Willow Smith, the superstar daughter of world renowned actor Will Smith, sat down to do an interview with Yahoo Music. They discussed her single, working with Jay-Z and whether or not she will remake her dad's classic song, "Parents Just Don't Understand."
Willow did say that she is open to remaking her dad's 1988 classic rap song. "There's a possibility," Willow said to Yahoo Music. "There's a possibility that I will. It's a really great song."
9 year-old Willow Smith seems like the most confident and lively person you would ever meet, however she did not have any problem talking about how she felt when working with Jay-Z, the superstar rapper.
“He’s Jay-Z! He’s sold like over…I don’t even know how many albums he’s sold,” she said about their first meeting. “I was nervous because what if he said, ‘Willow why do you want to sing?’ And I’m like, ‘Because I want to sing.’ He’s going to be like, ‘Umm, OK.’ I was really nervous.”
Willow also said, despite her being nervous, that Jay-Z is actually a very supportive boss. She said that when she has an idea he accepts it, and doesn't just say, "Oh that's bad, I don't like that."
In addition, Willow Smith said that fans can expect some Smith family collaborations in the future, but she can't give any details right now.
الأربعاء، 29 ديسمبر 2010
الثلاثاء، 28 ديسمبر 2010
Mobile Device Makers Targeting Competitor's Devices With Ads
[caption id="attachment_12926" align="alignleft" width="330" caption="A Nokia Mobile Device, Image Credit: Ilya Voyager"]
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Mobile phone companies are now testing a new way of getting new customers. They are doing this by having ads for their devices appear on the devices of their competitors. This exposes their products to users who are already using something similar so they may be interested in what the competitor is offering.
The basic message of the advertisements is: Oh, you could do better than that thing. This is supposed to encourage users to switch over to the competitor. It's questionable if it would work considering the fact that most people sign two-year contracts when they purchase a phone. This means that they would probably be unwilling to switch companies when they already have a device from a different one.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Nokia Corp. recently targeted ads for its Nokia Twist device at users of the Motorola Inc.'s Razr phone. Razr users who surf the Web would be dealt an ad saying, "Are you really still rockin' a flip phone?" It then suggests upgrading to a Twist, says Gene Keenan, creative director of mobile at Isobar, a digital marketing agency owned by Aegis Group PLC that worked on the campaign on behalf of Nokia.
The term for this kind of advertising is called "intercept campaigning".
There is a lot of competition in the mobile market and this type of advertising is going to force manufacturers and companies to up their standards. They will have to try to keep their devices on top so they don't get their customers taken away by their competitors.
Mobile ad companies use technology to detect the programs and the data that control a user's mobile phone when it delivers an ad. This allows the company to determine what kind of device the person is using and allows it to give the user the targeted ads.
[/caption]Mobile phone companies are now testing a new way of getting new customers. They are doing this by having ads for their devices appear on the devices of their competitors. This exposes their products to users who are already using something similar so they may be interested in what the competitor is offering.
The basic message of the advertisements is: Oh, you could do better than that thing. This is supposed to encourage users to switch over to the competitor. It's questionable if it would work considering the fact that most people sign two-year contracts when they purchase a phone. This means that they would probably be unwilling to switch companies when they already have a device from a different one.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Nokia Corp. recently targeted ads for its Nokia Twist device at users of the Motorola Inc.'s Razr phone. Razr users who surf the Web would be dealt an ad saying, "Are you really still rockin' a flip phone?" It then suggests upgrading to a Twist, says Gene Keenan, creative director of mobile at Isobar, a digital marketing agency owned by Aegis Group PLC that worked on the campaign on behalf of Nokia.
The term for this kind of advertising is called "intercept campaigning".
There is a lot of competition in the mobile market and this type of advertising is going to force manufacturers and companies to up their standards. They will have to try to keep their devices on top so they don't get their customers taken away by their competitors.
Mobile ad companies use technology to detect the programs and the data that control a user's mobile phone when it delivers an ad. This allows the company to determine what kind of device the person is using and allows it to give the user the targeted ads.
Julian Assange Signs $1.7 Million Book Deal
You have probably heard a lot about Julian Assange in the past year. You probably think that you know quite a good deal about him from all that you have heard, read and seen in the media. What you most likely don't know, however, is his story from him personally. Well, we will soon all figure this out because he has signed book deals worth more than $1.3 million in the US and the UK. This will allows the WikiLeaks founder to cover his legal fees and maintain the wistleblowing site.
He will be racing a former colleague to release an autobiography telling his side of the WikiLeaks story as the former collegue is not very satisfied with Assange's actions.
Assange is currently fighting sexual assault allegations in Sweden while also trying to continue the gradual release of thousands of US diplomatic cables via WikiLeaks.
According to CNN, The U.S. administration, which has been angered and embarrassed by successive leaks of its foreign-policy secrets through WikiLeaks, is believed to be exploring ways to prosecute Mr Assange.
Assange has agreed to an $800,000 contract with Knopf and another $500,000 deal with the UK publisher, Canongate.
The deals are expected to net Assange more than $1.7 million after the book is sold in other countries and serialised in newspapers around the world.
Assange was supposedly very reluctant in signing the deals and agreeing to write the book. He supposedly didn't want to have to do it, but decided to write it anyway because WikiLeaks needs the money. He also needs the money for all of his legal fees.
He will be racing a former colleague to release an autobiography telling his side of the WikiLeaks story as the former collegue is not very satisfied with Assange's actions.
Assange is currently fighting sexual assault allegations in Sweden while also trying to continue the gradual release of thousands of US diplomatic cables via WikiLeaks.
According to CNN, The U.S. administration, which has been angered and embarrassed by successive leaks of its foreign-policy secrets through WikiLeaks, is believed to be exploring ways to prosecute Mr Assange.
Assange has agreed to an $800,000 contract with Knopf and another $500,000 deal with the UK publisher, Canongate.
The deals are expected to net Assange more than $1.7 million after the book is sold in other countries and serialised in newspapers around the world.
