which was later revised, the US
Open doesn’t seem to be taking a
stance against fan involvement
and content sharing via social
media. In fact, the official website
even includes a fan zone, and
links to their official Twitter
account and Facebook Page.
While we can appreciate the
sensitivity around unsanctioned
tweets, we’re still curious to see
what our favorite tweeting tennis
players manage to share during
the course of this year’s US Open.
Reviews: Twitter, news
Tags: tennis, twitter, us open
2009
48 Tech/
A&E Goes To Court To Defend Fair Trademark Lawsuit For
Use Of 12 Second Clip Of Music Using Kazoos To Quack
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 6:00:47 PMLike A Duck
Avatar28 points us to a
potentially interesting lawsuit
over whether or not A&E's
decision to use 12-seconds of the
song Rocky Top in part of a TV
show is fair use. The article is
actually pretty comprehensive in
laying out all the details in the
case. A&E was doing an episode
of the show City Confidential
about some contract killings in
Knoxville, Tennessee. In setting
the scene, the show presents quick
clips of scenes around Knoxville,
including a photo of a UT football
player, with the 12-seconds of the
song playing in the background.
The song Rocky Top is apparently
one of (a few) official state songs
in Tennessee and is the
"unofficial" fight song of the
University of Tennessee (which
holds a special license to use the
song).
A&E claims that it's fair use,
since the music was being used in
part as a news report would use it.
The article compares it to both the
recent case where John Lennon's
Imagine was allowed in the movie
Expelled without a license... but
also to the infamous Bridgeport
ruling that basically said fair use
doesn't apply to music at all.
Some will say that A&E's case is
Internet News Record
By Michael Masnick (Techdirt) passengers to play as the truck
Submitted at 8/28/2009 6:44:00 PM goes from land to water. Now it
turns out, right nearby where I
When this article in the ABA am, in San Francisco, there's a
Journal started off by noting tour called Bay Quackers, that
(accurately!) that the following does something similar, also
story sounds like typical late-night involving quacking kazoos. Ride
fodder that makes lawyers look the Ducks isn't happy and has
bad for filing frivolous lawsuits -- sued Bay Quackers, saying that
but then said "but the suit is the specific quack of the kazoo is
anything but silly" -- I expected trademarked.
an article that would explain My first question is why Bay
convincingly why a trademark Quackers just doesn't get different
lawsuit between two tourist tour kazoos. Well, actually, my first
operators that have passengers use question is a slightly unprintable
kazoos to quack like a duck was question about why tourists might
not silly. But, I'm left scratching ride amphibious boat/trucks while
my head. I found the article via using kazoos to sound like
Eric Goldman, who notes that"I ducks... but I figure that's a
also weaker because it had make the case in the other can't imagine this lawsuit has a tangent. Either way, it's difficult
approached the children of the direction. The thing that I wonder good ROI." to see what benefit there really is
songwriters (who now control the is how allowing such a use could H e r e ' s t h e b a s i c s t o r y . to this lawsuit, other than Ride the
copyright) about a license, and possibly be a bad thing for the Apparently, there are some tour Ducks being pissed off that
then never got one, but that, copyright holders. It seems like operations out there that involve someone else is using their idea.
alone, doesn't change the fair use o n e o f t h o s e c a s e s w h e r e amphibious truck/boats, that take But ideas aren't protectable, and
calculation. copyright holders are suing just tourists around different places competition is a good thing. So,
This is one of those cases that because they have the copyright both on land and in water. One we're left with a silly lawsuit
really could go either way. As a and think that, because of that, company, Ride the Ducks, does about quacking kazoos that does,
strong believer in fair use, it they absolutely have to sue. Either this in various areas around the still, seem pretty frivolous.
shouldn't surprise anyone that I way, kudos to A&E for standing country, and has trademarked the Permalink| Comments| Email
think this is clearly fair use, and up for fair use. sound of kazoos being used to This Story
that the four factors of fair use Permalink| Comments| Email quack like a duck -- which it asks
support it (as should common This Story
sense). But, others will surely
Internet News Record Tech/ TV 49

Nonprofits next to test Facebook Psystar sues over Snow

payment platform Leopard, abandons
By Caroline McCarthy Real Gifts--would be selling
(Webware.com)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:41:00 AM
virtual gifts in the Facebook gift
shop as part of a test of the new
reality
"Pay with Facebook" virtual By Dave Caolo (The Unofficial
NEW YORK--Four nonprofit currency. Apple Weblog (TUAW))
organizations will be participating Facebook first offered "charity Submitted at 8/29/2009 8:00:00 AM
in a test of Facebook's "credits" gifts" for a 48-hour window to
platform, marketing and outreach commemorate the milestone of Filed under: Analysis / Opinion,
director Randi Zuckerberg said on 200 million members. A total of Apple Corporate, Hardware,
Friday morning at the Social 16 nonprofits and advocacy Snow Leopard When I was a kid computers." That's right, in some
Good Conference presented by groups participated in the my neighbor had an enormous St. wacky attempt to turn a profit,
social-media blog Mashable. initiative. Bernard dog named Caesar. It Apple has released a proprietary
"I just received confirmation The social network already uses lived in a grungy dog house in OS meant to run on its proprietary
yesterday that...we're going to be "credits" to sell in-house and their back yard. Caesar's hobbies hardware.
reopening up charity gifts in the but a for-profit retailer that branded virtual gifts, a change it included barking incessantly. In
donates a pair of shoes for every They claim that their method of
Gift Shop," said Zuckerberg (who made last November (gifts had fact, that was all he ever did. All running Snow Leopard is different
is, yes, the sister of Facebook pair sold), and the World Wildlife originally been listed in U.S. day and all night that furry,
Fund--Zuckerberg said, and than Apple's method, and if they
founder Mark Zuckerberg). "We dollars). The extension of the drooling monstrosity barked. LIke buy copies of the OS and install
are exploring ways for developers pending its success, "we may system to third-party developers a canine jackhammer to the face.
open to everyone really soon after them on machines which they
to use the Gift Shop to on Facebook's platform has been Caesar wasn't half as annoying then re-sell, then everything
offer...virtual, real, and charity that." talked about for quite some time as Psystar.
The blog Inside Facebook should be OK. I support Psystar's
gifts." now but finally appears to be To keep a ridiculous story short: right to capitalist goodness, but
This will be rolling out next reported last week that four online nearing a wider launch. Psystar sells its own computers
gift and greeting companies-- their stubborn adherence to a lost
week with four test partners-- Originally posted at The Social capable of running Mac OS X. cause is annoying.
Project Red, Kiva, Toms American Greetings Interactive, The back-and-forth battle between
GreetBeatz, Someecards, and Like Caesar.
Shoes(which is not a non-profit, Psystar and Apple has done TUAW Psystar sues over Snow
almost nothing to dissuade the Leopard, abandons reality
Right now on Cinematical clone maker, and this week it's
gone to a whole new level.
originally appeared on The
Unofficial Apple Weblog
By Kona Gallagher (TV Squad) give a single crap about the "plot" Psystar has moved to sue Apple (TUAW) on Sat, 29 Aug 2009
Submitted at 8/29/2009 10:32:00 AM or "characters." The point is, it is over the release of Mac OS X 08:00:00 EST. Please see our
in 3-D and there are crazy body Snow Leopard. In short, Psystar terms for use of feeds.
The folks at our sister site there: Cinematical has new parts flying around and people wants an injunction and damages Read| Permalink| Email this|
Cinematical are working hard to images from New Moon. getting killed in very awkward due to Apple's "...anticompetitive Comments
give you news and reviews of the attempts to tie Mac OS X Snow
• "Okay. It's like The Blob, but ways. Movie WIN. Leopard to its Macintosh line of
best -- and worst -- the silver you know, without the blob thing. • Cinematical is not very happy
screen has to offer. Here are some But it's totally a remake of The about the Heathers TV show that
of their musings on the latest Blob. Get it?" It sounds like that's is in the works.
b l o c k b u s t e r s , i n d i e s , a n d kind of how Rob Zombie's movie Filed under: Site
everything in between: pitch went. Announcements, Reality-Free
• I do not ever, under any • I'm going to see The Final Permalink| Email this| |
circumstances, wish to see Andy Destination this weekend. I have Comments
Griffith's "O" face. But if you're never seen any of the other
into that kind of thing, here ya go. movies in the series, and I do not
• For all of you Twihards out
50 Tech/ TV Sports Internet News Record

Apple lists Snow Leopard

incompatibilities
By Dave Caolo (The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:00:00 PM
Angels Hope Scott
Filed under: OS, Software,
Apple, Snow Leopard With Snow Kazmir Will Help This
A bit of [Big] Apple Leopard in users' hands for less
than 24 hours, reports of software
Season and Beyond
By Jeff Fletcher (FanHouse)
history: visiting Tekserve incompatibilities are coming in
(as well as what's been updated). Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:50:00 PM

By Michael Rose (The overshadowed by the Big T. Since Apple has posted a list of its own by Jeff Fletcher
Unofficial Apple Weblog my office is roughly equidistant to the knowledge base. The article Filed under: Angels, Rays,
(TUAW)) from both the W. 14th Street notes that, when Snow Leopard is MLB Transactions
Submitted at 8/29/2009 1:00:00 AM A p p l e S t o r e a n d T e k s e r v e installed, known-incompatible troubles. We're sure that all As often happens in baseball,
(although, now that I've checked, software is moved to a folder vendors are working to update one team's trash is another team's
Filed under: Retail, Cult of Mac, I realize I'm slightly closer to a p t l y n a m e d I n c o m p a t i b l e their products. If something treasure.
Retro Mac It may have lost a bit Mike Volchok's Mike's Tech Software. Additionally, known- continues to give you trouble, To the Rays, Scott Kazmir was
of luster compared to the chrome, Shop-- noted for next time!), I i n c o m p a t i b l e s o f t w a r e i s hold tight. Help is (probably) on a guy with a 5.92 ERA who was
glass and steel of Apple's nearby decided to go old school today prevented from opening (you'll the way. due to make at least $22.5 million
retail stores (one within easy when I picked up my copy of see an "Incompatible software" TUAW Apple lists Snow between now and 2012. To the
walking distance, in fact), but Snow Leopard, and I snapped a message). L e o p a r d i n c o m p a t i b i l i t i e s Angels, he's a two-time All-Star
there's no denying the draw of few iPhone pics of the store while As of this writing, there are 21
pieces of software on Apple's originally appeared on The who is signed for two more years
New York City's original Apple I was there. Enjoy! U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g with a track record of success
emporium, the delightfully Gallery: Tekserve: Apple's official list, including Parallels (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 against the Yankees.
idiosyncratic Tekserve. Featured original home in the Big Apple Desktop v. 2.5 (and earlier) and 23:00:00 EST. Please see our Angels Hope Scott Kazmir Will
on an episode of Sex and the City, TUAW A bit of [Big] Apple A i r P o r t A d m i n U t i l i t y f o r terms for use of feeds. Help This Season and Beyond
the venerable Mac repair and h i s t o r y : v i s i t i n g T e k s e r v e Graphite and Snow v. 4.2.5. A Read| Permalink| Email this| originally appeared on Fanhouse
retail shop maintains its own originally appeared on The few of our readers shared their Comments MLB Blog on Fri, 28 Aug 2009
clientele and distinctive look as U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g experiences in our liveblog earlier 23:50:00 EST . Please see our
the possibility of yet a 4th NYC (TUAW) on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 tonight, including installation terms for use of feeds.
Apple store looms large. 01:00:00 EST. Please see our Permalink| Email this| Linking
Not to take anything away from terms for use of feeds. Blogs| Comments
the city's other indie Mac shops; Read| Permalink| Email this|
we love them dearly, but they Comments
often find themselves

IDW Comics prep 24, CSI collections for November

By John Scott Lewinski (TV
Squad)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:02:00 PM
Devoted fans of top TV genre
series like 24 and CSI are
probably all over the regular
comic book tie-in stories put out
by IDW. Now, casual fans will others. November
get a chance to review whole sets The omnibus volumes Permalink| Email this| |
of these TV tales in special repackage monthly volumes into a Comments
omnibus editions. big fat set for folks with too much
The aggressive publisher of a life to visit a comic book
possesses a slew of licensing store once a month.
lines. In addition to 24 and CSI, The Next Generation, G.I. Joe, Continue reading IDW Comics
they've got Star Trek, Star Trek: Transformers, Doctor Who and prep 24, CSI collections for
Internet News Record
Is Your Partner Stalking
You on Facebook?
By Barb Dybwad (Mashable!)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:38:47 PM
According to a UK poll
commissioned by crime drama
channel Alibi, a high percentage
of Brits admitted to “snooping”
on their partners on Facebook.
The survey found 58% of
respondents had looked up two or
more past partners, and 15% had
actively changed their Facebook
status expressly to make a current
or past partner jealous. Almost
half admitted to reading their
partner’s emails to look for
evidence of cheating. Men were
more likely to stalk women, with
a tendency to spend 8 minutes or
more “spying” on their partner’s
profile per day.
This jives well with previous
evidence about Facebook
When Are Cheap, Fast Gadgets Good Enough for You? [Ask The Readers]
By Azadeh Ensha (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:00:00 PM
According to Wired, we are now
witnessing the Good Enough Tech
Revolution, defined as a period
when simple and cheap gadgets
reign supreme over expensive and
complicated ones. So we're
wondering when cheap and
increasing jealousy in
relationships. The kind of
jealousy that can ruin them. But
with the survey also revealing that
20% had scratched up an ex’s car
with a key and 39% took revenge
on an old flame by spreading false
rumours, we can’t help but
wonder if the survey participants
were chosen from the pool of past
Jerry Springer panelists.
What has your experience been
with Facebook and jealousy
issues? Have you been snooped
on my a partner or ex? Have you
spied or been tempted to spy on a
significant other? Reviews:
facebook
Tags: facebook, Jealousy,
relationships, spying, stalking
simple is good enough for you?
Photo by NickJWebb.
Writes Wired:
Cheap, fast, simple tools are
suddenly everywhere. We get our
breaking news from blogs, we
make spotty long-distance calls on
Skype, we watch video on small carrying around dinky, low-power
computer screens rather than TVs, netbook computers that are just
and more and more of us are
Join us at 9PM EDT for a
TUAW liveblog -- Snow
Leopard's first day
By Steven Sande (The
Unofficial Apple Weblog
(TUAW))
Submitted at 8/28/2009 8:45:00 PM
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion,
Liveblog, Snow Leopard By now,
if you've been lucky enough to
have picked up a copy of Snow
Leopard, you've installed it and
are beginning to see what the buzz
was all about.
TUAW would like to invite you
to join us a 9 PM EDT for a
liveblog about Snow Leopard's
first day of life. Did you run into
issues? Were all of your installs
flawless? We'd like to hear, and
so would many other TUAW
readers.
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good enough to meet our surfing
and emailing needs. The low end
has never been riding higher.
Other examples of this good
enough trend, according to the
post? The Flip digital camcorder
and cloud computing. So, when it
comes to gadgets, when is cheap
and simple good enough for you?
And when are you willing to pay
51
The Good Enough
Revolution: When
Cheap and Simple Is
Just Fine
By Robert Capps (Wired Top
Stories)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 12:00:00 PM
When Good Enuf Is Great
Entire markets have been
transformed by products that trade
power or fidelity for low price,
flexibility, and convenience.
— Erin Biba
Phone
Net-based calls can be laggy,
and they sometimes drop out in
mid conversation. But they can
a premium for all the bells and
whistles? Let's hear your takes in
the comments. The Good Enough
Revolution: When Cheap and
Simple Is Just Fine[Wired]
52
GOOD
continued from page 51
also be free—even international
calls—and it's easy to turn
conversations into shareable
MP3s. Skype now accounts for 8
percent of international calling
minutes, and the service added
nearly 38 million users in the
second quarter of 2009, a 42
percent increase over the same
period last year.
Books
Amazon's Kindle can't display
complex graphics, and paper still
has much higher resolution. But
the device does store hundreds of
titles in a slim package, ensuring
that you always have access to
whichever Philip K. Dick tale
you're in the mood for. The
Kindle is expected to generate
$310 million in revenue by the
end of 2009. Barron's estimates
that annual sales could reach $2
billion by 2012.
Televison
Its content may not be hi-def,
and you're stuck watching it on a
computer screen, but Hulu lets
you catch recent television shows
and popular movies whenever and
wherever you want. For free. No
wonder it has 40 million unique
viewers—up from just 7 million a
year ago.
In 2001, Jonathan Kaplan and
Ariel Braunstein noticed a quirk
in the camera market. All the
growth was in expensive digital
cameras, but the best-selling units
by far were still cheap, disposable
film models. That year, a
whopping 181 million disposables
were sold in the US, compared
with around 7 million digital
cameras. Spotting an opportunity,
Kaplan and Braunstein formed a
company called Pure Digital
Technologies and set out to see if
they could mix the rich chocolate
of digital imaging with the mass-
market peanut butter of
throwaway point-and-shoots.
They called their brainchild the
Single Use Digital Camera and
cobranded it with retailers, mostly
pharmacies like CVS.
The concept looked promising,
but it turned out to be fatally
flawed. The problem, says Simon
Fleming-Wood, a member of Pure
Digital's founding management
team, was that the business model
relied on people returning the $20
cameras to stores in order to get
prints and a CD. The retailers
were supposed to send the used
boxes back to Pure Digital, which
would refurbish them, reducing
the number of new units it had to
manufacture. But customers didn't
return the cameras fast enough.
Some were content to view their
pictures on the tiny 1.4-inch LCD
and held on to the device,
thinking they'd take it in later to
get prints. Others figured out how
to hack the camera so it would
download to a PC, eliminating the
need to return the thing altogether.
Brisk sales combined with a
lack of speedy returns destroyed
the company's thin margins, and
the camera failed. But the
experience taught Kaplan and
Braunstein a lesson: Customers
would sacrifice lots of quality for
a cheap, convenient device. To
keep the price down, Pure Digital
had made significant trade-offs. It
used inexpensive lenses and other
components and limited the
number of image-processing
chips. The pictures were OK but
not great. Yet Pure Digital sold 3
million cameras anyway.
Kaplan and Braunstein also
learned something important
about camera retailing in general.
The market had long been split
into two main segments: point-
and-shoots (including
disposables) and single-lens reflex
cameras, which use
interchangeable lenses and other
high-end accessories. Not
surprisingly, the vast majority of
cameras sold then—as
now—were the handy point-and-
shoots; SLRs tended to attract
only serious hobbyists and
professionals.
Oddly, though, there was no
point-and-shoot analogue in video
cameras—and that's where the
pair saw their next opportunity.
Home videocams were almost
without exception expensive,
complicated devices loaded with
features like image stabilization,
night-vision mode, and onboard
color correction. And even with
tools like Apple's iMovie, it was a
hassle to get footage off the
cameras and onto a computer for
editing and sharing. In terms of
complexity and price, the
camcorder market resembled the
SLR market, but with no low-end
alternative. Kaplan and
Braunstein suspected that there
might be a place for a much
cheaper, simpler video camera. So
they decided to make one.
After some trial and error, Pure
Digital released what it called the
Flip Ultra in 2007. The stripped-
down camcorder—like the Single
Use Digital Camera—had lots of
downsides. It captured relatively
low-quality 640 x 480 footage at a
time when Sony, Panasonic, and
Canon were launching
camcorders capable of recording
in 1080 hi-def. It had a minuscule
viewing screen, no color-
adjustment features, and only the
most rudimentary controls. It
didn't even have an optical zoom.
But it was small (slightly bigger
than a pack of smokes),
inexpensive ($150, compared with
$800 for a midpriced Sony), and
so simple to operate—from
recording to uploading—that
pretty much anyone could figure
it out in roughly 6.7 seconds.
Within a few months, Pure
Digital could barely keep up with
orders. Customers found that the
Flip was the perfect way to get
homebrew videos onto the
suddenly flourishing YouTube,
and the camera became a megahit,
selling more than 1 million units
in its first year. Today—just two
years later—the Flip Ultra and its
subsequent revisions are the best-
selling video cameras in the US,
commanding 17 percent of the
camcorder market. Sony and
Canon are now scrambling to
catch up.
The Flip's success stunned the
industry, but it shouldn't have. It's
just the latest triumph of what
might be called Good Enough
tech. Cheap, fast, simple tools are
suddenly everywhere. We get our
breaking news from blogs, we
make spotty long-distance calls on
Skype, we watch video on small
computer screens rather than TVs,
and more and more of us are
carrying around dinky, low-power
netbook computers that are just
good enough to meet our surfing
and emailing needs. The low end
has never been riding higher.
Photo: Kenji Aoki, Lego
sculpture: Nathan Sawaya
Computers
On paper, netbooks might seem
like crappy toys. They have
almost no storage, processing
power, or graphics capability.
What they do have, though, is
accessibility: Cheap, small, and
light, they let you connect to the
Internet from almost anywhere.
Netbook shipments were up
sevenfold in the first quarter of
2009.
Trade Shows
It sounds lame, and it is: virtual
Internet News Record
trade shows inhabited by eager
sales avatars and their potential
clients. No, it's not the same as
meeting face-to-face, but with the
economy flatlining, digital
confabs are a working alternative.
Analysts expect 5,000 virtual
events next year, an increase of
500 percent for the industry.
Advertising
They're not high-concept, and
they don't feature celebrities (or
even pictures). But text-based ads
are highly targeted, incredibly
cheap to produce, and make up 90
percent of Google's net revenue
(and 45 percent of all Internet ad
sales in the US).
-D Modeling Software
Rendering software like
AutoCAD is notoriously hard to
use. Google's SketchUp is dead
simple. The result: It has been
embraced by architects, engineers,
educators, and artists. The full
version costs $500—a pittance
compared to AutoCAD's $4,000
price tag. SketchUp has become
so popular, in fact, that Autodesk
has responded with its own lo-res
app: Project Dragonfly.
Illustrations: Quickhoney
So what happened? Well, in
short, technology happened. The
world has sped up, become more
connected and a whole lot busier.
As a result, what consumers want
from the products and services
they buy is fundamentally
changing. We now favor
flexibility over high fidelity,
convenience over features, quick
and dirty over slow and polished.
Having it here and now is more
important than having it perfect.
These changes run so deep and
wide, they're actually altering
what we mean when we describe
a product as "high-quality."
GOOD page 53
Internet News Record
GOOD
continued from page 52
And it's happening everywhere.
As more sectors connect to the
digital world, from medicine to
the military, they too are seeing
the rise of Good Enough tools like
the Flip. Suddenly what seemed
perfect is anything but, and
products that appear mediocre at
first glance are often the perfect
fit.
The good news is that this trend
is ideally suited to the times. As
the worst recession in 75 years
rolls on, it's the light and nimble
products that are having all the
impact—exactly the type of thing
that lean startups and small-scale
enterprises are best at. And from
impact can come big sales. "When
the economy went south before
Christmas last year, we worried
that sales would be affected," says
Pure Digital's Fleming-Wood.
"But we sold a ton of cameras. In
fact, we exceeded the goals we
had set before the economy
soured." And this year? Sales, he
says, are up 200 percent. (Another
payoff: In May, networking giant
Cisco acquired Pure Digital for
$590 million.)
To some, it looks like the
crapification of everything. But
it's really an improvement. And
businesses need to get used to it,
because the Good Enough
revolution has only just begun.
Speaking at an Online
publishers conference in London
last October, New York
University new-media studies
professor Clay Shirky had a
mantra to offer the assembled
producers and editors: "Don't
believe the myth of quality."
When it comes to the future of
media on the Web, Shirky sternly
warned, resist the reflex to focus
on high production values. "We're
getting to the point where the
Internet can support high-quality
content, and it's as if what we've
had so far has all been nice—a
kind of placeholder—but now the
professionals are coming," Shirky
said. "That's not true." To
reinforce his point, he pointed to
the MP3. The music industry
initially laughed off the format, he
explained, because compared with
the CD it sounded terrible. What
record labels and retailers failed
to recognize was that although
MP3 provided relatively low
audio quality, it had a number of
offsetting positive qualities.
Shirky's point is crucial. By
reducing the size of audio files,
MP3s allowed us to get music into
our computers—and, more
important, onto the Internet—at a
manageable size. This in turn let
us listen to, manage, and
manipulate tracks on our PCs,
carry thousands of songs in our
pockets, purchase songs from our
living rooms, and share tracks
with friends and even strangers.
And as it turned out, those
benefits actually mattered a lot
more to music lovers than the
single measure of quality we had
previously applied to recorded
music—fidelity. It wasn't long
before record labels were
wringing their hands over
declining CD sales.
"There comes a point at which
improving upon the thing that was
important in the past is a bad
move," Shirky said in a recent
interview. "It's actually feeding
competitive advantage to
outsiders by not recognizing the
value of other qualit ies." In other
words, companies that focus on
traditional measures of
quality—fidelity, resolution,
features—can become myopic
and fail to address other, now
essential attributes like
convenience and shareability. And
that means someone else can
come along and drink their milk
shake.
To a degree, the MP3 follows
the classic pattern of a disruptive
technology, as outlined by
Clayton Christensen in his 1997
book The Innovator's Dilemma.
Disruptive technologies,
Christensen explains, often enter
at the bottom of the market, where
they are ignored by established
players. These technologies then
grow in power and sophistication
to the point where they eclipse the
old systems.
That is certainly part of what
happens with Good Enough tech:
MP3s entered at the bottom of the
market, were ignored, and then
turned the music business upside
down. But oddly, audio quality
never really readjusted upward.
Sure, software engineers have
cooked up new encoding
algorithms that produce fuller
sound without drastically
increasing file sizes. And with
recent increases in bandwidth and
the advent of giant hard drives, it's
now even possible to maintain,
share, and carry vast libraries of
uncompressed files. But better-
sounding options have hardly
gained any ground on the lo-fi
MP3. The big advance—the one
that had all the impact—was the
move to easier-to-manage bits.
Compared with that, improved
sound quality just doesn't move
the needle. Photo: Kenji Aoki,
Lego sculpture: Nathan Sawaya
Of course, there are those who
appreciate the richer sound of
uncompressed files, CDs, or even
vinyl records (regarded by some
audiophiles as the highest-fi
format available). But most of us
don't give it a second thought. In
fact, there's evidence that
consumers are simply adapting to
the MP3's thin sound. Jonathan
Berger, a professor of music at
Stanford University, recently
completed a six-year study of his
students. Every year he asked new
arrivals in his class to listen to the
same musical excerpts played in a
variety of digital formats—from
standard MP3s to high-fidelity
uncompressed files—and rate
their preferences. Every year, he
reports, more and more students
preferred the sound of MP3s,
particularly for rock music.
They've grown accustomed to
what Berger calls the percussive
sizzle—aka distortion—found in
compressed music. To them, that's
what music is supposed to sound
like.
What has happened with the
MP3 format and other Good
Enough technologies is that the
qualities we value have simply
changed. And the change is so
profound that the old measures
have almost lost their meaning.
Call it the MP3 effect.
We've seen it again and again.
Consider, for example, the rise of
cloud computing. For years,
software was something you
bought and installed on your hard
drive. A lot of it was made by
Microsoft, which solidified its
dominance by releasing ever more
powerful, feature-laden updates.
But with the advent of services
like Gmail and Zoho Writer,
many users are now turning to the
Web for basic tasks like word
processing, spreadsheets, and
email. These cloud apps have
inherent limits: They run through
a browser window and can't
directly access your local hard
drive or processor. They lack
features. Their performance
depends on the strength of your
Internet connection. Nevertheless,
tens of millions of people use
53
Gmail, while Zoho Writer boasts
1.8 million users and is growing
at a rate of 100,000 subscribers a
month. Microsoft, of course, is
now jumping into the cloud as fast
as it can. Redmond says that
Office 2010 will be largely cloud-
based. Not to be outdone, Google
recently announced a mostly
cloud-based operating system that
will work in tandem with the
company's Chrome browser.
Web tools are succeeding
because they're Good Enough.
They do most of what we need
from a word processor or a
spreadsheet or an email program
or even an OS. But, like the MP3,
they also offer other advantages.
You can access them from any
computer. If your hard drive
crashes, you don't lose your work.
And they are incredibly
cheap—free in the case of simple
tools or just a few dollars a month
per user in the case of business
apps.
Compare these qualities with
those of the MP3 and the Flip, and
a clear pattern emerges. The
attributes that now matter most all
fall under the rubric of
accessibility. Thanks to the speed
and connectivity of the digital
age, we've stopped fussing over
pixel counts, sample rates, and
feature lists. Instead, we're now
focused on three things: ease of
use, continuous availability, and
low price. Is it simple to get what
we want out of the technology? Is
it available everywhere, all the
time—or as close to that ideal as
possible? And is it so cheap that
we don't have to think about
price? Products that benefit from
the MP3 effect capitalize on one
or more of these qualities. And
they'll happily sacrifice power and
GOOD page 54
54
GOOD
continued from page 53
features to do so.
By traditional military
standards, the MQ-1 Predator isn't
much of a plane. Its top speed is a
mere 135 miles per hour. It has an
altitude ceiling of 25,000 feet. It
carries only two 100-pound
Hellfire missiles. It has a
propeller. By comparison, an A-
10 can travel 420 mph, cruise at
45,000 feet, and carry up to
16,000 pounds of bombs—not to
mention a 30-mm gatling gun. An
F-16 can reach a blistering 1,500
mph (Mach 2), climb to more than
50,000 feet, and back up its 20-
mm multibarrel canon with six
missiles.
All three of these aircraft are
used for surveillance and close air
support. But more and more, the
military is relying on the
unmanned Predator. In the past
two years, it has logged more than
250,000 flight hours, nearly all of
them in combat. It has been
deployed to the Balkans, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, and Iraq. Photo:
Kenji Aoki, Lego sculpture:
Michael Psiaski
Why, if manned planes are so
superior, is the Predator saturating
the combat market? Because
military aircraft are experiencing
their own version of the MP3
effect.
Over the past few decades, the
armed services—like many
industries—have been radically
changed by the Internet and other
modern communications
technologies. Now that the
military can digitize and share
information quickly, engagements
are conducted differently: Greater
emphasis is being put on
"situational awareness," the
ability of remote commanders to
know what's happening on a
battlefield at all times. This in
turn has altered what the military
looks for in a plane, much the
same way small digital files
changed what music fans value in
a recording.
There is at least one measure by
which the Predator has piloted
aircraft handily beat: the ability to
maintain a constant presence in
the air. That's because the drones
are relatively cheap to build, can
fly for more than 20 hours
straight, and don't require pilots
who need sleep, food, and
bathroom breaks (and who might
die if the plane is shot down). In
Afghanistan and Iraq, a Predator
is available pretty much anytime
the military needs one.
Accessibility, in other words, has
become a dominant aircraft
value—prized as much as, and
sometimes more than, speed,
altitude, and armament.
"Sustaining the sorts of
operations we conduct with the
Predator used to be virtually
impossible," says Eric
Mathewson, director of the Air
Force Unmanned Aircraft
Systems Task Force. "The idea of
putting an aircraft over an area of
interest 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year, was simply unsustainable."
Piloted aircraft are still valuable,
he's quick to add, but because the
Predator can linger, it has enabled
a new type of strategy—remotely
guided surgical strikes with fewer
troops and armaments. It's a
lesson that surprised the Air Force
and other services, Mathewson
says, but one that has been
learned definitively. "We're now
looking at aircraft capabilities for
the future that are even more
persistent," he says. "We're
exploring airships again, which
could stay airborne for up to five
years."
The impact of the Predator
illustrates the potential of the
MP3 effect to transform almost
any market. In fact, Good Enough
tech is already gaining a foothold
in two other huge industries: the
legal profession and health care.
Richard Granat is a pioneer in a
field called elawyering. It
shouldn't be confused with Web
sites that merely offer legal
documents for downloading,
Granat explains. Elawyering
involves actual lawyers, and
clients who use these services get
help sorting through legal issues.
Granat, who runs his own law
firm and cochairs the American
Bar Association's task force on
elawyering, has designed and
marketed a number of Web tools
that walk people through common
legal procedures. He created a
child-support calculator, for
example, which assists couples
going through relatively amicable
divorces. There's also a tool to
help people decide whether they
need Chapter 7 or Chapter 13
bankruptcy. These widgets then
generate legal forms, which may
be reviewed by a licensed
attorney who can make
suggestions or offer advice over
the phone.
It turns out to be a remarkably
efficient way of offering what
Granat calls legal transaction
services—tasks that are document
intensive. For everything from
wills to adoptions to shareholder
agreements, elawyering has
numerous advantages. It's
cheaper, for example; a no-fault
divorce, Granat says, might run a
fifth of what seeing an attorney
would cost. It's also
faster—customers can access the
tools anytime and never have to
interrupt their day to meet with
someone in a distant office.
Simply put, elawyering makes
certain legal services more
accessible.
There are trade-offs, of course.
"The relationship has less richness
than what you'd get from sitting in
a lawyer's office," Granat says.
"And if you have an issue that's
more complex, then you still need
to see a lawyer face-to-face." In
other words, it's a lower-fidelity
experience.
But for most simple legal
interactions, elawyering is, well,
Good Enough. It gets the job
done, even if it doesn't let you ask
every question or address every
contingency. And not
surprisingly, it's on the rise.
"Elawyering will be mainstream
in three years," Granat says. "I
predict that in five years, if you're
a small firm and don't offer this
kind of Web service, you're not
going to make it." Photo: Kenji
Aoki, Lego sculpture: Nathan
Sawaya
In the case of health care, the
Good Enough mindset can be
seen in a new initiative by Kaiser
Permanente. The largest not-for-
profit medical organization in the
country, Kaiser has long relied on
a simple strategy of building
complete, self-sustaining
hospitals—employing 50 doctors
or more—in each region it serves.
"It's an efficient model," says
Michele Flanagin, Kaiser's vice
president of delivery systems
strategy. "It offers one-stop
shopping: pharmacy and
radiology and everything you
want from health care in one
building." But that approach
forces patients who don't live near
a hospital to drive a long way for
even the most routine doctor's
appointment.
As it happens, though, Kaiser
has become one of the most
technologically advanced health
care providers in the country,
Internet News Record
digitizing everything from patient
records and doctors' notes to lab
data and prescriptions and putting
it all online. The system is
networked, so patients can email
their doctor, check lab results, and
make appointments from their PC
or mobile Web device. Getting a
referral doesn't mean carrying
medical records from one doctor
to another, as it does at many
hospitals.
In 2007, Flanagin and her
colleagues wondered what would
happen if, instead of building a
hospital in a new area, Kaiser just
leased space in a strip mall, set up
a high tech office, and hired two
doctors to staff it. Thanks to the
digitization of records, patients
could go to this "microclinic" for
most of their needs and
seamlessly transition to a hospital
farther away when necessary. So
Flanagin and her team began a
series of trials to see what such an
office could do. They cut
everything they could out of the
clinics: no pharmacy, no
radiology. They even explored
cutting the receptionist in favor of
an ATM-like kiosk where patients
would check in with their Kaiser
card.
What they found is that the
system performed very well. Two
doctors working out of a
microclinic could meet 80 percent
of a typical patient's needs. With a
hi-def video conferencing add-on,
members could even link to a
nearby hospital for a quick
consult with a specialist. Patients
would still need to travel to a full-
size facility for major trauma,
surgery, or access to expensive
diagnostic equipment, but those
are situations that arise
infrequently.
GOOD page 57
Internet News Record Tech News/ 55

Weekly Wrapup: Augmented Reality Apps, Top U.S.