Assange was supposedly very reluctant in signing the deals and agreeing to write the book. He supposedly didn't want to have to do it, but decided to write it anyway because WikiLeaks needs the money. He also needs the money for all of his legal fees.
الاثنين، 27 ديسمبر 2010
Kindle 3 Sales Top Harry Potter 7th Book Sales on Amazon
[caption id="attachment_12916" align="alignleft" width="330" caption="Amazon Kindle 3"]
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We all expected the Kindle 3 to be a hit, but what we didn't expect was for it to be the #1 Bestselling Product in Amazon History. Well, that's what the Amazon Kindle 3 has become, the Bestselling Product in Amazon History. Now that is a pretty big accomplishment. It means that the Kindle has now vanquished the final Harry Potter book.
This would probably be more interesting if Amazon would reveal how many units were actually sold of the Kindle 3, but as usual, Amazon refuses to reveal its numbers.
However, when you just look at Amazon's archives and see that they sold more than 12 million copies of the seven Harry Potter titles as they said in December 2007 you can see that they probably sold more than 1 million units of the Kindle 3 and less than 12 million. This is a pretty wide margin for error, however, that's the best that we can do with the information they have given out.
Some other interesting things about Amazon: On it's peak shipping day this year it sent out 9 million items. That's more than a lot of companies send out per year. Also, on Cyber Monday, the peak sales day for Amazon, customers ordered 158 items per second. You can only imagine how much revenue that generated for the massive internet company. Also, the company's most remote holiday shipment wen to Grise Fiord. That's north of the Arctic Circle in Canada. It's got a population of 141 and an average yearly temperature of 2 degrees Fahrenheit.
These statistics show that things are going pretty well for the internet store and that despite the current economic situation, people are still buying things.
[/caption]We all expected the Kindle 3 to be a hit, but what we didn't expect was for it to be the #1 Bestselling Product in Amazon History. Well, that's what the Amazon Kindle 3 has become, the Bestselling Product in Amazon History. Now that is a pretty big accomplishment. It means that the Kindle has now vanquished the final Harry Potter book.
This would probably be more interesting if Amazon would reveal how many units were actually sold of the Kindle 3, but as usual, Amazon refuses to reveal its numbers.
However, when you just look at Amazon's archives and see that they sold more than 12 million copies of the seven Harry Potter titles as they said in December 2007 you can see that they probably sold more than 1 million units of the Kindle 3 and less than 12 million. This is a pretty wide margin for error, however, that's the best that we can do with the information they have given out.
Some other interesting things about Amazon: On it's peak shipping day this year it sent out 9 million items. That's more than a lot of companies send out per year. Also, on Cyber Monday, the peak sales day for Amazon, customers ordered 158 items per second. You can only imagine how much revenue that generated for the massive internet company. Also, the company's most remote holiday shipment wen to Grise Fiord. That's north of the Arctic Circle in Canada. It's got a population of 141 and an average yearly temperature of 2 degrees Fahrenheit.
These statistics show that things are going pretty well for the internet store and that despite the current economic situation, people are still buying things.
Northeast Blizzard Causes Travel Delays for Thousands of Americans
The three major airports in the New York metropolitan area all reopened by 6 PM. This is great news as they had been closed for a while, preventing a lot of travel from happening, in addition to all of the regular commuters being stuck where they were. There's still some problems for the tens of thousands of stranded passengers as they haven't all gotten to where they are going yet. There are only ten planes expected to touch down tonight at LaGuardia airport and there's only two scheduled departures, to give an idea of what remains to be organized.
Also, there's millions of people who have to dig themselves, their cars and their houses out from the huge blizzard. The worst of the storm has passed, however, it did cause over 4,155 flights to be cancelled and in some areas there were up to 32 inches of snow.
According to CNN, John F. Kennedy Airport, located further south in the same New York City borough of Queens, and Newark Liberty International, in northern New Jersey, opened to incoming and departing traffic at 6 p.m., said Port Authority spokeswoman Sara Joren.
The Federal Transportation Security Administration is coordinating with airports and airlines to bolster staffing if it becomes necessary when flights resume.
The snow storm causes a lot of traveling difficulties for thousands of people, but in the end everyone is okay and city officials are working on resolving any problems as quickly as they can.
The blizzard didn't only cause problems in New York, there were many other states that were affected.
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell has asked people to stay off the state's roads unless absolutely necessary, said Peter Boynton, the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management.
"If you have to be on the road, of course, the rule of the day is take it slow," he said.
Also, there's millions of people who have to dig themselves, their cars and their houses out from the huge blizzard. The worst of the storm has passed, however, it did cause over 4,155 flights to be cancelled and in some areas there were up to 32 inches of snow.
According to CNN, John F. Kennedy Airport, located further south in the same New York City borough of Queens, and Newark Liberty International, in northern New Jersey, opened to incoming and departing traffic at 6 p.m., said Port Authority spokeswoman Sara Joren.
The Federal Transportation Security Administration is coordinating with airports and airlines to bolster staffing if it becomes necessary when flights resume.
The snow storm causes a lot of traveling difficulties for thousands of people, but in the end everyone is okay and city officials are working on resolving any problems as quickly as they can.
The blizzard didn't only cause problems in New York, there were many other states that were affected.
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell has asked people to stay off the state's roads unless absolutely necessary, said Peter Boynton, the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management.
"If you have to be on the road, of course, the rule of the day is take it slow," he said.
الأحد، 26 ديسمبر 2010
Something's Missing From Facebook's Map of the World
[caption id="attachment_12910" align="alignleft" width="330" caption="Facebook Map, Image Credit: Facebook"]
[/caption]
A man named Paul Butler recently made a map of the world. His map is a bit different from the maps that we are used to as he made it using data graphs. He is a Facebook intern, so it was not unusual that he would use his information there to make a graph. He basically decided to connect all of people's Facebook friendships and current locations to see how things were distributed.