Websites, Tweeting Teens, And More...
By Richard MacManus The report is a 75 page fastest-growing segment of SaaS productivity and enterprise
(ReadWriteWeb) collection of case studies, advice Twitter's population. tools, has decided to support
Submitted at 8/29/2009 6:00:00 AM and discussion concerning the SEE MORE WEB TRENDS Google Apps accounts for anyone
most important issues in online particular. Sentiment analysis is COVERAGE IN OUR TRENDS logging into its services. Although
In this edition of the Weekly community. You will also get a no short-term hot trend. It will CATEGORY A Word from Our the two companies have overlap
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augmented reality is ramping up e x p e r t s o n c o m m u n i t y of the crowd into search results. without whom we couldn't bring Google. ReadWriteStart
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Sponsor science fiction and mass the Top 50 U.S. Web Properties. detailed visitor demographics. rarely make good CEOs: the skill
Subscribe to Weekly Wrapup consumer experience. "The If we compare the top 50 to one • hakia is a semantic search sets are simply different. The
You can subscribe to the i n t e r n e t s m e a r e d a l l o v e r year ago, we see that the top 4 is engine. other school says that no one has
Weekly Wrapup by RSS or by everything." An "enchanted still the same: Google, Yahoo, • Rackspace provides dedicated as much passion, drive, and deep
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RWW Weekly Wrap-up Email information hidden all around us notable entrant to the top 5: • Aplus provides web hosting understanding as the founder, and
Subscription form: inside out. A platform that will be Facebook. Last year the same list services for small business so they are best off remaining as
Purchase The ReadWriteWeb bigger than the Web. Those are by comScore had Facebook hosting needs. CEO.
Guide to Online Community the kinds of phrases being used to ranked number 16. As of July • IronScale, Managed Hosting. SEE MORE STARTUPS
Management describe the future of what's 2009, it is number 5; Facebook's The Cloud Gets Physical. COVERAGE IN OUR
Our First Premium Report for called Augmented Reality (AR), highest ranking yet. • MediaTemple provides hosting READWRITESTART
Businesses by specialists developing the Teens Don't Tweet? They May for RWW. CHANNEL Web Products
Recently we released our first technology to enable it. Big Start Soon • SixApart provides our The Wall Has Fallen: 3
p r e m i u m r e p o r t : T h e questions remain unanswered, "Teens don't tweet." Over the publishing software MT4. Augmented Reality Apps Now
ReadWriteWeb Guide to Online though, about the viability of what past few weeks, this fact has been ReadWriteEnterprise Live in iPhone App Store
C o m m u n i t y M a n a g e m e n t . could be a radical next step in reported time and time again by Our channel devoted to First Paris Metro, then Yelp,
Businesses seeking to engage with humanity's use of computers. analysts, bloggers, and 'enterprise 2.0' and using social now London Buses. The newest is
online communities on their own 5 Ways Sentiment Analysis is mainstream media. But before all software inside organizations. even selling database layers
websites or all around the social Ramping Up in 2009 you adults get too comfortable Why Zoho Wants You to Sign through in-app purchases.
web will find the guide invaluable The New York Times had an with your Twitter dominance, in With Google Apps It has been widely reported that
in getting up to speed on the state article this week about sentiment take a look at the recent data from Not long ago, Google revamped the API required to display
of the art and making sure their analysis, a trend which has been comScore. It appears that the its sign-on system using the Augmented Reality (AR) layers of
employees have the foundation accelerating on the back of the youngest Twitter users - those in federated protocols of OpenID.
they need to be effective. Real-time Web- and Twitter in the 12-24 bracket - are now the Now Zoho, a major provider of WEEKLY page 57
56 Tech News/ Internet News Record

RobotVision: A Bing-Powered iPhone Augmented Reality

Browser
By Marshall Kirkpatrick month." running, it switches to map mode at it - but its information did
(ReadWriteWeb) Does that mean that AR and displays pushpin markers for appear when we pointed away
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:19:39 PM browsers will be commodities? "I all the nearby spots in that format. from the building and down the
hope not, for my sake!" Sears UX and AR street.
Bing Local Search has some says, "But I do think there's going There are a lot of possible ways Sears says that GPS on mobiles
interesting features you won't find to be a lot of them. I look at it just RobotVision could integrate the still takes some time to calibrate
in Google, so the prospect of like building a website. You have map and the AR camera view in each time you turn it on. It's often
seeing Bing listings appear on top your data source and you're just this app. AR is hot, but a good AR not that accurate anyway, and
of your iPhone's camera viewer trying to parse and present your app in the future will probably many places are mapped to their
when you point at a restaurant or data in a meaningful way, just like defer to other ways of displaying nearest street intersection instead
business is intriguing. That's what you would on the web." data when appropriate. AR should of their exact location. Likewise,
forthcoming iPhone app Layar, Wikitude, Yelp, complement other ways of seeing if a phone doesn't have a clear line
RobotVision offers - and it P r e s s e L i t e , A c r o s s A i r - t h e the world around us, not be of sight to a GPS satellite, then
displays a view of Tweets and Augmented Reality market is expected to replace maps, lists or further inaccuracies can occur.
Flickr photos published nearby heating up fast and there's not the naked eye. Inaccuracies in location-based
wherever you are. even official support for AR on These are the very early days of Augmented Reality mean that you
RobotVision is a new the iPhone yet. (Android Augmented Reality apps, and could be shown things that aren't
Augmented Reality (AR) app for welcomes AR apps already.) current implementations are very really there and miss things that
the iPhone 3Gs. It's not available Sears guesses that once that simple. Even in their simplicity, you ought to see.
yet, but it will be as soon as AR support comes, as many as half a stack up in aggregate for a though, there will be a lot of We suspect that just as GPS
apps are formally welcomed into dozen other competitors may pop business' food, ambience, service variance in the ways that different data providers historically didn't
the App Store by Apple, probably up. It may be far more than that. and more. (That's a feature we've parts of a UI work together on want to make GPS data available
s o m e t i m e n e x t m o n t h . A R Sears says he plans on building seen at BooRah, though that each respective AR app. in real-time until the killer turn-by
browsers "turn the world inside o n e - o f f w h i t e l a b e l service doesn't have access to Putting geo-tagged data on top -turn driving apps that required it
out" by exposing latent online implementations of RobotVision Yelp reviews.) of a mobile phone's camera arrived, so too could a new
information about your as his business model; If you've seen the new Yelp viewer is not difficult. How an economy of GPS users seeking
surroundings; there will soon be Universities might want a version iPhone AR (it just launched A R p l a t f o r m g o e s a b o u t greater location accuracy for
enough of them that they will f o r c a m p u s l o c a t i o n s , f o r yesterday), you probably noticed c o l l e c t i n g , d i s p l a y i n g a n d Augmented Reality help usher in
c o m p e t e b a s e d o n u s e r example. that all the pushpin markers for interacting with those layers of a more accurate level of service.
experience. RobotVision looks What is Sears bringing to sites in the direction you're facing data will probably make the These are very early days for
like it could be a good one. market product-wise to try to are lined up top to bottom. difference in a crowded market. the world of commercially
Sponsor differentiate? User experience R o b o t V i s i o n l a y e r s i t s (For more on the UX of AR, see available Augmented Reality, but
RobotVision was built by d e v e l o p m e n t i s w h a t h e ' s presentation based on proximity this long post by Joe Lamantia.) its utility and value are clear to
Portland, Oregon's Tim Sears, a spending the majority of his time and then paginates the windows Problems With RobotVision and many people. Bring on the
developer at a major PR firm by on right now. that appear when you click on a AR Apps in General competition and best software to
day and a side-project innovator By using Bing Local search to marker, so it's easy to browse AR apps are at the mercy of the win the hearts and handsets of
by night. His last project was glean location and business nearby spots. publishers of the data they users!
Twitter sentiment analysis service review data, RobotVision gets RobotVision's options to view d i s p l a y . R o b o t V i s i o n ' s Tim Sears expects to launch
Twendz. RobotVision is the first access to some key Bing features local Tweets and Flickr photos c o m p r e h e n s i o n o f i t s RobotVision next month. He'll
iPhone app he's ever built. "This like aggregated reviews from bring more richness to the places surroundings was pretty good in launch his AR browser at the
was easy to develop," he told us. CitySearch, Judy's Book and you're looking at. our tests, but not perfect. One same time that many other people
"Well, not easy - I busted my butt Yelp. Bing looks at the reviews of When you point your phone at restaurant we walked past didn't launch theirs. Discuss
nights and weekends for the last restaurants and tells you how they the ground with RobotVision show up when we pointed a phone
Internet News Record
GOOD
continued from page 54
If that 80 percent number rings
a bell, it's because of the famous
Pareto principle, also known as
the 80/20 rule. And it happens to
be a recurring theme in Good
Enough products. You can think
of it this way: 20 percent of the
effort, features, or investment
often delivers 80 percent of the
value to consumers. That means
you can drastically simplify a
product or service in order to
make it more accessible and still
keep 80 percent of what users
want—making it Good
Enough—which is exactly what
Kaiser did.
Flanagin believes these clinics
will enable Kaiser to add
thousands of new members. And
they'll do it for less. The per-
member cost at a microclinic is
roughly half that of a full Kaiser
hospital. The first microclinic is
set to open in Hawaii early next
year. Medical care is now poised
for its own manifestation of the
MP3 effect.
The phenomenon certainly
won't stop with hospitals, lawyers,
and military campaigns. As more
and more industries move their
business online, they too will find
WEEKLY
continued from page 55
data on top of the camera view of
a non-jailbroken iPhone 3Gs
would not be publicly exposed
until the launch of the next
version of the iPhone Operating
System, expected this Fall. Many
developers are patiently waiting,
but some have now found a way
around the restriction. This week
we discovered 3 AR-enabled apps
hitting the iTunes store.
Confused About Wikipedia's
success in Good Enough tools that
focus on maximizing
accessibility. It's a reflection of
our new value system. We've
changed. To benefit from the MP3
effect, companies will have to
change as well.
No one understands this better
than the folks at Pure Digital
Technologies. Two years ago, the
Flip Ultra nailed all three of those
accessibility traits: It was
significantly less expensive than
other digital video cameras—so
much so, it almost seemed an
impulse buy in comparison. It was
much easier to use, not only for
shooting video but also for
uploading clips to the Internet.
And its pocketable size and Web-
sharing abilities made video
available anytime, anywhere. The
Flip hit the Good Enough trifecta.
When asked why he thinks the
Flip has succeeded where more
powerful videocams—and even
new Flip knockoffs from the likes
of Sony—have failed, Pure
Digital's Fleming-Wood has an
interesting answer: "I think it's
because we have a better
product." What's odd is that
executives at Sony and Canon
Flagged Revisions? What's Really
Happening
Wikipedia's new 'flagged
revision' policy will radically
change how entries about living
persons will be maintained. There
seems to be some confusion about
the extent to which these new
policies, once implemented, will
change the nature of Wikipedia.
According to some, Wikipedia
will cease to be free and open.
would likely say the same
thing—after all, their models have
far more features and often
produce sharper images. But
Fleming-Wood is using a different
definition of "better." He now
defines quality entirely in terms of
ease of use—how easy it is to
shoot and share the video. "The
one thing everyone wants to do
with their footage is show it to
someone else," he says.
Even so, it's easy to imagine
that feature creep will one day
seep into the Flip. After all, the
company recently released models
that record in HD, so why not
image stabilization or a bigger
LCD—or hey, how about a
touchscreen! "We will always
prioritize accessibility over
features," Fleming-Wood insists.
The increase in pixel count, he
says, is simply the result of
Moore's law advances in chip
speed and storage capacity, not a
signal that Pure Digital is
changing its focus. Once HD
components became available that
would not drastically raise the
price of the camera or make it
harder to use, "it made no sense
not to go HD," Fleming-Wood
Instead, a group of editors with
dictatorial powers will patrol the
site. The reality, however, is far
less dramatic.
Opera Mini Is Most
Downloaded Mobile App
The Opera Mini application is
now considered not only the
world's most popular mobile
browser, but also the world's most
downloaded app. According to
independent applications
says. He points out that Pure
Digital has yet to include other
features like an optical zoom or
image stabilization, adding that he
knows people love the Flip
because of how simple it makes
recording and sharing video. "We
will never sacrifice that."
When he thinks about how the
Flip line will improve in the
future, Fleming-Wood envisions
adding features that will make the
video even easier to share. "Well,
we could add Wi-Fi or cell
connectivity, so if you were
filming your kid's soccer game,
you could be uploading the
footage to the Web in real time so
Grandma could watch from
home," he says with a
daydreamer's enthusiasm. To do
something that ambitious, of
course, might require sacrificing
some of that HD image quality.
No problem, as long as it's Good
Enough.
Senior editor Robert Capps(
rcapps@wired.com) wrote about
Judd Apatow in issue 15.06.
marketplace GetJar, the browser
has been downloaded more than
25 million times from its store.
Bing Continues to Grow, But
Yahoo Loses Market Share
Since the launch of Bing,
watching the developments in the
search engine market is finally
interesting again. According to
the latest data from Compete for
July, Bing continues to grow
slowly but surely. At the same
Tech News/ 57
Lotus Connections 2.5:
Real Social Features
Finally Arrive
By Steven Walling
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 3:00:45 PM
Reports of an update for IBM's
Lotus Connections software have
been circulating since early 2009.
Many analysts talked of a major
upgrade that would instill the
suite with some substantial social
functionality for the first time.
After surveying the new Lotus
Connections 2.5 that was released
today, we can confirm those
reports.
IBM has seriously improved
their offering when it comes to a
comprehensive platform for
enterprises. While it's not exactly
the bleeding edge, version 2.5 has
taken software that was really
behind the times and transformed
time, though, Compete notes that
Bing has not been able to convert
its growing search share into a
rise in paid clicks on ads on the
site.
SEE MORE WEB PRODUCTS
COVERAGE IN OUR
PRODUCTS CATEGORY
That's a wrap for another week!
Enjoy your weekend everyone.
Discuss
58 Tech Reviews Sports
LOTUS
continued from page 57
it into something that shows real
promise for enabling
collaboration. Lotus Connections
is now available for download for
both customers and business
partners.
Sponsor
New Features Galore
The latest release of Lotus
Connections is anything but
incremental. There's a large
checklist of added and enhanced
features below, but what it
basically boils down to is that
IBM has revamped the entire
package into something
resembling a comprehensive
platform for creating and sharing
information in the workplace.
While the first iteration of
Connections from 2007 included
profiles, bookmarking, and blogs,
much of the functionality was
quite rough. Things like the "dog-
ear" system of bookmarking
failed to really catch on, and the
platform still lacked wikis and
other basic tools. New things to
note in 2.5 include:
• Home pages with news feeds
of activity. These pages sit
somewhere between a Facebook
With White Sox Fading, Ozzie Guillen Can't Stay Positive Much Longer
By Ed Price (FanHouse)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:15:00 PM
by Ed Price
Filed under: White Sox NEW
YORK -- After the Chicago
White Sox on Friday fell to third
place for the first time since the
morning of July 31, manager
Ozzie Guillen said he is
News Feed and a personal
watchlist in a wiki.
• Richer personal profiles. IBM
has added something they call
microblogging, but it's really
more akin to Facebook status
updates than a system like
Yammer or Socialtext Signals.
[Disclosure: Socialtext is
ReadWriteWeb sponsor.]
• Wikis, which (unbelievably)
are entirely new to Connections.
These bear a close resemblance to
the "workspace" style of wiki
found in Socialtext and
Confluence.
• File sharing, which sports a
nice new interface.
• Mobile support for iPhone and
Nokia s60 phones.
The last feature upgrade is to
Communities. The ability to
create groups of users existed
before in Connections, but now
any of the features listed above,
plus the blogs and to-do lists that
previously existed, can be added
to a group to create a custom mix
that suits the needs of members.
Communities also include widgets
you can add easily, though why
IBM didn't make them
"confused."
Robinson Cano's 10th-inning,
three-run homer for the Yankees
sent the White Sox to their fourth
walk-off loss in 16 days, Guillen
said he is on the verge of no
longer being "positive" about his
club.
"We change lineups every night, said. "We try to get a lot of people
for different reasons," Guillen playing time -- not working. I try
OpenSocial gadgets is puzzling.
Will IBM Continue to Play
Catch-up?
It might not be shocking to
point this out, but the more agile
young companies like Jive,
Socialtext, and Atlassian have
long had many of the features that
IBM is just now adding to Lotus
Connections.
Other IBM products have had
bits and pieces, but nothing really
all-embracing. Quickr, for
instance, has had a rudimentary
wiki. That's also an example of
how overlap has long plagued
IBM's software for business users.
As Jon Mell of enterprise
consultancy Headshift pointed out
in his preview of Connections 2.5,
IBM has a reputation for coming
late to the game and then shooting
past the competition (WebSphere
Application Server is an
example). The real question is
whether the same pattern will play
out in the enterprise collaboration
space. Discuss
Accused mastermind of
TJX hack to plead guilty
(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:38:00 PM
Albert Gonzalez, the alleged
ringleader of one of the largest
known identity theft cases in U.S.
history, has agreed to plead guilty
to all 19 counts of related charges
against him, according to court
documents filed Friday.
Gonzalez, 28, of Miami, was
accused in August 2008 of
helping steal millions of credit
card and debit card numbers from
major U.S. retail chains. Among
the retailers hacked were TJX
Companies (owner of T.J. Maxx),
BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax,
Boston Market, Barnes & Noble,
Sports Authority, Forever21, and
DSW.
Under the plea agreement filed
with the U.S. Attorneys Office in
Boston, Gonzalez would serve a
sentence of 15 to 25 years after
pleading guilty by September 11
to charges of conspiracy, wire
fraud, aggravated identity theft,
and money laundering(PDF).
Gonzalez, who is already in jail,
would also have to forfeit a range
of possessions, such as almost $3
to be positive. But meanwhile,
you can't be positive too long.
"We've got a lot of games left.
You never know what's going to
happen. But if we continue to play
the way we are, it's going to be
shorter than people think -- or
going to be longer than people
think. It's going to be a long
month for us."
Internet News Record
million in cash, his Miami
condominium, a 2006 BMW,
several computers, and three
Rolex watches.
The agreement also resolves
2008 charges pending against
Gonzalez in federal court in New
York for hacking the computer
network of Dave & Buster's
restaurant chain.
A former federal government
informant, Gonzalez was also
recently indicted in New Jersey,
along with two unnamed Russian
men, on charges of hacking into
Heartland Payment Systems, as
well as systems for 7-Eleven, the
Hannaford Brothers supermarket
chain, and two unnamed corporate
victims. They also allegedly stole
data related to more than 130
million credit and debit cards.
This is considered to be one of the
biggest data breach cases in U.S.
history.
Rene Palomino, who is listed as
Gonzalez's attorney within
Friday's plea agreement, did not
immediately return a call seeking
comment.
With White Sox Fading, Ozzie
Guillen Can't Stay Positive Much
Longer originally appeared on
Fanhouse MLB Blog on Fri, 28
Aug 2009 23:15:00 EST . Please
see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink| Email this| Linking
Blogs| Comments
Internet News Record Tech News/ Tech Tips/ 59