The result was what Butler called, "a surprisingly detailed map of the world. Not only were continents visible, certain international borders were apparent as well. What really struck me, though, was knowing that the lines didn't represent coasts or rivers or political borders, but real human relationships."
The interesting thing about this map is the absence of some countries, like China, for example. This absence is because Facebook is blocked in China. This leads to them not being graphed because even if they do visit the site via a proxy, they are shown as visitors from a different country.
There are some other countries that aren't very lit up such as Canada and Russia. This is due to them not being very widely populated in the areas that aren't lit up. It gets pretty cold way up north and not very many people live there, and those that do have better things to do than to spend their days on Facebook.
This map shows the interconnectivity of human relationships across the globes, and how much we depend on the internet to stay in touch these days. This also shows that maybe China should let up on their system of blocking such communications websites. It would be a very valuable asset to the growing nation.
[/caption]A man named Paul Butler recently made a map of the world. His map is a bit different from the maps that we are used to as he made it using data graphs. He is a Facebook intern, so it was not unusual that he would use his information there to make a graph. He basically decided to connect all of people's Facebook friendships and current locations to see how things were distributed.
The result was what Butler called, "a surprisingly detailed map of the world. Not only were continents visible, certain international borders were apparent as well. What really struck me, though, was knowing that the lines didn't represent coasts or rivers or political borders, but real human relationships."
The interesting thing about this map is the absence of some countries, like China, for example. This absence is because Facebook is blocked in China. This leads to them not being graphed because even if they do visit the site via a proxy, they are shown as visitors from a different country.
There are some other countries that aren't very lit up such as Canada and Russia. This is due to them not being very widely populated in the areas that aren't lit up. It gets pretty cold way up north and not very many people live there, and those that do have better things to do than to spend their days on Facebook.
This map shows the interconnectivity of human relationships across the globes, and how much we depend on the internet to stay in touch these days. This also shows that maybe China should let up on their system of blocking such communications websites. It would be a very valuable asset to the growing nation.
السبت، 25 ديسمبر 2010
Steve Martin Discovers Courtroom Humor via Twitter
For most Americans jury duty seems to be a chore. Sure, it's their constitutional right and all, but for most people it's not all that fun. However, there seems to be one man who can find humor within a courtroom, and that man is Steve Martin.
[caption id="attachment_12903" align="alignleft" width="287" caption="Steve Martin Twitter"]
[/caption]
Throughout this past week, Steve Martin has posted a series of tweets. These tweets were labeled "REPORT FROM JURY DUTY." He said various things in these tweets such as, ""REPORT FROM JURY DUTY: guy I thought was up for murder turns out to be defense attorney. I bet he murdered someone anyway," and "I like to cup my hands and say, 'you tell 'em Judge Judy,' then duck behind the other jurors. HUGE laughs."
It turns out, however, that Steve Martin isn't actually actively on jury duty at the moment. He is a part of an L.A. jury pool, however. Steve Martin's publicist Alan Nierob told the New York Post that he wasn't in a courthouse at all when he posted the tweets.
"He's not serving jury duty, just tweeting as usual," Nierob told the New York Post, "It's great material, don't you think?"
As the New York Post put it, "Martin, 65, poked fun of a defendant’s Conan O’Brien-esque hair, mocked a prosecutor’s Serbian accent, and advocated use of the Magic 8 Ball to determine guilt."
Steve Martin himself said what he was doing in a Twitter post on Thursday. He said, "Serious note: I actually will be on jury duty soon," he wrote. "I urge every citizen to experience it. I’ve never not been moved by the system."
This shows that he had not actually been on a jury while tweeting these things, however, he will be soon.
[caption id="attachment_12903" align="alignleft" width="287" caption="Steve Martin Twitter"]
[/caption]Throughout this past week, Steve Martin has posted a series of tweets. These tweets were labeled "REPORT FROM JURY DUTY." He said various things in these tweets such as, ""REPORT FROM JURY DUTY: guy I thought was up for murder turns out to be defense attorney. I bet he murdered someone anyway," and "I like to cup my hands and say, 'you tell 'em Judge Judy,' then duck behind the other jurors. HUGE laughs."
It turns out, however, that Steve Martin isn't actually actively on jury duty at the moment. He is a part of an L.A. jury pool, however. Steve Martin's publicist Alan Nierob told the New York Post that he wasn't in a courthouse at all when he posted the tweets.
"He's not serving jury duty, just tweeting as usual," Nierob told the New York Post, "It's great material, don't you think?"
As the New York Post put it, "Martin, 65, poked fun of a defendant’s Conan O’Brien-esque hair, mocked a prosecutor’s Serbian accent, and advocated use of the Magic 8 Ball to determine guilt."
Steve Martin himself said what he was doing in a Twitter post on Thursday. He said, "Serious note: I actually will be on jury duty soon," he wrote. "I urge every citizen to experience it. I’ve never not been moved by the system."
This shows that he had not actually been on a jury while tweeting these things, however, he will be soon.
الجمعة، 24 ديسمبر 2010
Paris Airport Charles de Gaulle Closes Terminal Due to Snow
On Friday, a part of the Paris Charles de Gaulle aiport was evacuted. It was evacuated due to the heavy accumulation of snow on the roof of the building of Terminal 2E. In addition, hundreds of flights were canceled because of a shortage of glycol, the main ingredient of de-icing fluid.
About 2000 passengers were moved from the terminal to other areas of the airport. The authorities called the measures "preventative." Part of the roof of that same terminal collapsed in 2004. This happened shortly after the new state-of-the-art building was inaugurated. At the time, media reports said that four people were killed. It seems that they haven't improved the construction of the terminal's roof if they believe that they have to take measures to keep people safe in case of a collapse.
Almost a foot of snow had fallen on the roof on Friday at the time that authorities decided to close the terminal. People are working to clear the snow and to reopen the terminal.
French authorities asked airline earlier on Friday to cancel half their morning flights to and from the airport due to de-icing fluid running low. This led to a cancellation of 400 flights in the morning.
Early in the afternoon, the authorities asked airlines to also cancel a third of their flights for the rest of the day. This is a pretty big problem as Charles de Gaulle is the second biggest airport in Europe. Only London Heathrow is bigger. Luckily, for those who need to get to France, Paris' second airport, Orly, hasn't had to cancel any flights.
About 2000 passengers were moved from the terminal to other areas of the airport. The authorities called the measures "preventative." Part of the roof of that same terminal collapsed in 2004. This happened shortly after the new state-of-the-art building was inaugurated. At the time, media reports said that four people were killed. It seems that they haven't improved the construction of the terminal's roof if they believe that they have to take measures to keep people safe in case of a collapse.
Almost a foot of snow had fallen on the roof on Friday at the time that authorities decided to close the terminal. People are working to clear the snow and to reopen the terminal.
French authorities asked airline earlier on Friday to cancel half their morning flights to and from the airport due to de-icing fluid running low. This led to a cancellation of 400 flights in the morning.
Early in the afternoon, the authorities asked airlines to also cancel a third of their flights for the rest of the day. This is a pretty big problem as Charles de Gaulle is the second biggest airport in Europe. Only London Heathrow is bigger. Luckily, for those who need to get to France, Paris' second airport, Orly, hasn't had to cancel any flights.
الخميس، 23 ديسمبر 2010
Poinsettia Bowl at the Qualcomm Stadium Will Go On as Planned
[caption id="attachment_12895" align="alignleft" width="330" caption="Qualcomm Stadium, Photo Credit: Intersofia"]
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There has been a very large amount of rain in California causing widespread flooding and scattered mudslides. It's been raining for seven straight days, however, now the sun is finally out over the Qualcomm Stadium football field. The Poinsettia Bowl was scheduled for tonight, however, for a while it seemed like it wouldn't be happening. The stadium looked like a bathtub what with all of the flooding.
Despite the rain, however, the game will happen. Crews are preparing the field urgently and the Poinsettia Bowl Executive Director Bruce Binkowski told local news that the field is read. Some photos of the stadium verified that the field does, indeed, look great.
This feat was achieved by organizers covering the field with tarps during the rain, and then by pumping out the water on Wednesday. They left the logo drawing to be done early this morning. The start time for the game is 5:00 and it will be featuring the Aztecs taking on the Navy. It will go on exactly as was scheduled. Also, the parking lot has been cleared as well.
This is good news in the light of all the bad things that have been happening in California due to the rain. It shows that things can be done in spite of nature, and you just have to be smart and act fast.
Rainfall at rates of up to two-thirds of an inch per hour have been discoverd in California with some heavier burst seen in a few areas. This shows that it's not over yet, but you can still look forward to it ceasing. When the rain lets up it shouldn't be that big of a project to clean up the streets.
[/caption]There has been a very large amount of rain in California causing widespread flooding and scattered mudslides. It's been raining for seven straight days, however, now the sun is finally out over the Qualcomm Stadium football field. The Poinsettia Bowl was scheduled for tonight, however, for a while it seemed like it wouldn't be happening. The stadium looked like a bathtub what with all of the flooding.
Despite the rain, however, the game will happen. Crews are preparing the field urgently and the Poinsettia Bowl Executive Director Bruce Binkowski told local news that the field is read. Some photos of the stadium verified that the field does, indeed, look great.
This feat was achieved by organizers covering the field with tarps during the rain, and then by pumping out the water on Wednesday. They left the logo drawing to be done early this morning. The start time for the game is 5:00 and it will be featuring the Aztecs taking on the Navy. It will go on exactly as was scheduled. Also, the parking lot has been cleared as well.
This is good news in the light of all the bad things that have been happening in California due to the rain. It shows that things can be done in spite of nature, and you just have to be smart and act fast.
Rainfall at rates of up to two-thirds of an inch per hour have been discoverd in California with some heavier burst seen in a few areas. This shows that it's not over yet, but you can still look forward to it ceasing. When the rain lets up it shouldn't be that big of a project to clean up the streets.
Doz.me Proves Dangers of URL Shorteners
[caption id="attachment_12887" align="alignleft" width="330" caption="d0z.me"]
[/caption]
As an internet user of today, you should be well aware of the dangers posed by URL shorteners. If you aren't ware of them, well, the main, most important danger is their abilty to mask potentially malicious links. This means that if you click on a shortend link you may potentially be killing your computer.
Usually the most popular URL shorteners take measures to protect their users from malicious links, however, there are many more obscure and not-so-popular URL shorteners out there that can't protect their users as well.
Schmidt put a disclaimer on the site which claims that d0z.me is only a demonstration of how easy it is to orchestrate a DDoS attack without havnig to infect someone's PC or having to take control of a botnet by spreading malware.
You probably don't have to worry about the links you share with bit.ly yet, however, you should be aware of the potential dangers of shortened URLs, and how hackers may use them to gain an advantage over their enemies.
[/caption]As an internet user of today, you should be well aware of the dangers posed by URL shorteners. If you aren't ware of them, well, the main, most important danger is their abilty to mask potentially malicious links. This means that if you click on a shortend link you may potentially be killing your computer.
Usually the most popular URL shorteners take measures to protect their users from malicious links, however, there are many more obscure and not-so-popular URL shorteners out there that can't protect their users as well.
A hacker named Ben Schmidt was inspired by all the media attention garnered by the WikiLeak's "hackivists" DDos (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. He decided that there could be an even more worrisome use for URL shortening services. He built a site, d0z.com, which looks and acts just like any other URL shortener from the perspective of the person clicking on the link. The only difference is that behind the scenes it's initiating a DDOS attack on the target of the link creator's choosing.
Schmidt put a disclaimer on the site which claims that d0z.me is only a demonstration of how easy it is to orchestrate a DDoS attack without havnig to infect someone's PC or having to take control of a botnet by spreading malware.
You probably don't have to worry about the links you share with bit.ly yet, however, you should be aware of the potential dangers of shortened URLs, and how hackers may use them to gain an advantage over their enemies.