8-Story Antigravity Forest Facade Takes Root

By Cliff Kuang (Wired Top A plastic-coated aluminum frame Mueron| next image >>
Stories) is fastened to the wall and covered The gardens don't have to be
Submitted at 8/28/2009 12:30:00 PM with synthetic felt into which outside. Here's one designed for
plant roots can burrow. A custom the Taipei Concert Hall. Blanc
When Patrick Blanc was a boy, irrigation system keeps the felt first began experimenting with
he suspended plants from his moist with a fertilizer solution vertical gardens in his bedroom
bedroom wall and ran their roots modeled after the rainwater that 40 years ago, when he was 12.|
into a fish tank. The greenery trickles through forest canopies. next image >>
received nourishment from the But plants for this vertical Photo: Loram ipsum
diluted— ahem—fertilizer and landscape must be chosen with Before he was known as a
purified the water in return. Forty- care. Because the walls are so vertical gardener, Blanc was a
f i v e y e a r s o n , t h e F r e n c h high, conditions vary widely. The precocious botanist. Many of the
botanist's gardens have grown shade at ground level is perfect plants he uses are species he
massive in scale. One inside a for rare Asian nettles; on the brought back himself from across
Portuguese shopping mall is brighter upper stories, plants that Asia.| next image >>
larger than four tennis courts, and usually cling to windblown cliff Photo: Loram ipsum
there's one in Kuwait that's almost faces brave the blustery British A vertical garden adorns the
as big. But Blanc's recently breezes. underside of a bridge, Pont
completed facade for the Blanc, who still has a fish-tank Juvénal, in Aix-en-Provence.| next
A t h e n a e u m h o t e l i n setup in his apartment, says his more than 12,000 plants| next go up top. Ferns go below, where image >>
London(shown) could be his most creations will always reach image >> there's more shade.| next image Photo: Loram ipsum
high-profile project yet. Looming upward: "I leave horizontal Eighty percent of the plants at >> Blanc's largest garden lies on
over Green Park, it's an eight- gardens to others. I only think the Athenaeum are evergreen; 20 Blanc designed the first vertical Rue d'Alsace, in Paris, covering
story antigravity forest composed vertically."| next image >> percent are seasonal. They are garden in Spain, which covers an more than 15,000 square feet.
of 12,000 plants. The vertical garden at the planted according to entire wall facing the entrance of
Blanc uses a kind of techno- Athenaeum, which is eight stories environmental demands — those the CaixaForum Madrid, designed
trellis as the underlying structure: tall, has 260 plant species and that need more sun, for example, by starchitects Herzog & de

The AlphaBar Sphere Desktop [Featured Desktop]

By The How-To Geek
(Lifehacker)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 1:00:00 PM
Reader RedBlackProduction's
desktop shows off just how
powerful the new Rainmeter 1.0
release really is, with expandable
panels that drop down from the
top bar for virtually everything
you might want.
The desktop is created with
nothing more than Rainmeter
configurations, and is bundled
with custom versions for various
resolutions, including one
configuration that scales to fit any
desktop size. Each of the icons on
the top bar are used to open up
expandable panels with more
information—so you can save
space but still quickly access any
information you might need. The
full list of tabs includes:
• Drives, Calendar, Trash,
Battery, Weather, and Internet
icons show exactly what you'd
expect them to.
• The Tasks icon launches a tab
with your tasks and notes.
• The System tab shows a
process list right in the expanded
panel view, along with shutdown
and logoff options.
• Gmail icon shows you the
unread message count, and a
preview of unread email messages
in an expandable tab.
• Twitter icon shows the last 9
tweets, and lets you send a
message without any dedicated
client.
• RSS icon displays an RSS tab
with the latest items.
This desktop not your style?
Why waste time complaining?
Instead, get started creating your
own killer desktop with the easy-
install Rainmeter 1.0 package and
show the world what you can do.
If you get stuck and need some
help, join up with the Lifehacker
Desktop Customization Google
Group to collaborate on new ideas
for desktop configurations.
Once you've created your own
beautifully tweaked (and
hopefully productive) desktop,
post it over in the Lifehacker
Desktop Show and Tell Flickr
Group complete with a
description of the programs and
tweaks you used (and preferably
links as well!), and we just might
feature it here. The AlphaBar
Sphere Desktop[Flickr]
60 Tech News/ Apple
The Future of the Facebook iPhone
App, According to the Man Who
Made It
By Marshall Kirkpatrick
(ReadWriteWeb)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:29:59 PM
Apple approved the first update
to the Facebook app on the iPhone
in almost a year yesterday and it
was a huge hit. The app was built
by Joe Hewitt, whose previous
work includes the co-creation of
Firefox with Blake Ross. With 12
million downloads, Facebook's
app was the 2nd most popular free
app on the iPhone platform in
2008 behind Pandora.
I spoke with Hewitt yesterday
on the BadHairDay podcast and
the following are three three
features he identified as next steps
on the app's roadmap.
Sponsor
Contact list synchronization
between your Facebook friends
list and your phone's contact
list."It's a Terms of Service thing
more than a technical limitation,"
Hewitt said.
Push notifications."We are
working on push," Hewitt said
last night. "I plan to have it in the
next major update, the 3.1. It will
be the same kind of notifications
you get on the website. I probably
won't right off the bat give you
chat notifications. If you've ever
used Facebook's SMS
notifications, you can have pretty
granular control and it will be the
same level of notification in terms
of whose notifications you see
and what categories you see."
Saved, site-wide search. On the
Facebook website you can now
search across public updates and
other items beyond just friends
and pages. You can't do that on
the mobile app yet. "I hope but I
can't promise to get that into the
3.1 update," Hewitt said. "We're
still working on getting that into
the API. I'm also hoping to let you
save a search to your home
screen."
Saved search icons on the
beautiful new home screen?
Granular control over push
notification delivery so you can
get immediate news of just your
most important updates?
Automatic contact synching so
your friends' Facebook avatars
appear when they call you on the
phone?
Those sound like great features.
We're excited to see them
implemented with the same
attention to user experience that
this latest update showed.
What would you like to see on
the roadmap of the Facebook app
on the iPhone? Discuss
OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard Officially
Available Today
By Liam Cassidy
(TheAppleBlog)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 6:00:16 AM
It’s the moment we’ve all been
waiting for. Today, Apple
officially launches the latest
milestone update to its Mac OS X
operating system. “Snow
Leopard” is the fifth major update
to the operating system since it
was launched in 2001. Apple has
spent the last year tweaking and
refining just about every line of
code in the entire operating
system and the result is a far
leaner, meaner animal.
We’ve been covering the
rumors, news and leaks on Snow
Leopard for what feels like
forever. For a whistle-stop tour of
how 10.6 has developed over the
year and what new features and
functionality it brings, follow
these links to learn about:
• How much weight Snow
Leopard has lost -– system apps
are much smaller than ever before
now all that old PPC code is a
thing of the past.
• How the Finder and Dock have
been tweaked to make navigating
your files faster and easier than
ever before.
• Under-the-hood additions,
tweaks and tune-ups that make
Snow Leopard the most powerful
and sophisticated Mac OS X yet.
• Changes to Apple’s venerable
QuickTime media software.
• The introduction of native
support for Microsoft Exchange.
• The revolutionary new
multicore management
Internet News Record
technology Grand Central
Dispatch.
Finally, just in case you’re not
sure where to get started when
you upgrade, check out Jon Buy’s
Upgrade Strategy: Getting Ready
for Snow Leopard and Chris
Ryan’s Snow Leopard: The
Installation Process.
Of course, in the interest of fair
and balanced reporting, you could
always read Dave Greenbaum’s
Why I’ll Wait on Snow Leopard,
and Why Maybe You Should Too.
But of course, you won’t be
doing a Greenbaum. You’ll be
rushing out to buy your copy. And
why not? It’s cheap. If you are
upgrading from Leopard (and
maybe even if not), a single-
installation license will cost only
$29. For a 5-license Family Pack,
it’s just $49.
Bottom line: It runs faster than
Leopard. It gives you back a lot of
hard drive space. It’s packed full
of next-generation technology and
it’s a lot cheaper than the
competition. Snow Leopard is
available now. GigaOM's
Mobilize 09 conference is only a
few days away! Register for
Mobilize and get a free copy of
the Mobile App Store report from
GigaOM Pro.
Internet News Record
From the Tips Box: Pandora Workarounds, Ice Cube Plant
Food, and Packing Tips [From The Tips Box]
By Rosa Golijan (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 5:00:00 PM
Lifehacker readers show us how
they work around Pandora's 40-
hour limit, refresh our plants with
some ice cubes, and organize our
packing.
Don't like the gallery layout?
Click here to view everything on
one page.
Get Around Pandora's 40-Hour
Limit
Bryce has a way of getting
around Pandora's time limitation:
Lifehacker readers might be
interested to know that even
though free Pandora in your
browser stops working at 40 hours
a month (unless you pay the
$0.99), the iPhone app apparently
continues to play for free past 40
hours. This is probably because of
the terms and conditions of free
apps in the App Store — once
free, always free. So once
Pandora hits 40 hours in your
browser, just plug your iPhone
into your speakers and keep
playing.
Eighty also wrote in with advice
from his blog:
If or when Pandora complains
about the allotted time (40 hours)
being used for the computer, just
go find the .sol files on your
system. On my Ubuntu system,
they are located in
~/.macromedia/Flash_Player/#Sha
redObjects. These .sol files are
called Local Shared Objects,
essentially cookies for your flash
player. Simply deleting them will
clear the hours tracking for the
computer
We don't really think that a
dollar is too much to pay to
support web apps like Pandora,
but the workarounds should work
just fine for those who disagree.
Keep Your Succulents Alive
with Ice Cubes
Cynthia made us smile with her
method of keeping plants
refreshed:
When I was in medical school
and residency, my houseplants
experienced Darwinian evolution
due to neglect. By the time I
entered practice, I was left with
only the hardy plants, mostly
succulents and cacti, which was
fine by me since I love their
sculptural style. While they don't
require much care, they do still
need an occasional watering.
Instead of puttering around with a
watering can, I grab a bucket of
ice cubes and drop them onto my
plants. They dissolve slowly and
it's hard to overwater them with
ice cubes. I'm sure gardening
aficionados would cringe at this
approach, but it's worked for me.
It's also easier for house sitters
instead of trying to assess just
how much water to give each
plant. I have 1, 2, and 3 cube
plants.
And if they need more care than
that, Darwin takes care of them
for me.
Pack Efficiently for the School
Break Visits
Photo by Betsssssy
Rupert has a ton of packing tips
which apply to more than just
students:
I find that one of the more
annoying things about being a
student is the amount of packing
you have to do. Going back home
for the Christmas, Easter and
Summer holidays means that you
have to pack up your stuff 6 times
a year. Here are some tips to make
the trial of packing a bit easier:
• Get plastic boxes that are
slightly smaller than the drawers
in your dorm room and then put
one in each drawer. Make sure the
boxes have removable lids. Then
when it comes to going home, just
take out the box (with all your
stuff in it), put the lid on and you
are good to go. As a bonus, if you
have a drawer with an annoyingly
Tech Tips/ 61
anywhere useful. Don't allow
yourself any more than this and
make sure you just use it to clear
up any leftover stuff in the final 5
minutes of packing. Try not to use
it.
• Make sure you keep your
empty boxes somewhere in your
room, but out of the way, such as
under the bed or at the bottom of
your wardrobe. Don't keep them
in the attic or you won't be
bothered to get them.
• Whilst having beautifully
packed wires is great for
permanent setups, they are the
bane of frequent movers. Get 4-
low back, stuff won't fall down way or 6-way adapters plugged
the back anymore. into the wall sockets so that all of
• Have two wash baskets: 1 for your appliances can be unplugged
dirty clothes and 1 for clothes that without having to go behind your
are just off the line. If you are too bed or desk etc. Don't feed wires
lazy to put the clean stuff away around the back of desks but
immediately (and who isn't??) instead feed them to the side or
then the dirty basket makes sure front. It will look messy but you
dirty clothes don't pile up on the won't have to spend ages taking
floor. When it comes to going out wires this way.
home, you'll find your floor far • Don't leave stuff in shared
cleaner than usual. Plus if you areas. This will probably make
time your washing right, you your flat mates happier but it will
might end up with most of your also mean you don't run around
clothes in one of either of these the house looking for things that
baskets allowing you to just pick you can't find. For example, keep
them up and put them in the car. your shoes in your room, not in
• Keep empty plastic boxes for the hallway.
packing but don't just stuff things • Use the landing pad method
in there randomly. Designate each where you have a completely bare
box for either an area of your surface that takes only the objects
room or a type of stuff. For you keep in your pockets on a day
example, you might want a box to day basis. This also means you
for everything on a particular are less likely to forget your keys
shelf or surface. Alternatively, when you go out!
you might want a box for just • Finally, if you are tight for
your notes and another for just space in your car, ensure you take
your toiletries. out the largest objects first to
• Have a single "random" box for
those things that just won't be put FROM page 62
62 Sports Internet News Record
FROM
continued from page 61
make your packing more efficient. my mail for everyone to see and "joe.schmoe+example@gmail.co "Urgent" (3 plus-addresses you've
Avoid Confusion With Creative possible be confused by. A more m" in his regular inbox. You can created for yourself), only one
Drive Mapping aesthetic, but equally effective also filter your mail by the "to" email will come into your inbox,
Paul figured out how to deal way of doing it is including it line, which becomes very handy. with the three labels attached (or
with a network annoyance: your signature in white text. Since Next, create filters for plus- with whatever actions your filters
Something that had been Gmail doesn't allow HTML in addresses corresponding to each perform).
bothering me for a while is that I signatures, I use the Blank Canvas of the labels you want to be able One more cool use I've found:
had a folder on my desktop Gmail Signature Firefox to add to outgoing messages. For Suppose you email someone, and
(E:\Projects) that I had extension. This way, no one ever example, I have a filter that adds you want their response to come
synchronized with my laptop as knows that the sentence is there, the "Home" label to any emails back with a particular label (or
Y:\. I always was getting myself and whenever anyone gets an s e n t t o you want a particular action
confused about typing in Y:\Web
Projects or E:\Projects\Web
email from me, they don't have
any ads.
joe.schmoe+home@gmail.com;
adds "Work" to any emails sent to
performed). For example, I email
my girlfriend about a movie we're NFL Twitter
Projects, and just found a
solution. I can map a network
Label Your Messages to
Yourself and Outgoing Messages
joe.schmoe+work@gmail.com,
etc.
seeing later tonight, and I want to
make sure her email comes back Mailbag: QB
drive (Y:) on my desktop as
\\localhost\e$\Projects, saving me
in Gmail
Nicholas' tip is fantastic,
Finally, I create contacts
corresponding to each label: A
labeled "Urgent". I can't just
create a filter for all emails Debate
from having to remember which especially for those of us prone to contact named "Home" with the coming from her, because despite By Michael David Smith
machine I'm on. I'd also suggest it sending quick "notes to self": e m a i l a d d r e s s being my girlfriend, she sends me (FanHouse)
to people who want to have what I How many of you email joe.schmoe+home@gmail.com, a lot of stuff that, frankly, isn't Submitted at 8/29/2009 8:05:00 AM
might call "Virtual Partitions" for yourself in Gmail? And has it ever etc., for all the emails I just urgent. But this one email is. So I
music and games, whatever, bothered you that you can't add created filters for. email her my question, and also by Michael David Smith
without having to reformat the labels to outgoing messages? You Now, when I send a message to copy myself in, to my "Urgent" Filed under: Chicago Bears,
drive and partition it have to label them once they drop myself, if I want it labeled with plus-address. So the To line looks Broncos NFL Twitter nation had
Massacre Ads Without Murder into your inbox, which is tedious. "Home", I just type "Home" in the like this: "Jo Blow" , "Urgent" plenty to say about quarterbacks
Charges Well, I got tired of this, and To field of the email. I'm emailing Now I'll get a message from this week, starting with response
Hunter found a way to improve realized I could get around it it to myself, but to the particular myself, labeled Urgent. (I can to my tweet about ESPN analyst
on one of our tricks: using Gmail's "plus-addressing." plus-address that will get filtered archive this, or whatever.) When (and former NFL quarterback)
A week or two ago, you all did a This has been mentioned on into my Home label. she replies, her message will be Trent Dilfer saying the NFL has
post on getting rid of Gmail ads Lifehacker before - you can What's better, is that you can included in the same conversation better quarterbacks right now than
by including a sentence at the append your email address, after add multiple labels by sending it as the email I sent myself, and ever before in its history, and then
bottom of your email. I have been your username, with to multiple plus-addresses of both are labeled "Urgent". Voila! moving to the question of who got
using this method, but I didn't like "+anytexthere@gmail.com". So yours, without getting multiple the better end of the Bears-
putting a sentence that didn't quite joe.schmoe@gmail.com will emails in your inbox. If you send Broncos quarterback swap.
make sense at the bottom of all receive email from it to "Home", "Taxes", and Your questions and comments,
and my responses, in our NFL
Pentagon Toilet Seat, Meet Stanford's Private Bathroom Twitter mailbag are below.
NFL Twitter Mailbag: QB
By Clay Travis (FanHouse) arrows of outrageous public Pentagon Toilet Seat, Meet Debate originally appeared on
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:30:00 PM urination or oppose them. Such is Stanford's Private Bathroom Fanhouse NFL Blog on Sat, 29
the ruminative monologue racing originally appeared on Fanhouse Aug 2009 08:05:00 EST . Please
by Clay Travis through the minds of Stanford NCAA Football Blog on Fri, 28 see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Stanford, Pac 10, supporters in the wake of this Aug 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please Permalink| Email this| Linking
General CFB Insanity To poop in announcement: a Stanford booster see our terms for use of feeds. Blogs| Comments
private or not to poop in private, built a $50,000 to $70,000 private Permalink| Email this| Linking
that is is the question. Whether tis b a t h r o o m f o r c o a c h J i m to Harbaugh, "It cuts down on Blogs| Comments
n o b l e r f o r S t a n f o r d ' s J i m Harbaugh. Why was this private drag."
Harbaugh to suffer the slings and bathroom necessary? According
Internet News Record
This Week's Most Popular Posts [Highlights]
By Adam Pash (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:00:00 PM
This week we helped readers
prepare for the upgrade to Snow
Leopard, dished out 10 tricks that
would make MacGyver proud,
and showed you how to speed up
your bloated Firefox installation.
• Top 10 Tricks MacGyver
Would Be Proud Of When they
draw up the Complete History of
Lifehacking, Angus MacGyver
will certainly merit a chapter. We
pay tribute to the creative can-do
secret agent this week with 10
tricks that make extraordinary use
of truly common objects.
• Prep Your Mac for Snow
Leopard An operating system
update like this Friday's release of
Mac OS X Snow Leopard is a
perfect time to clean up your
computer and start fresh. Let's
prepare your Mac for this
weekend's 10.6 upgrade.
• Make Firefox Faster by
Vacuuming Your Database
Firefox tip: Firefox 3.0's
Awesome Bar added all kinds of
features to the 'fox, but
unfortunately it's also created
some performance issues—for
example, by upping the default
history time, leading to larger,
fragmented databases.
• How Fast is Your Internet
Connection? DSL and other high-
speed internet services feel like
dial-up more often than they
should. According to a new study,
the U.S. ranks 28th in terms of
fastest broadband speeds behind
Japan, Sweden, Holland, and
other industrialized nations.
• Lock a Deadbolt from Outside
the Door (Without a Key) Ever
needed to lock the deadbolt
behind you but didn't have a key
to the door? Admittedly, this isn't
a problem you'll get into every
day, but Instructables user Hextor
has a clever solution should you
ever find yourself in this situation.
• Complete Guide to Making
Outlook Faster (Than Molasses) If
you are stuck using Microsoft
Outlook to send those TPS reports
at work, you've already
experienced just how painfully
slow it can get—but with a few
quick tips you can make it usable
again.
• Grab Mac OS X Snow
Leopard's Wallpaper for Your
Desktop Classic art, serene
natural landscapes, remixed Mac
images, and actual snow
leopards—the wallpapers from
Mac OS X 10.6, a.k.a. Snow
Leopard, are in the wild, and you
can grab them at full resolution
for your own desktop.
• The Definitive Guide to
Backing Up and Ditching Your
Discs Whether you're moving,
short on cash, or running out of
storage space, you've got plenty
of reasons to ditch your physical
media. Hard drives are cheap;
here are our recommended
methods of saving, selling, and
trading your CDs, DVDs, and
video games.
• Tech Support Cheat Sheet
Reveals the Secrets of
Troubleshooting If you read
Lifehacker, chances are you've
been designated as your family's
de facto IT person, and you've
probably spent more than your
fair share of hours troubleshooting
applications you know no better
than the person asking.
• The Floating Shelves and
Hidden Cables Workspace
Today's featured workspace is a
great example of how, with some
careful shopping and thoughtful
layout, you can create an
uncluttered and tidy workspace
without a huge budget.Lifehacker
reader msweston took some basic
building blocks from IKEA and
assembled them into a sleek
workspace.
• Five Features We Want to See
in Firefox It's no secret that
Firefox has long been our favorite
browser, but much has changed
recently. The browser landscape
is increasingly competitive, so
with that in mind, we'd like to
suggest a few features and
improvements we're desperate to
see from Firefox.
Tech Tips/ Game 63
Readers pick
best webcomic:
World 1-4
By Griffin McElroy (Joystiq)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 1:00:00 AM
It's rare that newcomers elicit
such a feverish response from
regular Weekly Webcomic
Wrapup pollsters -- yet Nerf
Now's first appearance in our
illustrated revue managed to pull
in a startling 43.3 percent of the
vote! We can understand why --
their winning comic, " World 4-
1," possess all the necessary
ingredients for success: Popular
video game characters, irony and
(of course), dirty words. We don't
approve of that type of talk
around here, mister-- but we're
not ones to censor anyone's
profanity-laden artistic offerings.
Second and third place went to
xkcd's " Oregon" and Castle
Vidcons' " Pretender to the
Throne," respectively. We'll be
getting our Wrapup on once again
tomorrow evening -- if you've got
a strip you'd like to see in the
running, now's the time to submit
it via a comment or tip!
Readers pick best webcomic:
World 1-4 originally appeared on
Joystiq on Sat, 29 Aug 2009
01:00:00 EST. Please see our
terms for use of feeds.
Read| Permalink| Email this|
Comments
64 Tech Tips/ Picture Internet News Record