Craigslist Shuts Down "Adult Services" Section Worldwide
You may remember how in September Craigslist decided, with pressure from American lawmakers, to shut down its "Adult Services" section in the United States. That was great news to many Americans who didn't approved of the controversial portion of the classified ads website.
That was great news at the time, however, now comes even better news: Craigslist has now shut down the Adult Services section on its international sites, as well. It's unclear what prompted Craigslist to do this, however, it's a welcome change and we won't question it.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Craigslist had contacted his office on Tuesday to confirm the decision. Blumenthal was the man who led the charge against the company's adult section. He was against it because it offered sexual services and pretty open ads for prostitution. Blumenthal applauds Craigslist's decistion and says that it marks a major victory against human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women and children.
Before these decisions to shut down the Adult Services section, Craigslist said that it cooperated with law enforcement authorities in identifying human traffickers on the site. However, critics still didn't like the fact that the illegal business generated a huge profit for the company. For example, this year Craigslist was expected to take in about $36 million in revenue from it's Adult Services section. That's almost one-third of the $122 million it was projected to earn in all this year.
At last, the company has decided for itself to be clean and legal. This will make it easier to detect when people break the rules on the site as well. This will enable law enforcement to keep better track of any illegal activities.
That was great news at the time, however, now comes even better news: Craigslist has now shut down the Adult Services section on its international sites, as well. It's unclear what prompted Craigslist to do this, however, it's a welcome change and we won't question it.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Craigslist had contacted his office on Tuesday to confirm the decision. Blumenthal was the man who led the charge against the company's adult section. He was against it because it offered sexual services and pretty open ads for prostitution. Blumenthal applauds Craigslist's decistion and says that it marks a major victory against human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women and children.
Before these decisions to shut down the Adult Services section, Craigslist said that it cooperated with law enforcement authorities in identifying human traffickers on the site. However, critics still didn't like the fact that the illegal business generated a huge profit for the company. For example, this year Craigslist was expected to take in about $36 million in revenue from it's Adult Services section. That's almost one-third of the $122 million it was projected to earn in all this year.
At last, the company has decided for itself to be clean and legal. This will make it easier to detect when people break the rules on the site as well. This will enable law enforcement to keep better track of any illegal activities.
الأربعاء، 22 ديسمبر 2010
Google's Nexus S Android Phone Goes to Space
[caption id="attachment_12874" align="alignleft" width="345" caption="Android in Space! Image Credit: Official Google Blog"]
[/caption]
iPhones may be very popular, however, as of today, Google's Android has been in space. Google wished to do something special for the launch of the new Nexus S. They decided to literally launch it. They got the phone, or actually, 7 phones, up in space by means of weather balloons.
Google employees constructed 7 hobby-style balloons using information they had gotten from others who had constructed their own homemade balloons. They sent the phones up into space in order to collects some data about the sensors in the Nexus S. These sensors include a GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer and a magnetometer. They did, however, have an ulterior motive for the voyage... They wanted to have a nice way to spend a weekend. They didn't know what could be better than sending some Androids up into space.
While up there, the various still cameras and video cameras that they sent up with the phones were able to capture some amazing imagery and videos of the Earth.
"Piloting" the balloons were little Android robots which are visible in some of the footage and photographs.
Sending their phones into space is a big step for Google. They have showed what the devices can withstand, as well as the possibilities out there for adventure. It doesn't seem to have costed a lot of money for the company as the balloons were homemade and the devices were all safely returned to Earth.
Here's a little something that Zi Wang, Captain, Mission Android Headquarters posted in a blog post:
"These phones were running a variety of apps: Google Maps for Mobile 5.0 (with offline map data) which allowed us to see what was directly below the balloon, Google Sky Map to see if we could identify the real stars in the backdrop, Latitude to report location when the phones had a data connection, and our own custom sensor logging app that sampled all the available sensors on the device. We even manned our payloads with some special astronauts: small Android robots, and boy did they fly."
Also, here is some of the data that the phones collected:
"In tracking the sensors on each of the phones, we observed that the GPS in Nexus S could function up to altitudes of about 60,000 ft. and would actually start working again on the balloon’s descent. We also saw that Nexus S could withstand some pretty harsh temperatures (as low as -50˚C). Some interesting data we collected:
Maximum Speed: 139 mph
Maximum Altitude: 107,375 ft (over 20 miles, over 30 km)
Maximum Ascent Rate: 5.44 m/s
Average Flight Duration: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Average Descent Time: 34 minutes"
[/caption]iPhones may be very popular, however, as of today, Google's Android has been in space. Google wished to do something special for the launch of the new Nexus S. They decided to literally launch it. They got the phone, or actually, 7 phones, up in space by means of weather balloons.
Google employees constructed 7 hobby-style balloons using information they had gotten from others who had constructed their own homemade balloons. They sent the phones up into space in order to collects some data about the sensors in the Nexus S. These sensors include a GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer and a magnetometer. They did, however, have an ulterior motive for the voyage... They wanted to have a nice way to spend a weekend. They didn't know what could be better than sending some Androids up into space.
While up there, the various still cameras and video cameras that they sent up with the phones were able to capture some amazing imagery and videos of the Earth.
"Piloting" the balloons were little Android robots which are visible in some of the footage and photographs.
Sending their phones into space is a big step for Google. They have showed what the devices can withstand, as well as the possibilities out there for adventure. It doesn't seem to have costed a lot of money for the company as the balloons were homemade and the devices were all safely returned to Earth.
Here's a little something that Zi Wang, Captain, Mission Android Headquarters posted in a blog post:
"These phones were running a variety of apps: Google Maps for Mobile 5.0 (with offline map data) which allowed us to see what was directly below the balloon, Google Sky Map to see if we could identify the real stars in the backdrop, Latitude to report location when the phones had a data connection, and our own custom sensor logging app that sampled all the available sensors on the device. We even manned our payloads with some special astronauts: small Android robots, and boy did they fly."