How to Upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard [UltraNewb]

By Adam Pash (Lifehacker) laptop didn't), try an application may be a bit faster.)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:30:00 PM like GrandPerspective( Original 6. Enjoy Snow Leopard: When
post) to identify large files you it completes, your computer
So you've checked out the good don't need and free up the should restart once more. When it
stuff and decided to take the necessary space. Install Snow starts up, you should be greeted
p l u n g e t o S n o w L e o p a r d . Leopard with Snow Leopard's intro video
Upgrading is mind-numbingly This process is exceedingly (it's actually the same welcome
easy, but in case you wouldn't simple, but as I said above, video as you saw when you
mind a little hand-holding, here's sometimes it's nice to watch the upgraded to Leopard, which
our quick UltraNewb guide to canary in the coal mine so you doesn't help Apple's case against
upgrading from Leopard to Snow know what to expect. So, here people who consider Snow
Leopard. Prep Your Mac goes: Leopard little more than a service
If you haven't already, be sure 1. Insert the Snow Leopard pack). You'll then see the setup
to prep your Mac for the upgrade. DVD: Just insert your Snow assistant. If you've taken the
In a nutshell, that means doing a Leopard DVD, open it up, and straight upgrade path, chances are
little housekeeping (no need double-click Install Mac OS X. you don't need this at all (I
bringing old, unnecessary clutter 2. Click Continue and Get cancelled rather than sit through
into your shiny new upgrade), Installing: At the first screen, hit another MobileMe pimp session.)
backing up data, and choosing Continue. You'll see a license You can always run the Migration
your upgrade path. For our agreement; read away and agree Assistant later if you need to.
purposes, we're going to assume to continue. (/Applications/Utilities/Migration
your upgrade path is a straight 3. Choose Your Install Drive: the point of no return. Assuming will start as soon as you enter Assistant.app).
L e o p a r d t o S n o w L e o p a r d The Snow Leopard install disc you're all prepped, just enter your your password. On my computer, Now that you've upgraded and
upgrade, though a clean install is will automatically determine your password and take the plunge to the install process went on for had a chance to spend a little time
always nice if you really want to install drive if it's obvious, but if Snow Leopard. about 15 minutes, then restarted, poking around, let's hear what you
get that fresh start feeling. it's not—or if you don't want to 5. Wait then continued for another 50-odd think about the cold kitty in the
One thing to note: You'll need at install to the drive it automatically At this point, you're pretty much minutes. (It hung for at least 10 comments.
least 5GB of free space to upgrade selected—hit the Show All Disks done. (We told you it was easy.) minutes when it said "Less than a
using the basic Leopard-to-Snow- button to select a different install Grab a cold drink, put on some minute" remaining, but I've got an
Leopard upgrade path. If you drive. Otherwise, just click Install. music, and wait. The installation old-ish MacBook Pro, so yours
don't have enough free space (my 4. Enter Your Password: This is

Burning Man Machine Tags

By Zack Sheppard (Flickr Blog)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:19:28 PM
(Updated to add information on
the art installation and event tags.)
For all of those going to
Burning Man this year, you can
now tag your photos on Flickr and
have them show up on the
Burning Man Earth pages for
theme camps, events, and art
installations.
How to:
It’s easy to do, the tag formats
are: share them with people visiting iPhone app, and more, check out
• Theme camp: that page on Burning Man Earth, their site, this article at O'Reilly
burningman:camp=[code] you would tag a photo: Radar or visit their camp when
• Art installation: burningman:camp=2399(see 2399 you get to the playa.
burningman:art=[code] in the URL for Center Camp To learn more about machine
• E v e n t : Cafe) After its tagged and tags check out our FAQ.
burningman:event=[code] uploaded, the image should show And one last Burner's note,
To get the codes just check out on the Burning Man page almost when uploading and tagging your
the Burning Man Earth pages for immediately. pictures, please take a moment to
Theme Camps, Art Installations, installation and event. More info: flag them with the appropriate
and Events where your images For Example: To learn more about the safety level as well. Have fun! :)
will soon appear. You can see the If you have pictures of the Burning Man Earth project and all Photos from aeionic and
codes at the end of the URLs and Center Camp Cafe and want to the exciting things they are doing exuberance //.
on the page for each camp, with the new Burning Man API,
Internet News Record
Shuttle lights up sky with spectacular launch
(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 10:21:00 PM
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER,
Fla.--Running four days late, the
shuttle Discovery roared to life
and shot into space overnight
Friday, lighting up the night sky
with a rush of fire as it set off on a
13-day mission to deliver 7.5 tons
of supplies and equipment to the
International Space Station.
With commander Frederick
"Rick" Sturckow and pilot Kevin
Ford monitoring the computer-
controlled ascent, Discovery's
twin solid-fuel boosters ignited at
11:59 p.m. EDT, kick-starting the
crew's eight-and-a-half-minute
ride to orbit with a rush of 5,000-
degree flame.
Space shuttle Discovery roars to
life and blasts off on space station
resupply mission.(Credit: NASA
TV)
Taking off at roughly the
moment Earth's rotation carried
launch pad 39A into the plane of
the space station's orbit,
Discovery quickly climbed above
its service gantry, rolled about its
long axis, and thundered away on
a trajectory paralleling the East
Coast.
Discovery's launching came
four days after a scrub Tuesday
because of bad weather and back-
to-back delays caused by concern
about an 8-inch hydrogen valve in
the shuttle's engine compartment.
The shuttle was cleared for
launch late Friday after tests
showed the valve was working
normally. NASA managers
approved a waiver in case of
additional trouble, but the valve
closed on command during
fueling and there were no other
problems.
Including the weather. Despite
clouds and threatening storms to
the south, conditions improved as
launch time approached and the
shuttle was cleared for flight.
Visible for hundreds of miles
around, Discovery put on a
spectacular show for area
residents and tourists as it raced
across the sky atop twin pillars of
fire from its giant boosters.
Two minutes after liftoff, their
propellant expended, the boosters
dropped away, and Discovery
continued toward orbit under the
power of its three main engines, a
brilliant "star" rivaling Venus in
brightness as it streaked toward
the horizon.
A NASA tracking camera locks
onto the shuttle Discovery's main
engines and solid-fuel boosters
during launch.(Credit: NASA TV)
During the shuttle Endeavour's
launching July 15, an unusual
amount of foam insulation fell
from the ship's external tank.
While Endeavour's heat shield
suffered no major impact damage,
NASA managers ordered
extensive testing to make sure
Discovery's tank was safe to
launch.
Live television views from a
camera mounted on the side of the
giant tank showed nothing
obvious falling away as the
shuttle accelerated out of the
dense lower atmosphere.
But it will take several days for
engineers to determine the health
of Discovery's heat shield based
on a thorough assessment of
launch photography, data
collected by the crew in orbit and
close-up photos of the shuttle's
belly during final approach to the
space station.
In any case, by the time
Discovery's boosters were
jettisoned the shuttle was
climbing out of the dense lower
Tech Reviews 65
atmosphere, which can impart
high impact velocities, and the
remainder of the shuttle's ascent
was uneventful.
Six-and-a-half minutes after
booster separation, Discovery's
main engines shut down and the
shuttle slipped into its planned
preliminary orbit. If all goes well,
Sturckow will guide the orbiter to
a docking with the International
Space Station around 9 p.m.
Sunday.
Along with replacing a 1,800-
pound ammonia coolant tank in
the station's main power truss
during their first two spacewalks,
the astronauts will deliver two
sophisticated science racks, one
devoted to fluid physics and the
other to materials science, an
experiment sample freezer, a new
air revitalization rack, a crew
sleep station and a treadmill
named after comedian Stephen
Colbert.
Safely in orbit, Discovery
separates from its external
tank.(Credit: NASA TV)
In addition to delivering needed
supplies and equipment,
Discovery also is ferrying
astronaut Nicole Stott to the lab
complex. She will replace space
station flight engineer Timothy
Kopra, launched to the lab
complex in July and returning to
Earth in Stott's place.
Remaining behind when
Discovery departs, Stott will join
Expedition 20 commander
Gennady Padalka, NASA flight
engineer Michael Barratt,
cosmonaut Roman Romanenko,
Canadian Robert Thirsk and
European Space Agency astronaut
Frank De Winne as a member of
the station's full-time crew.
SHUTTLE page 66
66 Tech Reviews Game Internet News Record