Also, here is some of the data that the phones collected:
"In tracking the sensors on each of the phones, we observed that the GPS in Nexus S could function up to altitudes of about 60,000 ft. and would actually start working again on the balloon’s descent. We also saw that Nexus S could withstand some pretty harsh temperatures (as low as -50˚C). Some interesting data we collected:
Maximum Speed: 139 mph
Maximum Altitude: 107,375 ft (over 20 miles, over 30 km)
Maximum Ascent Rate: 5.44 m/s
Average Flight Duration: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Average Descent Time: 34 minutes"
Skype Crashes During Busiest Season
[caption id="attachment_12870" align="alignleft" width="118" caption="Skype Supernodes Diagram"]
[/caption]
Skype, one of the world's most popular forms of video communication through the internet has crashed. This will inhibit communication for millions of users who are trying to talk to their relatives or loved ones at home for the holidays. The company has acknowledged the outage through a series of tweets.
Skype also gave some more information on the outage through a blog post. Here is something Peter Parkes, Skype's Blogger-in-Chief stated in the post:
"Skype isn’t a network like a conventional phone or IM network – instead, it relies on millions of individual connections between computers and phones to keep things up and running. Some of these computers are what we call ‘supernodes’ – they act a bit like phone directories for Skype. If you want to talk to someone, and your Skype app can’t find them immediately (for example, because they’re connecting from a different location or from a different device) your computer or phone will first try to find a supernode to figure out how to reach them.
Under normal circumstances, there are a large number of supernodes available.Unfortunately, today, many of them were taken offline by a problem affecting some versions of Skype. As Skype relies on being able to maintain contact with supernodes, it may appear offline for some of you."
Skype's engineers are working non-stop to get new "mega-supernodes" up as fast as they can. It may take a few hours, however, until everything is back up and running.
This issue with the communications network could cause a huge ammount of customer disappointment as many people rely on the service to stay in touch with their loved ones during the holidays. Skype may have to work very, very hard to get these people happy again, however, the relief when the serivce is back up and running may be just enough to keep people satisfied.
To stay up to date on the problem, you can view Skype's Twitter stream here.
[/caption]Skype, one of the world's most popular forms of video communication through the internet has crashed. This will inhibit communication for millions of users who are trying to talk to their relatives or loved ones at home for the holidays. The company has acknowledged the outage through a series of tweets.
Skype also gave some more information on the outage through a blog post. Here is something Peter Parkes, Skype's Blogger-in-Chief stated in the post:
"Skype isn’t a network like a conventional phone or IM network – instead, it relies on millions of individual connections between computers and phones to keep things up and running. Some of these computers are what we call ‘supernodes’ – they act a bit like phone directories for Skype. If you want to talk to someone, and your Skype app can’t find them immediately (for example, because they’re connecting from a different location or from a different device) your computer or phone will first try to find a supernode to figure out how to reach them.
Under normal circumstances, there are a large number of supernodes available.Unfortunately, today, many of them were taken offline by a problem affecting some versions of Skype. As Skype relies on being able to maintain contact with supernodes, it may appear offline for some of you."
Skype's engineers are working non-stop to get new "mega-supernodes" up as fast as they can. It may take a few hours, however, until everything is back up and running.
This issue with the communications network could cause a huge ammount of customer disappointment as many people rely on the service to stay in touch with their loved ones during the holidays. Skype may have to work very, very hard to get these people happy again, however, the relief when the serivce is back up and running may be just enough to keep people satisfied.
To stay up to date on the problem, you can view Skype's Twitter stream here.
New African Elephant Species Discovered
[caption id="attachment_12860" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="Female African Savanna Elephants, Photo Credit: Ikiwaner"]
[/caption]
Recently, scientists have discovered a new species of elephant. It's not an entirely new discovery as we've seen them around, however, the discovery that it's a different species is quite new information. On Tuesday a paper was published in the PLoS Biology scientific journal that shows that African elephants are two species that separated millions of years ago.
"A surprising finding from our study is that the divergence of African savanna and forest elephants -- which some have argued to be two populations of the same species -- is about as ancient as the divergence of Asian elephants and mammoths," according to the authors, who are made up of researchers from the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. "Given their ancient divergence, we conclude that African savanna and forest elephants should be classified as two distinct species."
Modern savanna or bush elephants weigh about twice as much as their relatives that live in forests. They also have significantly different body shapes. The savanna breed stands almost a meter taller than the forest elephants.
This seems like something that would be pretty obvious to scientists, however, such a discovery is in actuality pretty hard to make. It called for mitochondrial DNA analysis to prove that forest elephants can now be known as Loxodonta cyclotis and savanna elephants will be known as Loxodonta Africana.
You can read the study here.
The lead author of the paper, David Reich said, "We'll need to rewrite some basic biology textbooks." Reich is also a geneticist with Havard Medical School.
The two species can, and have, interbred, however researchers have said that such pairings are rare in the wild. Also, hybrids produced in such matings usually don't pass on their genes.
The reason for this may be that the hybrid males are smaller than their savanna relatives. Elephant females usually only mate with the largest bulls. This leaves the two populations distinctly separate.
Via, CNN
[/caption]Recently, scientists have discovered a new species of elephant. It's not an entirely new discovery as we've seen them around, however, the discovery that it's a different species is quite new information. On Tuesday a paper was published in the PLoS Biology scientific journal that shows that African elephants are two species that separated millions of years ago.
"A surprising finding from our study is that the divergence of African savanna and forest elephants -- which some have argued to be two populations of the same species -- is about as ancient as the divergence of Asian elephants and mammoths," according to the authors, who are made up of researchers from the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. "Given their ancient divergence, we conclude that African savanna and forest elephants should be classified as two distinct species."
Modern savanna or bush elephants weigh about twice as much as their relatives that live in forests. They also have significantly different body shapes. The savanna breed stands almost a meter taller than the forest elephants.