Shocking stats, video on texting while driving

(CNET News.com) using iPods caused drivers to while driving. who turns off their phone before
Submitted at 8/29/2009 6:00:00 AM leave their lanes 10 percent more This issue is in the news a bit they drive or perhaps uses a
often." more than usual these days "designated texter"--someone else
When I think about all the Paul Green, research professor because of a shocking video in the car who can do the texting
possible dangers associated with a t U n i v e r s i t y o f M i c h i g a n created by a police department in for you." If a shock video is going
t e c h n o l o g y ( c y b e r b u l l y i n g , Transportation Research Institute the UK. It depicts a teenage girl to be used, he said "is has be of a
sexting, inappropriate material, who has done a decade's worth of texting while driving followed by comprehensive effort which
online and game addiction and research on driver distraction, said a terrible crash with gruesome includes kids, parents, teachers, WRUP: Joystiq
even the remote chance of being "from the science so far, it's very
harmed by a predator), nothing clearly a problem. We don't have
results for her friends in her car
and the family whose car she hit.
legislators, and authorities."
"A more effective approach,"
Asylum edition
strikes me as scarier than texting exact statistics yet, we have Before viewing the video (scroll said Patti Agatston from the By Alexander Sliwinski
while driving. enough information to say that down) please be aware that it is Marietta, Ga.-based (Joystiq)
A recently released study(PDF) texting shouldn't be permitted graphic and very disturbing. And Prevention/Intervention Center, Submitted at 8/28/2009 9:00:00 PM
b y t h e V i r g i n i a T e c h while driving." before forwarding it to a teenager, "might be to have teens involved
Transportation Institute found that The New York Times has also be aware that many youth in creating a public service See that dude in the pic? That
truck drivers who were texting created an interactive game that risk prevention specialists announcement that include freak in the costume? Yeah, he's
were 23 times more at risk of a measures how reaction time is question the effectiveness of positive messages about looking coming for us. For many, he's
"crash or near crash event" than affected by distractions. videos that try to use shock value out for themselves and the people already reached into our wallets
"nondistracted driving." As per Teens at biggest risk to change teen behavior. they care about by not texting and and removed between $40-60 and
talking on a cell phone, the same When it comes to texting while Shock videos can backfire driving." Agatston says that it's gosh golly we don't mind. So,
study found no increased risk for driving, teens are a particular risk Russell Sabella, professor of "helpful for youth to receive thoughts about where the next
truck drivers and 1.3 times the group considering that, according counseling in the College of consistent and repeated messages Batman setting will take place?
risk for car drivers. There was to Nielsen(PDF), "The average Education, Florida Gulf Coast from a variety of sources, Don't say "Gotham." Try to come
considerably more risk associated U.S. mobile teen now sends or University, says that "While there including their peers and parents up with a neat set piece that fits in
with dialing while driving. The receives an average of 2,899 text- is some research that shows that or guardians." with the formula the first game
institute's Richard Hanowski m e s s a g e s p e r m o n t h " a n d some students can be sensitized to Don't just forward this to your established. What's everyone
acknowledges that the numbers apparently some of those texts are potential consequences from kids playing?
are likely to be different with car being sent and read from behind videos like it, there is also Indeed, if you are going to show Continue reading WRUP:
drivers. As reported by CNET's the wheel. evidence that students get this video to your kids, I suggest Joystiq Asylum edition
Jennifer Guevin, the study also A 2007 study conducted by emotionally aroused in the short you watch it with them or, better WRUP: Joystiq Asylum edition
found that "texting took a driver's AAA and Seventeen magazine term but desensitize in the long yet, assemble a group of teens to originally appeared on Joystiq on
focus away from the road for an has been widely misquoted as 46 term. He said "some students get watch it together and discuss it Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:00:00 EST.
average of 4.6 seconds--enough percent of teens admit to texting reinforced by the message that among themselves. What their Please see our terms for use of
time...to travel the length of a while driving. But what the study this happens to others but 'it won't peers say will have a bigger feeds.
football field at 55 mph." found is that "61 percent of teens happen to me.'" impact than what you say. You Permalink| Email this|
A December 2007 simulator admit to risky driving habits." Professor Sabella "would rather can view the video here: Comments
study by Clemson University Forty-six percent of that 61 see a video with more positive
found that "text messaging and percent say that they text message role modeling such as someone
SHUTTLE
continued from page 65
Only six shuttle flights are retired. really to keep the station's six we're bringing up three racks two by Olivas and Fuglesang on
planned after Discovery's mission, "We're bringing up seven racks crew members well and alive. dedicated to science. And of Thursday and next Saturday. If all
all of them devoted to finishing that will be transferred to the There's a crew quarters, a course, there's a lot of food and goes well, Discovery will undock
the space station and loading it space station," said European treadmill--you have to exercise other things." from the space station September
with supplies, spare parts and Space Agency astronaut Christer twice a day if you stay in space up Three spacewalks are planned 8 and land back at the Kennedy
other equipment to protect against Fuglesang, making his second to six months--and then there's a during Discovery's visit, one by Space Center around 7:10 p.m. on
failures after the shuttle fleet is shuttle flight. "Three of them are system to keep the air clean. Then Olivas and Stott on Tuesday and September 10.
Internet News Record
Space shuttle Discovery refueled for launch
(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:37:00 PM
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER,
Fla.--Running four days late, the
shuttle Discovery was refueled for
launch late Friday for a 13-day
mission to deliver more than 7.5
tons of supplies and equipment to
the International Space Station.
With forecasters predicting a 60
percent chance of good weather,
Discovery was scheduled for
liftoff at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
An 8-inch liquid hydrogen valve
blamed for back-to-back launch
delays earlier this week worked
normally during fueling Friday
and engineers did not have to
exercise a waiver that would have
permitted additional
troubleshooting.
The shuttle Discovery, poised
for launch Friday atop pad 39A at
the Kennedy Space
Center.(Credit: NASA TV)
Discovery's crew--commander
Frederick Sturckow, pilot Kevin
Ford, flight engineer Jose
Hernandez, Patrick Forrester,
John "Danny" Olivas, European
Space Agency astronaut Christer
Fuglesang, and space station
flight engineer Nicole Stott--
planned to begin strapping in for
launch around 8:40 p.m. EDT.
Discovery's initial launch try
early Tuesday was called off due
to stormy weather near the launch
pad. A second attempt was called
off during fueling Tuesday night
for a Wednesday morning launch
when one of two hydrogen fill-
and-drain valves in the shuttle's
engine compartment failed to
indicate it was closed.
NASA flight rules prohibited
engineers from cycling the valve
under supercold cryogenic
conditions out of a concern about
a possibly unknown problem that
could cause it to fail in the closed
position. In that case, it would be
difficult to drain the tank after a
delay. As a result, launch was
tentatively rescheduled for early
Friday.
During tests Wednesday night,
after Discovery's tank was
drained, the valve and its position
indicator both worked normally,
cycling open and closed five
times at ambient temperatures. A
pressure decay test also indicated
the valve closed normally.
Discovery had two launch
opportunities Friday roughly 23
1/2 hours apart. NASA managers
opted to pass up the first
opportunity in favor of the second
to give engineers more time to
review the valve issue.
During a Mission Management
Team meeting Friday, a waiver
was processed that would have
allowed engineers to cycle the
valve twice during fueling, if
required, to confirm closing. In
addition, engineers developed
plans to use alternate cues to
verify the valve's position.
As it turned out, those plans
were not needed. The valve and
the position indicator both worked
normally.
Along with replacing a 1,800-
pound ammonia coolant tank in
the station's main power truss
during their first two spacewalks,
Discovery's crew will deliver two
Tech Reviews 67
sophisticated science racks, an
experiment sample freezer, a new
air revitalization rack, a crew
sleep station, and a treadmill
named after comedian Stephen
Colbert.
The C.O.L.B.E.R.T. treadmill
and mission patch. The patch sold
out shortly after going on
sale.(Credit: collectSPACE.com)
The "Combined Operational
Load Bearing External Resistance
Treadmill," or COLBERT,
received its name after the
comedian launched a successful
tongue-in-cheek write-in
campaign to name a final station
module in his honor. NASA
managers declined, naming the
new module Tranquility instead,
but renamed the treadmill after
Colbert.
"I was still honored to receive
the traditional NASA consolation
prize, a space treadmill," Colbert
said in a taped message to NASA.
"I couldn't be prouder that my
treadmill will soon be installed on
the International Space Station to
help finally slim down all those
chubby astronauts."
Along with delivering needed
supplies and equipment, Stott will
replace space station flight
engineer Timothy Kopra,
launched to the lab complex in
July and returning to Earth in
Stott's place.
68 Tech Reviews Apple
Wheelchair of the future takes on the Apple Warns of
scooter
(CNET News.com)
Submitted at 8/29/2009 6:00:00 AM
This next-gen electric
wheelchair operates for about four
hours per charge.(Credit: Veda
International Robot R&D Center)
Sometimes function can
successfully follow form. That
may be the case for Japan's Veda
International Robot R&D Center,
whose electric wheelchair for the
immobile and elderly might be
giving scooters and electric cars a
little competition in the looks
department.
The"universal vehicle"
Rodem(model number M1-1)
operates for about four hours per
charge. My favorite feature,
though, is the accelerator (of
course, in electric vehicles, there
are no "ignitions" or "gas
pedals"), which a very smart
person decided should come in
the form of a joystick, thereby
titillating the gamers of younger
generations. (I also enjoy
picturing my 91-year-old
grandmother navigating by
joystick.)
Of course, the "high" speed of
the Rodem M1-1 is 3.5 kilometers
(2 miles) per hour, so when it
comes to giving electric cars and
scooters a run for their money,
well, this is more likely to be a
toy for wealthy mall rats (they
should hire Paris Hilton) than
anyone aiming to look cute on the
Internet News Record
Programs Snow Leopard
Won’t Play Nice With
By Darrell Etherington
(TheAppleBlog)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 10:00:27 AM programs that Snow Leopard will
prevent from opening, though
In order to prepare for the arrival they will remain in their usual
of Snow Leopard, and hopefully location on your drive. Oddly
deflect some frustrated tech enough, two of Apple’s own
support calls, Apple overnight software offerings appear on this
u p d a t e d o o d l e s o f s u p p o r t list. Here are the most popular
documents and knowledge base offenders:
articles. One of said documents • Aperture 2.1.1 and below
could be vital to people looking to • Keynote 2.0.2 and below
upgrade today, as it contains the • Parallels Desktop 3.0
blacklist of really incompatible • EyeTV 3.0.0 to 3.1.0
software for 10.6. • Ratatouille 1.1
The list is split into two parts. I’ve only posted some of the
The first, which features software programs on the list, which will
that will be automatically moved probably be updated by Apple as
to an “Incompatible Software” n e w i n c o m p a t i b i l i t i e s a r e
folder, contains some familiar discovered. Note that Apple’s not
faces, like Unsanity’s Application saying these programs will break
street. his or her back to the wheelchair, Enhancer 2.0.1 and earlier, or prevent a Snow Leopard install,
So beyond being electric, what sitting on the seat, sitting up on versions of which caused a fair just that they most definitely will
m a k e s t h i s n e x t - g e n e r a t i o n the seat and moving backward...It amount of BSOD (including one not work with 10.6. If I happened
wheelchair, well, next-gen? is possible to ride on the Rodem of my own) when users upgraded to have any of these currently
Ergonomics. Because riders sit in through three processes, which from Tiger to Leopard. At least installed on my system, I’d
a more upward position, taking a are sitting up on the bed, leaning your system won’t just seize up probably do my best to get rid of
seat from behind and relaxing forward and leaving the bed, and die this time around. Other a n y t r a c e o f t h e m u s i n g
forward, it is both easier to mount r e d u c i n g t h e b u r d e n o n programs on this list include: AppZapper or something similar
and friendlier on the lower back-- c a r e g i v e r s . • Parallels Desktop 2.5 and before upgrading, just in case.
not to mention on caregivers the Veda International plans to below Hurry! GigaOM's Mobilize
world over: select a partner company to mass- • AT&T’s Laptop Connect Card conference is on Sept 10th in SF.
When a wheelchair is used, an produce these for an autumn 2009 (1.0.4, 1.0.5, and 1.10.0) See our final speaker lineup and
elderly or disabled person has to release at about 500,000 to • Norton AntiVirus 11.0 topics. Mobile web is booming.
go through seven processes, 700,000 yen, or $5,300 to $7,500- • launch2net 2.13.0 (for some 3G Join us!
sitting up on the bed, leaning -a pop. USB dongles)
forward, leaving the bed, turning The second part contains
Internet News Record Apple 69

Snow Leopard: A Brief Introduction to the New Big Cat

By Darrell Etherington surprisingly fast, taking less than still does things the old-fashioned to list them all here, or to uncover
(TheAppleBlog) an hour start to finish. Apple has way, though I’m not sure why them all after spending such a
Submitted at 8/28/2009 12:00:34 PM streamlined the installation anyone would voluntarily use Fan short amount of time with the OS.
process by removing a lot of mode with Stacks anyway. Among my favorite early
I’m now running OS X 10.5.6 on drivers that used to be packaged Finder and Preview discoveries is the new naming
two of my three eligible Macs (the with the OS, since Snow Leopard A few little things really up scheme for screenshots. Gone are
fourth is a 12-inch PowerBook is programmed to go to the web to Finder’s game in Snow Leopard. the “Photo 1,” “Photo 2,” etc. that
G4), and so far, I couldn’t be find those later if and when There’s an icon size slider in the tell you absolutely nothing.
happier. I haven’t run into any t h e y ’ r e r e q u i r e d . S y s t e m bottom right-hand corner of every Instead, images are now labeled
nasty compatibility issues or P e r f o r m a n c e finder window, which is great “Screen Shot,” complete with the
really disastrous bugs (although The best comparison I can make news for universal access, and for date and time they were taken
F i n d e r o n c e a u t o - q u i t a n d in order to describe the general people like me who often have to underneath.
restarted when I was fiddling with s y s t e m performance “Share” menu that allows you to take application icon screenshots. Another nice touch is always
the menu bar), and general system enhancements Snow Leopard upload your movie directly to There’s also advanced icon having System Preferences
performance seems noticeably b r i n g s t o t h e t a b l e i s m y y o u r M o b i l e M e g a l l e r y o r viewing in Finder which allows accessible from the dock, even
improved. experience of moving from the YouTube, or to export to an you to preview movies and scroll when the SysPref app itself isn’t
All that said, if you’re looking iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS. iTunes-friendly format. Selecting through PDFs without even actually open. In Leopard, you
for big flashy changes, look Everything felt faster, tighter and the iTunes option brings up a activating live preview. could set your System Preferences
elsewhere. Snow Leopard is more responsive. My Macs dialog with three conversion Preview itself gets some great to open and auto-hide at startup,
exactly what Apple said it was all running 10.6 feel the same. options, allowing you to format usability enhancements, such as and then with a right click on the
along: a nice collection of system Initial boot-up times are t h e m o v i e f o r u s e o n a n better, more accessible screenshot icon in your dock, access all the
refinements and improvements, improved on both my MacBook iPhone/iPod, an Apple TV or just and import options and soft preference sub-menus quickly and
with a few experience-enhancing Pro and my Mac mini, albeit by for general computer use. Export preview using any available easily. Snow Leopard takes away
features thrown in for good only nominal amounts, but once and trim functions are also system color profiles. You can the first step, so that right-clicking
measure. Installation you’re actually up and running, available from the playback also preview a wider range of on the Preferences icon always
OS X users will find the the response times in Finder, control overlay. documents, even if you don’t have brings up that sub-menu.
installation process very much Exposé, Stacks and all bundled Exposé and Stacks the software that created it on Finally, Core Location tech will
simplified. For advanced users, system applications is markedly Two features that have become your system. That includes Word automatically update your time
probably too much so, in fact. improved. Launch times for non- inseparable from my daily Mac and Excel files. Exchange Support zone based on nearby Wi-Fi
Running the installer from the Apple apps doesn’t seem to be experience are Exposé and Stacks. For you business-types out hotspots it detects, so if you travel
Snow Leopard disc off of your much better, nor does in-app Exposé gets a major usability there, one of the big features of a lot, you won’t have to worry
desktop gives you only one install performance, but it may take time boost thanks to the inclusion of S n o w L e o p a r d i s b u i l t - i n about constantly switching your
option: a simple upgrade. In the for developers to incorporate code Dock access. Under both “All Exchange support. This wasn’t computer clock.
interest of time, and because I was to take advantage of Grand Windows” and “Application one I could test out personally, Right now, Snow Leopard is
curious to see how well it would Central Dispatch and OpenCL Windows” views, you’ll be able but Exchange support in 10.6 like a treasure box with lots of
work, that’s the option I used on technology. Quicktime X to click on open apps in the dock extends to Mail, Address Book, little prizes to uncover. If you’re
my MacBook Pro, though I Aside from a cool icon update, as well as open windows — and iCal, so you no longer have to spending your Friday poking
generally prefer doing a clean Q u i c k t i m e X a l s o g e t s a helpful if you’ve hidden a depend on Entourage to get by. around and you’ve found anything
install with any major point OS completely overhauled UI, which program, or for changing the iCal even does fancy things like I’ve missed above, please share
change. puts much more focus on the active application without leaving detecting scheduling conflicts and with the rest of the class. Join our
To run a clean install, users can content. Videos are framed in a Exposé. suggesting alternate times first live online event, “Analyzing
boot from the Snow Leopard disc minimalist, borderless window Stacks are now much more depending on availability. The Google’s Mobile Strategy: A
by holding down “C” during that has only a dark control bar at functional, since you can scroll in best part? You’re doing it all GigaOM Pro Research
startup. From there, you can use the top, and a playback overlay. Grid view and navigate through w i t h o u t u s i n g W i n d o w s o r Roundtable” on Thursday, Aug.
Disk Utility to format your target Like iMovie ‘09 and iPhoto ‘09 subfolders instead of having to Outlook. Lots of Little Things 27, at 10 a.m. (PST). Sign up for
drive and perform a fresh install. before it, Quicktime X is now click through to Finder. Fan view Snow Leopard brings so many our free webinar.
I n s t a l l a t i o n t i m e w a s more social thanks to a new little changes that it’s impossible
70 Apple
Does Intuitive + Easy = Dumb and Dumber?
By Liam Cassidy
(TheAppleBlog)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 8:00:30 AM
There is a problem with making
technology – particularly
computers – easy to use. The
simpler and more foolproof they
become, the less technically-
proficient users tend to be.
There’s that line from Rick
Cook’s 1989 book The Wizardy
Compiled; “Programming today is
a race between software engineers
striving to build bigger and better
idiot-proof programs, and the
Universe trying to produce bigger
and better idiots. So far, the
Universe is winning.”
Apple has made usability and
user-experience a core part of the
design philosophy in everything
they produce (Well, almost
everything. That’s right, I’m
looking at you, MobileMe web
apps). Mac OS X and, more
obviously, the iPhone OS are
shining beacons of the right way
to design user-friendly,
accessible, easy-to-use software.
What’s a Manual?
Did you need to read a manual
when you got your first iPhone?
Or how about your first iPod?
Even the least technically
proficient people I know own
such devices and they never once
cracked-open the “Getting
Started” booklet. These are the
same people, it should be noted,
who bought copies of “Windows
XP For Dummies” because they
considered that OS too difficult to
learn and use without a printed
guide to-hand.
The iPhone is probably the
ultimate user-friendly computer
(though not the most accessible,
but that’s a different matter). My
neighbor’s six-year old son once
took my iPhone from my hands
and brandished it proudly to his
friends, announcing “I’ve seen
these on TV”. He then
demonstrated to his impressed
buddies, with absolute
confidence, “This is how you take
photos… this is how you play
music…”
For a six year old with no
previous experience of an iPhone
other than what he had seen on
television commercials, he was
surprisingly adept with the thing. I
doubt he could have been quite so
confident (or impressed) with a
Windows Mobile phone or, even
worse, a Motorola. By the
Numbers
A recent article on MacRumors
reported analysts’ predictions that
Apple is expected to sell more
than 80 million iPhones in 2012.
Of course that’s not the same as
80 million iPhone users, but it’s
still a mammoth user-base. If
we’re to assume an OS
convergence across iPhones and
iPods (and maybe tablets, too?) in
the next three years, we can easily
assume a few hundred million
people all over the world owning
Mac OS X-powered devices that
are super-easy to use despite their
many and varied forms and
functions. A Nightmarish Tale
The end result? Well, in the
world of desktop computers the
drive toward user-friendliness has
today produced legions of end-
users who know how to send an
email but don’t know the
difference between POP3 and
IMAP; users that practically live
on Facebook but can’t tell you if
they’re using Firefox or Internet
Explorer to get there. Users that –
and I have personally experienced
this during years of providing
technical support to friends and
family – can’t even tell you what
Operating System they’re using;
Liam: What Operating System
are you using?
Friend: What’s that? Is it the
Internet? I use Google.
Liam: No, I mean… [thinks]…
The thing you see when you turn
your computer on.
Friend: I don’t see anything.
Liam: Well, you ought to see
something. It’ll probably say
‘Microsoft’ or ‘Windows
something-or-other’…
Friend: Where should it say
that? Do I have to click on
something?
…and so on.
I’ve had these conversations
(yes, exactly these sorts of
conversations, I’m not
exaggerating) with otherwise very
smart, very well-informed
individuals. University lecturers,
engineers, lawyers and doctors are
all categories of end-user I have
helped and who have all
responded precisely in that
stumbling, bewildered manner.
A telling point; I’ve never had
to provide tech support to fellow
Mac users. Sure, I’ve shared hints
and tips and recommended cool
software. But no Mac owner I
know has yet asked me how to
find their trash folder, email a
photo or connect to their wireless
router. (All examples of common
issues my Windows-using friends
have shared.) The Death of
Technical Proficiency?
These people are not dumb,
they’re simply computer illiterate.
When I was in high school in the
early 90’s, there was a lot of talk
about the importance of computer
literacy. Becoming computer
literate at that time meant learning
how to build your own network,
how to ping servers, how to patch,
bridge, daisy-chain and hack until
everything kinda-sorta-worked.
But this wasn’t the Reserved
Domain of the Geek. These were
Internet News Record
skills required of anyone who
wanted to use computers. Today,
the standard by which someone is
considered (generally) computer
literate has almost nothing to do
with technical proficiency, and
everything to do with throwing
sheep at friends on Facebook.
More than any other software or
hardware company, Apple has
removed the barriers to entry that,
when I was growing up, were
simply accepted landmarks in the
computer technology landscape.
The soon-to-be-released Snow
Leopard is the latest in a long
evolutionary line of carefully
researched and engineered efforts
at democratizing computer
technology – and all the potential
it unlocks for end-users.
For thirty years, in fact, Apple
has lead the way in creating
intuitive, user-friendly computer
technology. They’ve most
assuredly made the “ dent in the
universe” Steve Jobs spoke of.
But the more foolproof the
products become, as Rick Cook
warns, the greater the idiocy of
those who use them. I guess that
means there will always be a job
for a geek like me. But, really…
how much easier can it all get?
Hurry! GigaOM's Mobilize
conference is on Sept 10th in SF.
See our final speaker lineup and
topics. Mobile web is booming.
Join us!
Internet News Record Apple Sports 71

App Review: Keymote Makes Royals Will Give Contract

Extension to GM Dayton Moore
Shortcuts Even Easier By Ed Price (FanHouse)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 9:05:00 PM
By Chris Ryan (TheAppleBlog) missing, just tap the plus and add
Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:00:09 PM it right alongside the rest. by Ed Price
The only thing to keep in mind Filed under: Royals, FanHouse
There are no shortage of iPhone is that you might find yourself Exclusive, MLB Inside Scoop A
apps that function as remotes for using your phone more often than contract extension for Kansas City
your Mac, Apple TV, or just before. In case, my iPhone has GM Dayton Moore is "done,"
about anything else. become more of an auxiliary according to a major-league
Keymote(iTunes link), by Iced keypad and so I needed to adjust source.
Cocoa, takes the concept to a new my sleep settings to keep my Moore's original contract ran
level by allowing custom phone awake. Additionally, through 2010, and the source did
“keysets” for all of your favorite Keymote requires the software not know how many years the
applications. you’re using be the active extension would cover.
So why would anybody need an resides on the menu bar. Once application. This means if I call This will create much anguish Extension to GM Dayton Moore
app to do this when most apps you’ve paired the iPhone to your up Photoshop key commands and for those who focus on Moore's originally appeared on Fanhouse
have keyboard shortcuts already? Mac from the app, you’re ready to create a new document, it invokes moves the past year and their MLB Blog on Fri, 28 Aug 2009
Well the answer is simple if you roll. “Command+N.” If Photoshop horrendous performance the past 21:05:00 EST . Please see our
consider the power of leveraging Keymote comes with several isn’t the active application, 3 1/2 months (31-67 after an 18- terms for use of feeds.
the large screen on the iPhone. keysets out of the box but also “Command+N” will apply to 11 start). Permalink| Email this| Linking
When it launched sans a physical includes an in-app store that whichever app is active. The Royals Will Give Contract Blogs| Comments
keyboard, Steve Jobs commented provides a larger wealth of free developers are aware of this
that it was a great idea to do away downloadable keysets for other limitation, and it’s something they
with it, because there are times popular apps, all contributed by are working to address.
when you don’t need a full size users. Instantly download keysets With a stylish user interface that
Denver Broncos
keyboard. If you are typing in for Aperture, Adobe Illustrator, looks great not just on my iPhone,
numbers, it would be great to see Pages or any other app you use but as a “keypad” next to my
l a r g e n u m b e r s i n s t e a d o f frequently. My favorite is the M a c , K e y m o t e i s a g r e a t
suspend insubordinate
individual keys. Numerical Keypad keyset which application for those whose
The same holds true for will help your stylish Apple regularly harness the power of
shortcuts. Why should I have to keyboard feel a little more shortcuts. Keymote is $3.99 and
Brandon Marshall
By ESPN.com news services coach Josh McDaniels called
press “Shift+Command+Delete” powerful. available for download on the (ESPN.com) "detrimental" conduct.
to empty my trash when I could If there’s not a keyset for an App Store. If you’ve had the Marshall, who has brooded
Submitted at 8/28/2009 4:54:43 PM
just use one button for that same application you like to use, feel chance to try it out, please share since demanding a trade and
purpose? Keymote addresses this free to create your own and share your thoughts. Hurry! GigaOM's Brandon Marshall Suspended asking for a new contract, was
usability blemish. it with others. If a particular Mobilize conference is on Sept Indefinitely Brandon Marshall informed of the suspension by
Keymote’s setup process is very keyset is not quite up to your 10th in SF. See our final speaker Suspended Indefinitely VIDEO McDaniels on Friday.
simple and only requires that your standards, tap a key or spacer and lineup and topics. Mobile web is PLAYLIST "We tried to handle this situation
iPhone and Mac share a Wi-Fi hold. Then you can just drag it to booming. Join us! • Brandon Marshall Suspended with Brandon as privately and
connection. Download the remote a better location. If a shortcut is Indefinitely Brandon Marshall professionally as we could
software on your Mac and it Suspended Indefinitely throughout the entire process with
• McDaniels Addresses Marshall h e a n d h i s a g e n t , K e n n a r d
Suspension McDaniels Addresses McGuire," McDaniels said at a
Marshall Suspension news conference. "This morning,
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Pro we made the decision as an
Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall, organization to go ahead and
openly unhappy with the Denver
Broncos, was suspended by the
team through Sept. 5 for what DENVER page 72
72
DENVER
continued from page 71
organization to go ahead and
suspend Brandon and that
suspension will last through Sept.
5th. We'll look forward to having
him back on Sept. 6th as we begin
our preparations for Cincinnati" in
the Sept. 13 regular-season
opener.
Schefter's Blog
Keep up with Adam Schefter's
news and notes from around the
NFL daily on his ESPN Insider
blog. Schefter blog
McGuire didn't immediately
return a phone call Friday to The
Associated Press, and was said to
be out of the country until
Monday.
McDaniels did not single out a
specific episode, but said the
suspension resulted from a series
of incidents, though some boorish
antics during the team's practice
Wednesday -- after Marshall had
been warned about such conduct
that very morning -- seemed to be
the final straw for the coach.
"His actions didn't really change
after that warning. That leads us
to today," McDaniels said.
Marshall went out during pre-
practice warm-ups and walked
while the rest of the team ran. He
punted a ball away instead of
handing it to a ball boy, and
swatted a pass thrown to him. His
actions were caught on video and
broadcast by KMGH-TV.
The Broncos already have had
discussions with the league
regarding Marshall's suspension.
They are expected to reassess the
situation when the preseason ends
Sept. 5.
Marshall said during an ESPN
interview Thursday night that he
was not trying to force a trade
through insubordination, but that
frustration got the best of him
during a disruptive display at
practice this week.
Marshall said some of the video,
which included a shot of him
sitting on his pads before practice,
was taken out of context. But he
acknowledged his frustration
boiled over and that it was an
error in judgment to act as he did,
especially when he punted the
ball.
"I think everybody knows there's
a lot of stuff built up there, and
me handling it that way wasn't
good," Marshall said.
Marshall said he wasn't trying to
force his way out of town -- he
asked for a trade this summer
after the Broncos declined to
rework a contract that will pay
him $2.2 million this season.
"I'm not out there trying to be a
distraction to the team," Marshall
said. "Unfortunately, yesterday I
kind of let my frustration get the
best of me."
The receiver was held out of
practice Thursday, apparently as
the organization was formulating
its disciplinary response.
"We're trying to handle this in a
way that we can discourage this
from happening," McDaniels said.
"We didn't want to be in this
situation. We never wanted it to
get to this point. I'm sure they
didn't either."
Fellow wide receiver Brandon
Stokley said he wasn't surprised
the Broncos temporarily banished
Marshall.
"Not really, not with his attitude
and how he was acting," Stokley
said. "Something had to be done.
They made the decision. We're
moving on, and hopefully in a few
weeks, when he's back, he'll be
ready to contribute."
Daniel Graham was concerned
enough about Marshall's behavior
at practice that the tight end said
he talked to him about it several
times. He said his main concern
now is to make sure it doesn't
become a distraction to the team.
"We've had a few conversations
and Brandon, he's running his
own ship," Graham said. "He's
doing what he feels is best for
him. Now, I'm just making sure,
as a leader on this team, that we
stay focused."
For all of the tension and
disagreement between the
receiver and his coach and
organization, McDaniels said he
hasn't given up on the notion that
the sides can work things out.
"I'm not sure necessarily if I
think it will or I think it won't
[work out]," McDaniels said. "I'm
just hopeful that it will, because
obviously he's a talented football
player that we'd love to have
pulling in the same direction as
the other 79 guys that go out there
and work their tail off.
AFC West blog
ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
writes about all things AFC West
in his division blog.
• Blog network: NFL Nation
"Obviously, there's a
disagreement about some things.
We're trying to make it right, to
work through it."
Marshall was held out of the
Broncos' preseason game Sunday
night at Seattle after admitting he
didn't know the playbook and
running almost strictly with the
scout team last week.
Marshall, who had 206
receptions the past two seasons, is
also upset with what he believes
was the team's misdiagnosis of a
hip injury that required offseason
surgery. He pulled a hamstring
during the first weekend of
training camp and didn't return
until a week ago.
In addition, Marshall missed the
team's exhibition opener against
San Francisco two weeks ago
because he was on trial in Atlanta,
where he was acquitted of a
misdemeanor battery charge.
Prosecutors had accused him of
beating his then-girlfriend.
Marshall hoped the acquittal
would give him leverage for a
new deal in Denver or elsewhere.
He was angered when the
Broncos prohibited teammates
from saying they were happy for
Internet News Record
Marshall about the verdict.
That's when Marshall began
spending more time between drills
with the scout team and the
defensive unit instead of his
fellow offensive players.
The run-in with Marshall marks
the second clash with a high-
profile player since McDaniels,
the former New England Patriots
offensive coordinator, was hired
in January to succeed the fired
Mike Shanahan. McDaniels had a
falling out with Pro Bowl
quarterback Jay Cutler after he
learned his new coach had
discussed trading him in a foiled
attempt to land former New
England quarterback Matt Cassell,
who is now with Kansas City.
Cutler subsequently forced a
trade to the Chicago Bears, who
are due in Sunday night, when the
Broncos play their first home
game under McDaniels.
McDaniels said his issues with
Cutler and Marshall were nothing
unusual, just part of being an NFL
coach.
"We're not unique, we're not
unique at all," McDaniels said.
"Other coaches, other
organizations have challenges in
front of them and you deal with
them as best you can."
Information from ESPN reporter
Ed Werder, ESPN NFL Insider
Adam Schefter and The
Associated Press was used in this
report.
Internet News Record Sports 73