This seems like something that would be pretty obvious to scientists, however, such a discovery is in actuality pretty hard to make. It called for mitochondrial DNA analysis to prove that forest elephants can now be known as Loxodonta cyclotis and savanna elephants will be known as Loxodonta Africana.
You can read the study here.
The lead author of the paper, David Reich said, "We'll need to rewrite some basic biology textbooks." Reich is also a geneticist with Havard Medical School.
The two species can, and have, interbred, however researchers have said that such pairings are rare in the wild. Also, hybrids produced in such matings usually don't pass on their genes.
The reason for this may be that the hybrid males are smaller than their savanna relatives. Elephant females usually only mate with the largest bulls. This leaves the two populations distinctly separate.
Via, CNN
الثلاثاء، 21 ديسمبر 2010
FCC Approves “Net Neutrality” Rules
The Federal Communications Commission has approved "high-level rules of the road." These rules have been designed to ensure that internet service providers grant everyone equal access to the web.
The vote was 3 to 2, with Democrats and Republicans on both sides, respectively. Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat, signed off on the rules, but wasn't completely satisfied with them. He calls them a "fist step in the right direction."
"In my book, today's action could have, and should have, gone further," he said. "Going as far as I would have liked was, however, not in the cards."
He said that the rules won't absolutely prevent broadband providers from "pay for priority", for example. Pay for priority means giving people faster service if they can pay for it. It can also mean giving a business faster internet than other ones, for example, if you had a friend at the service provider you could find a way to slow down your competitor's internet.
However, the regulations do say that these practices "generally violate" nondiscrimination rules.
According to CNN, Commissioner Robert McDowell, a Republican, called the vote a "radical step" and said it puts the FCC "on a collision course" with the courts, which he predicted will throw the rules out.
McDowell said that "nothing is broken in the internet-access market that needs fixing."
In a written statement, President Barack Obama called the rules an important part of his administration's goals. These goals are to advance American innovation, economic growth and job creation.
"Today's decision will help preserve the free and open nature of the Internet while encouraging innovation, protecting consumer choice, and defending free speech," Obama said.
This aligns with his promises as a candidate to support open-internet policies.
Despite the commission approving the rules, the possibility still remains for Congress to act to amend or weaken them. There are lawmakers that are considering legislation could repeal the rules.
The vote was 3 to 2, with Democrats and Republicans on both sides, respectively. Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat, signed off on the rules, but wasn't completely satisfied with them. He calls them a "fist step in the right direction."
"In my book, today's action could have, and should have, gone further," he said. "Going as far as I would have liked was, however, not in the cards."
He said that the rules won't absolutely prevent broadband providers from "pay for priority", for example. Pay for priority means giving people faster service if they can pay for it. It can also mean giving a business faster internet than other ones, for example, if you had a friend at the service provider you could find a way to slow down your competitor's internet.
However, the regulations do say that these practices "generally violate" nondiscrimination rules.
According to CNN, Commissioner Robert McDowell, a Republican, called the vote a "radical step" and said it puts the FCC "on a collision course" with the courts, which he predicted will throw the rules out.
McDowell said that "nothing is broken in the internet-access market that needs fixing."
In a written statement, President Barack Obama called the rules an important part of his administration's goals. These goals are to advance American innovation, economic growth and job creation.
"Today's decision will help preserve the free and open nature of the Internet while encouraging innovation, protecting consumer choice, and defending free speech," Obama said.
This aligns with his promises as a candidate to support open-internet policies.
Despite the commission approving the rules, the possibility still remains for Congress to act to amend or weaken them. There are lawmakers that are considering legislation could repeal the rules.
Emirates Palace Hotel Didn’t Actually Pay $11 Million for Christmas Tree
The Emirates Palace Hotel has received some criticism for it's extremely ostentatious Christmas tree. The tree has received world-wide media attention due to it's net worth of over 11 million dollars. This makes for a very valuable tree. The reason this tree is worth so much is because of the jewelry that adorns it. It's simply covered in necklaces, bracelets, pearls, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires etc.
The idea for the record-breaking tree came from the marketing department from the hotel. They wished to do something special to mark the hotel's fifth anniversary, Janet Abrahams, the executive director of sales and marketing said, according to TheNational.
"For some reason, someone had decided to publish incorrectly that we spent $11 million, and people around the world thought that maybe that money could be spent in a better way," Abrahams said. "Those are false reports, and we obviously didn't spend that."
What actually happened was that Jewelry seller who has an outlet in the hotel was the one responsible for the decorations. The jewels are to be returned to the jeweler when the tree gets taken down in the new year.
The hotel only purchased the 40-foot-tall tree that they purchase every year. This was misunderstood. Many people got angry at the idea that a hotel would spend 11 million dollars on something like a Christmas tree instead of doing something better with the money. It all turned out alright, however, when it was discovered that the hotel did not spend that much money on the tree, and that the jewels were not purchased by the hotel, they were only loaned to it.
The idea for the record-breaking tree came from the marketing department from the hotel. They wished to do something special to mark the hotel's fifth anniversary, Janet Abrahams, the executive director of sales and marketing said, according to TheNational.
"For some reason, someone had decided to publish incorrectly that we spent $11 million, and people around the world thought that maybe that money could be spent in a better way," Abrahams said. "Those are false reports, and we obviously didn't spend that."
What actually happened was that Jewelry seller who has an outlet in the hotel was the one responsible for the decorations. The jewels are to be returned to the jeweler when the tree gets taken down in the new year.
The hotel only purchased the 40-foot-tall tree that they purchase every year. This was misunderstood. Many people got angry at the idea that a hotel would spend 11 million dollars on something like a Christmas tree instead of doing something better with the money. It all turned out alright, however, when it was discovered that the hotel did not spend that much money on the tree, and that the jewels were not purchased by the hotel, they were only loaned to it.
الاثنين، 20 ديسمبر 2010
New iPhone App Translates Foreign Words at the Point of a Camera
[caption id="attachment_12840" align="alignleft" width="231" caption="Word Lens"]
[/caption]
Your smart phone will has become even more usefull than it already is. An iPhone app that was released a few days ago called Word Lens allows you to translate foreign words on the go. How, you might ask? Well, you just point your phone's camera at a sign written in a different language and it translates it for you.