Los Angeles Angels acquire left-hander Scott Kazmir

By Buster Olney (ESPN.com) Yankees this season. He's 2-0 postseason play with Los series of injuries and Wednesday, when he struck out
Submitted at 8/28/2009 10:44:39 PM against each but 4-7 with a 6.78 Angeles. inconsistency with their rotation 10 while allowing a run and four
ERA against the rest of the "I'm going to a quality this season, as well as the death of hits over six innings in a no-
BBTN Minute: Kazmir Headed league. organization that is in the race Nick Adenhart. The Angels rank decision.
To Angels BBTN Minute: Kazmir -- ESPN Stats & Information every year," said Kazmir, who 24th in starters' ERA in the "I don't know what to say,
Headed To Angels Tampa Bay receives two minor started Games 1 and 5 of last majors, at 4.96, yet have a four- because he's been pitching well,"
The Los Angeles Angels, leaguers -- left-hander Alex year's World Series against game lead in the AL West, largely Rays teammate Carl Crawford
looking to bolster their rotation T o r r e s a n d i n f i e l d e r M a t t Philadelphia. "That's something to because they have had an said. "It surprises me to see Kaz
for the last five weeks of the Sweeney -- and a player to be look forward to, but I don't think overpowering offense that leads go, because of everything he's
season and in October, acquired named later in the deal. it will hit me until I fly out there the majors in runs. meant to the organization."
left-hander Scott Kazmir of the "We're very excited about the tomorrow." Staff ace John Lackey can Kazmir is the club's career
Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. player that we can't name yet, but The Rays definitely get salary become a free agent after this leader in wins, strikeouts, starts
"This is a surprise. I had heard also about the other two," Rays relief in the deal. Tampa Bay is season. and innings pitched.
rumors before, but it's hard to manager Joe Maddon said. "The barreling toward a series of tough "Scott's situation is exclusive of "It's very easy to say that this
believe that it is now official," lefty has a great arm, and financial decisions because of its anything we're doing in the trade will hurt our chances, given
Kazmir said after Tampa Bay's 6- Sweeney is one of the best hitters payroll restrictions, and the 25- future," Reagins said. "The way how Scott has pitched his last few
2 l o s s t o D e t r o i t . " I t ' s a in the minors." year-old Kazmir is in the first year the pitching market is out there starts," Maddon said. "But we've
disappointment because of all the Looking to lock up their third of a three-year, $28.5 million now and the pitchers that are got guys in the minors that we
relationships I've built in the straight division title, the Angels deal. available in the next few years, really like and that we think can
organization and the city, but you began the night four games ahead Kazmir, who cleared waivers this made a lot of sense for us -- help us."
can't control the business side of of second-place Texas. Tampa earlier this month, is making $6 to be able to get a quality pitcher The left-handed Torres, 21, is
the game." Bay was 3½ out in the wild-card million this year, and will make in the fold right now." 13-4 with a 2.75 ERA in the
The Angels and Rays had race. salaries of $8 million in 2010 and Just before Reagins spoke with minors this season, while reaching
extensive conversations before the "We're not going to make moves $12 million in 2011. reporters, Angels rookie Trevor Double-A. Sweeney, a 21-year-
trade deadline about Kazmir, who just to make moves. We search "It's important because we'll Bell was lifted from the game old third baseman, is hitting .296
is 8-7 with a 5.92 ERA. for opportunities that make sense have stability, knowing that we'll after giving up five runs and in Class A, with nine homers, 44
Fast Facts for us, not only in the short term have Scott in the fold for this year seven hits over 2 2/3 innings. RBIs, 26 walks and 37 strikeouts.
• The Angels are trying to hold but in the long term," Angels and two more, plus the option Kazmir was selected in the first "There were players that
off the Rangers in the AL West. general manager Tony Reagins year," Reagins said. "Scott's 25 round of the 2002 draft by the obviously were moved in this deal
Kazmir is 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA said during Friday night's game and still in the prime of his career, New York Mets, then traded to that they saw value in and they
lifetime against Texas. against Oakland. "We had so we think he's going to Tampa Bay in 2004 while he was liked -- and we liked," Reagins
• Kazmir's 9.36 strikeouts per followed him for the last couple improve." still in the minors for Victor said. "We think that we gave up
nine innings trail only Jake Peavy of weeks. Most recently, we had a Tampa Bay may try to replace Zambrano. two talented players, and a third
(9.46) among pitchers with a scout in Toronto who saw Scott Kazmir in the rotation with one of Kazmir led the AL with 239 to come. So this was not a basic
minimum of 750 innings pitched pitch, and he obviously threw the its young prospects, such as Wade strikeouts in 2007 but has been salary dump."
since 2005. ball very well. So we just felt it Davis, who is 10-7 with a 3.26 slowed by injuries during his Buster Olney is a senior writer
• With an eye toward the made sense for us to make the ERA in Triple-A. The Rays career. for ESPN The Magazine.
playoffs, the Angels had to know move right now." currently stand 3½ games out in Kazmir is 4-1 with a 4.38 ERA Information from The Associated
that Kazmir is 4-0 with a 2.92 Because he was dealt before the AL wild-card race. over his last six starts. His Press was used in this report.
ERA against the Red Sox and Aug. 31, Kazmir is eligible for The Angels have dealt with a previous outing was at Toronto on
74 Sports Game
NFL Watchers Parse Vick’s Six Preseason Plays
(WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)
Submitted at 8/28/2009 7:02:22 AM
It was only preseason football.
But for quarterback Michael Vick,
at least the focus was on the field
Thursday night. Associated Press
Michael Vick did this four times
against the Jacksonville Jaguars
on Thursday night.
His appearance for the
Philadelphia Eagles was as short
as it was subdued: six plays, in
which he completed all four of his
pass attempts for 19 yards and
rushed once for a yard. He lined
up in the slot on another play.
More interesting was the reaction
of the crowd making its first
interactions with a player just
back from serving 18 months in
prison for his role in running a
dogfighting ring.
“If you were listening for cheers,
there were cheers, augmented by a
portion of the crowd that chose to
stand while delivering them,” the
Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Ford
writes. “If you were listening for
boos, there were some of those,
too, although not many by
Philadelphia standards and
definitely not many by dog-killing
felon standards. This was a
football crowd, after all, and it
came for playmaking not politics,
for spectacle not speeches.”
ESPN’s Matt Mosley thinks it
was wise for the Eagles to get
Vick into a meaningless
exhibition game so that if Vick is
reinstated by Week 6, there will
be less chance of a circus
atmosphere at his regular-season
debut.
CBS Sports’s Clark Judge
wasn’t impressed. He think the
Eagles’ attack suffered under
Vick and thrived under Donovan
McNabb. “I know, he hasn’t
played a game since December
2006, when he finished his career
with Atlanta in this stadium, and
he spent a year-and-a-half in
prison,” Judge writes. “But I
guess I expected more from him
and the Eagles. I guess I expected
Vick to play a complete series, or
most of a complete series, instead
of making cameos. I guess I
expected him to be more involved
in the Eagles’ red-zone offense,
too. But he wasn’t involved at
all.”
The Vick storyline was the only
reason Philadelphia’s 33-32 win
over Jacksonville merits a
mention in the Fix. Because, let’s
face it, preseason football has
about as much news value as
drying off at the beach with a wet
towel. Sports Illustrated’s Don
Banks gives five reasons why the
regular season should be
expanded. The Root’s Martin
Johnson, however, finds watching
the fourth quarter of exhibition
games fun.
Of bigger concern to the NFL
than the appeal of preseason
football is the likelihood of more
television blackouts this season
because the lagging economy may
decrease attendance, the
Washington Post’s Mark Maske
writes.
***
The Chicago Cubs have a $30-
million headache on their hands.
Right-fielder Milton Bradley,
whom they signed to a three-year
contract in the offseason, on
Wednesday alleged he’s been
taunted by racist chants at
Wrigley Field. (He didn’t provide
any examples.) Bradley, playing
for his seventh team in his 10-year
career, isn’t putting up the
Internet News Record
Bradley doesn’t mean they
haven’t happened,”
Wojciechowski writes. “It only
means nobody has complained GOG.com offers
about them. It doesn’t take a leap
of faith to envision a scenario good ol' deal on
where some overserved Bleacher
Bums go racial on Bradley.” Unreal titles
*** By Randy Nelson (Joystiq)
numbers expected of someone Enrique Oliu is just like Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:00:00 PM
being paid such a handsome hundreds of color commentators.
salary. He’s batting only .255 Before games, he interviews Believe it or not, there was a
after Thursday’s 0-for-5 effort players and memorizes stats, time before Unreal Tournament
against Washington. hometowns and other tidbits that III when the series was (gasp!) not
The Chicago Tribune’s Phil will make Tampa Bay Rays fans purely about multiplayer. It had ...
Rogers urges general manager Jim tune into his Spanish-language a story. This story is about how
Hendry to release Bradley. “For a r a d i o b r o a d c a s t s . B u t h e ’ s the purveyors of good ol' games at
variety of reasons, almost all of different in one way: He’s blind. GOG.com remember these less
his own making, Bradley has not The Los Angeles Times’s Kevin competitive times, and want their
been a contributor for manager Baxter has the story. patrons to, as well. So, from now
Lou Piniella and the Cubs, at least *** through next Monday, August 31,
not in normal terms,” Rogers Motorcyclists know they can’t the site is offering the plot-driven
writes. “You could count him — repeal the laws of physics, but Unreal and Unreal II: The
and Hendry’s decision to get him they’ll test the limits this weekend Awakening for $8.49 a pop.
— as the leading contributor to at the Red Bull Indianapolis Of course, if you're still keen to
the epic 2009 disappointment. Grand Prix. While speeds hit 200 revisit the transition into a
A n d n o w , w i t h h i s l a t e s t mph on straightaways, it’s on the tournament-play franchise, the
comments creating an integrity tight turns where racers show first Unreal Tournament and still-
issue, he has to go.” their mettle on their motorcycles, quite-excellent Unreal
Tribune colleague Steve Phillip B. Wilson writes in the Tournament 2004 are also being
Rosenbloom thinks Bradley might Indianapolis Star. sold at the same low prices,
be playing the race card to take *** through Monday. Us? We'll be
focus off his terrible season. “Was The Sports Business Journal’s playing other games, but are still
Bradley’s statement about facing Bill King notes that with so many glad we managed to make it
hatred on a daily basis a vague but jobs lost at newspapers across through this post without referring
severe venting only about being North America, sports coverage is to GOG.com's sale as an "unreal
booed for underachieving as a getting innovative, especially by deal." (Wait, did that count?)
baseball player?” Rosenbloom team Web sites. GOG.com offers good ol' deal
blogs. “If Bradley can talk in – Tip of the Fix cap to reader on Unreal titles originally
broad generalities, so can I. And Don Hartline and fellow Fixer appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28
Cubs fans don’t seem to base their David Roth. Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please
boos [on] skin color.” Found a good column from the see our terms for use of feeds.
ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski world of sports? Don’t keep it to Read| Permalink| Email this|
thinks there might be merit to y o u r s e l f — w r i t e t o u s a t Comments
Bradley’s racism charge. “Just dailyfix@wsj.com and we’ll
because Wrigley Field security consider your find for inclusion in
says it is unaware of any reported the Daily Fix. You can email
racial taunts directed toward Garey at ris84rap@gmail.com.
Internet News Record Sports 75

Brady hurts throwing shoulder in Patriots' win

By Associated Press the half came to a close and again way with the Redskins secondary, backups -- and a trio of
(ESPN.com) after returning from the locker catching six passes for 90 yards interceptions -- before the game
Submitted at 8/29/2009 5:03:36 AM room after halftime. and both of Brady's TDs. was decided by Stephen
Brady did not play in the second Campbell had been feeling the Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal
Offensive outbursts tempered by half, even though most of the first heat after a 4-for-13 start to the with 8 seconds remaining.
Brady's sore shoulder -team offense returned for the first preseason, including 1 for 7 last New England's Kevin
LANDOVER, Md. -- Officially, drive of the third quarter. He then week, with no touchdowns in O'Connell, contending for the No.
Tom Brady has a "sore shoulder," left the sideline and returned to
the result of being crushed to the the locker room.
either game from the first-team
offense. On Friday, he played the
2 job, was intercepted twice.
Washington's Colt Brennan, The Count: Home,
turf by massive Albert In the fourth quarter, the
Haynesworth. It caused enough Patriots announced Brady's injury
first half and first drive of the
second half, finishing a hot-and-
trying to stay on the roster, was
picked off for the third straight
as Sweet as Any
discomfort for him to spend quite as a sore shoulder, a diagnosis
a while on the bench flexing and that gave coach Bill Belichick a
cold 13 for 22 for 209 yards.
Asked if he'd answered his
game, this one returned 99 yards
for a touchdown by Jonathan
Other Home
rotating his throwing arm, trying twitch in both of his shoulders. critics, Campbell said: "It's never Wilhite. Brennan helped redeem (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)
to work out whatever kinks where The Patriots coach was his classic enough. It will be something. himself with a 33-yard touchdown Submitted at 8/28/2009 2:48:02 PM
there. self, displaying the annoyed shrug Next week it will be that he didn't pass to rookie Marko Mitchell,
It could be nothing. It could be so familiar when anyone asks him hit the big ball to Santana who moved closer to securing a The Tampa Bay Rays and
something. Actually, anything about an injury. Despite the (Moss)." roster spot as the No. 5 receiver. Philadelphia Phillies are
that involves Tom Brady is team's announcement, Belichick He paused for a beat, laughed Game notes defending AL and NL champions,
always something, especially in a said Brady had only "some bumps and said: "Nah, I was just joking. An unsightly breach of patriotic respectively, and each team is
season in which he's trying to and bruises, just like everybody It really doesn't bother me at all." etiquette: Redskins FB Mike contending again for the playoffs.
come back from a major knee else who played in the game." He Campbell went 4 for 4 on the Sellers, carrying the American But in one major respect they
injury. also said that he had not planned opening drive, then had three flag onto the field during pregame differ markedly: The Rays play
Brady hurt his shoulder in the for Brady to play any of the straight three-and-outs before introductions, flung the Stars and much better at home, while the
New England Patriots' 27-24 second half. another scoring drive that featured Stripes onto the ground near the Phillies thrive on the road. That’s
victory over the Washington Brady did not speak to reporters a 73-yard completion to tight end 50-yard line. After a few seconds, consistent with trends over the
Redskins on Friday night. It was after the game. Chris Cooley, who kept his LB Robert Hanson walked over last five years, a period during
late in the first half when he was If one assumes Brady is fine, he balance along the sideline to take and rescued the flag off the turf. which the Rays have had the
pressed to the ground by All-Pro has to feel good about his the ball inside the 10. Campbell ... Redskins injuries: S Kareem biggest home-field advantage in
defensive tackle Haynesworth performance. He and counterpart finished the drive with a 4-yard Moore(hamstring) and RB the majors, and the Phillies have
after a third down incomplete Jason Campbell put on a regular run after a nice move that faked Marcus Mason(bruised rib). CB had the smallest. But is that trend
pass. season show in preseason, out linebacker Paris Lenon. Carlos Rogers(calf), KR-RB Rock meaningful or a fluke? Getty
"Anytime someone 350 pounds combining for 359 yards, six "I was very pleased," coach Jim Cartwright and T Mike Images
falls on him, it's going to hurt s c o r i n g d r i v e s a n d n o Zorn said. "He was very much Williams(ankle) did not dress. ... Coors Field, site of the biggest
him," New England right tackle i n t e r c e p t i o n s . into the game. He was competing Notable inactives for the Patriots: home-field advantage in the
Matt Light said. "You just know In the game that traditionally hard and doing the things that you CB Shawn Springs, WR Wes majors.
it's part of the game, and Tom's serves as the dress rehearsal for want. We missed on a couple of Welker and DE Richard Seymour To the naked eye, it seems that
been through it before and you the real stuff that begins in two long ones, but he came back and and RBs Faulk and Morris. CB way. The Rays are 21 games
know he can take it." weeks, Brady went 12 for 19 was running the show." Darius Butler was helped off the above .500 at home this season,
Brady went to the bench, where passes for 150 yards and two Brady and Campbell played to a field in the first half. but nine games under .500 on the
he stretched his arm repeatedly as touchdowns. Randy Moss had his 17-17 draw. Then came the road. The Phillies, meanwhile, are
a whopping 18 games over .500
on the road — the best road
record in baseball — but a
mediocre three games over .500 at
home, for a home record even
worse than that of the last-place
Pittsburgh Pirates. Last year

COUNT: page 76
76 Game
COUNT:
continued from page 75
wasn’t much different: The Rays
had the best record in baseball at
home, 33 games over .500, but
were one game under .500 on the
road, while the Phillies were
almost as good on the road as they
were at home. Overall, from 2004
-2008, the Phillies were just two
percentage points better at home
than on the road, while the Rays
were nearly 18 percentage points
better, according to an analysis by
Matt Swartz of Baseball
Prospectus.
But among the 30 major league
teams, one team has to be best,
and one has to be worst. Swartz
tested home-field advantages over
the 2004-2008 period to see if
there was any correlation from
year to year: Did a team that was
much better at home one year tend
to maintain that pace the next
year? The answer was no. There
was only one exception — the
Colorado Rockies, who have by
far the biggest home-field
Section 8 dated, clan and
ByFirst
Richard
off,Mitchell
asatthe headline
(Joystiq)Submitted 8/28/2009
eloquently suggests, Section 8 has
Internet News Record
advantage over the 11 years
through last season (though it’s
minuscule this year). “What this
means is that to analyze home-
field advantage, we should keep
in mind that every team except for
the Rockies has pretty much the
same home-field advantage,”
Swartz writes. “Claims that
crowds in different stadiums or
that certain kinds of teams are
more prone to have a home-field
advantage are likely to be false, or
more politely, below the threshold
of statistical measurability.”
His analysis is part of a longer
series on home-field advantage in
baseball. His latest finding is that
home-field advantage is greatest
between teams that don’t play
each other often, suggesting that
familiarity with a field’s layout
and conditions is the biggest
factor explaining the home-field
edge.
FCC considering universal game
ratings, ESA unimpressed
By Richard Mitchell (Joystiq) to GameSpot, ESA senior vice mobile phone content are -- with
president for communications and
Submitted at 8/28/2009 10:00:00 PM few exceptions -- different forms
industry affairs Rich Taylor stated of media. After all, it doesn't
According to a Bloomberg that the current ESRB rating really make sense to use the same
report, the FCC will soon begin system is "considered by parents, scale to judge both Batman:
looking into the development of a family advocates, the Federal Arkham Asylum and your "
universal rating system that would Trade Commission, and elected Yakety Sax" ringtone. Or does it?
span television, games and mobile officials as the gold standard in Source- Bloomberg
phone content. Unsurprisingly, providing caregivers with the Source- GameSpot
the move comes in response to a information they need to make the FCC considering universal
Congressional call to see whether right choices for their families." game ratings, ESA unimpressed
inappropriate content is harming He added further that a new originally appeared on Joystiq on
children and if the current laws universal system would "confuse Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:00:00 EST.
are adequate to protect them. consumers, violate the Please see our terms for use of
The Entertainment Software Constitution's first amendment, feeds.
Association, according to the and are a solution in search of a Permalink| Email this|
report, has previously stated that problem."
the FCC has no jurisdiction over We might also add that
Comments
been blessed with a release date. video games. In a statement given television, video games and
T h e gSECTION
a m e w i lpage
l h i77
t North
Internet News Record
SECTION
continued from page 76
American shelves on September
4, the UK and Asia / Pacific
regions on September 11 and the
rest of Europe on September 18.
So there's that. In other
mechanically enhanced soldier
news, TimeGate has announced
its plans to open a clan and stat
portal for the game.
The clan portal will allow users
to access lots of special features,
including automatically updating
clan tags, establishing clan
hierarchies, and reviewing the
stats of new applicants.
Meanwhile, the stats page will
(obviously) list comprehensive
stats for the game, including
career statistics, records achieved
in a single "life," as well as the
number of badges earned and
feats accomplished. Leaderboards
Game 77
can also be organized by overall
stats or restricted to just those
within an individual clan. Finally,
both Xbox 360 and PC players
will enjoy "mutually exclusive"
stats, which should hopefully
avert any potential "mouse vs.
keyboard" flame wars.
The stats page, located here,
will launch next week alongside
the North American release of the
game.
Section 8 dated, clan and stat
portal detailed originally appeared
on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Aug 2009
20:00:00 EST. Please see our
terms for use of feeds.
Permalink| Email this|
EA releases Fight Night
Comments Round 4 DLC, dubious sales
data
By David Hinkle (Joystiq) June and 116K on Xbox 360 in
Submitted at 8/28/2009 11:59:00 PM July and, considering the PS3
version wasn't even on the July
First thing's first: EA's official list, you can see it just doesn't add
blog informs us that the new DLC up. Even if we assume FNR4 on
we reported on a few weeks back PS3 sold 96K -- lower than the
is available for download, which last title on July's list -- it still
adds a bunch of new faces to d o e s n ' t a d d u p . W e ' r e n o t
pummel. There's also a title mathologists (well, okay, one of
update that flips the switch on the us is), but Denmark is stinkin'
new button-based control scheme. something fierce right now.
Okay, now onto the juicy stuff. EA releases Fight Night Round
EA also sent us a press release 4 DLC, dubious sales data
about the new content in ad server originally appeared on Joystiq on
Fight Night Round 4, but took Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:59:00 EST.
care to point out that the game Please see our terms for use of
had "sold over a million units in feeds.
its first month," according to NPD Read| Permalink| Email this|
data. Our more observant readers Comments
may remember the game sold
471.1K on Xbox 360 and PS3 in