In the few days that this app has been on the market, it has already become widely popular. It is free to download and comes with a free language pack for translations between English and Spanish. However, each additional language pack will cost you $5. That's still not very expensive considering the time and money it can save you.
The creator of the application, Otavior Good, said in a video on the company website, "A few years ago I was in another country, and there was a sign I couldn't read and I thought, 'Why doesn't my cellphone do this?'"
"So I decided to make a translator."
This led up to the app that will allow travelers to easily know what signs are talking about, and not have to rely on translation books that may or may not help you along. With this app you just point your camera at it and you're good to go.
The accuracy of the technology hasn't been thoroughly proven, but it should be sufficient to get you along easily enough.
I'm sure that this app will gain millions of downloads and will lead to similar technologies being developed.
[/caption]Your smart phone will has become even more usefull than it already is. An iPhone app that was released a few days ago called Word Lens allows you to translate foreign words on the go. How, you might ask? Well, you just point your phone's camera at a sign written in a different language and it translates it for you.
In the few days that this app has been on the market, it has already become widely popular. It is free to download and comes with a free language pack for translations between English and Spanish. However, each additional language pack will cost you $5. That's still not very expensive considering the time and money it can save you.
The creator of the application, Otavior Good, said in a video on the company website, "A few years ago I was in another country, and there was a sign I couldn't read and I thought, 'Why doesn't my cellphone do this?'"
"So I decided to make a translator."
This led up to the app that will allow travelers to easily know what signs are talking about, and not have to rely on translation books that may or may not help you along. With this app you just point your camera at it and you're good to go.
The accuracy of the technology hasn't been thoroughly proven, but it should be sufficient to get you along easily enough.
I'm sure that this app will gain millions of downloads and will lead to similar technologies being developed.
Foursquare Adds Photos and Comments to iPhone App
[caption id="attachment_12834" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Foursquare iPhone App"]
[/caption]
Foursquare has updated its iPhone app. With this update, the company brings two new features that will make the application signifigantly more useful and social. These new features allow you to do more with foursquare. You don't just check in to some place and that's that. You get to share your experience and information through photos and comments. This is a big step forward for Foursquare and is worthy of being applauded.
These new features are very easy to use. When you check in to a place you will be prompted to add a photo in the same way you are already prompted to add a "shout" with each check in. Even if you choose not to add a photo when you first check in, you can still do so afterwards. This photo will then be added to the check in detail page. This page is also where you and others can comment on your check in.
Photos and comments will mostly be shared between you and your friends, not just to any random strangers. Your Foursquare photos will only be visible to your Foursquare friends and the other social networks that you share with them. This will keep your privacy to a higher degree than you may expect. Also, commens will only be visible to your Foursquare friends. This is probably due to the company wanting people to have an incentive to join the network.
If you associate photos with tips or venues, they will be public to all users. This is done with the intention of adding richer content to your location choices.
Overall, the new features seem to very well respect your privacy and add a whole new side of usability to Foursquare.
[/caption]Foursquare has updated its iPhone app. With this update, the company brings two new features that will make the application signifigantly more useful and social. These new features allow you to do more with foursquare. You don't just check in to some place and that's that. You get to share your experience and information through photos and comments. This is a big step forward for Foursquare and is worthy of being applauded.
These new features are very easy to use. When you check in to a place you will be prompted to add a photo in the same way you are already prompted to add a "shout" with each check in. Even if you choose not to add a photo when you first check in, you can still do so afterwards. This photo will then be added to the check in detail page. This page is also where you and others can comment on your check in.
Photos and comments will mostly be shared between you and your friends, not just to any random strangers. Your Foursquare photos will only be visible to your Foursquare friends and the other social networks that you share with them. This will keep your privacy to a higher degree than you may expect. Also, commens will only be visible to your Foursquare friends. This is probably due to the company wanting people to have an incentive to join the network.
If you associate photos with tips or venues, they will be public to all users. This is done with the intention of adding richer content to your location choices.
Overall, the new features seem to very well respect your privacy and add a whole new side of usability to Foursquare.
Lunar Eclipse Tonight for North America
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="232" caption="A Lunar Eclipse, Photo Credit: Steev"]
[/caption]
There will be a complete lunar eclipse tonight. It will be visible across North America. It will be just in time for the longest night of the year. This year will be the first time since 1638 that a lunar eclipse has fallen on the winter solstice.
The lunar eclipse will be caused by the Earth's shadow blotting out the moon. It will happen at about 1:30 AM EST (10:30 PM PST). During "totality", which is when the Earth is directly between the moon and the sun, the moon will be colored a rusty orange-red for 72 minutes. This will occur between approximately 2:40 AM to 3:50 AM EST (11:40 to 12:50 AM PST).
The lunar eclipse will be best visible to viewers in North America as watchers in Europe, West Africa and South America will have their experience interrupted by sunrise.
What happens in a lunar eclipse is actually very interesting. First, when the Earth's shadow is only partly covering the moon, you see an almost black shadow on the moon. However, during totality the sunlight filtering through the Earth's atmosphere casts a ruddy glow on the moon. This makes the moon look, for a little while, almost like our very own planet Mars.
If you were an observer standing on the moon, looking back at the Earth, you would see a ring of red light circling the Earth. This light would mark all the sunrises and sunset across the planet.
If you want to skip the waiting, and want to only catch a little glimpse of the eclipse in its prime, you can go outside at 3:17 AM EST (12:17 AM PST). This is where the moon will be in the most shadow and will be displaying it's greatest coppery red color.
[/caption]There will be a complete lunar eclipse tonight. It will be visible across North America. It will be just in time for the longest night of the year. This year will be the first time since 1638 that a lunar eclipse has fallen on the winter solstice.
The lunar eclipse will be caused by the Earth's shadow blotting out the moon. It will happen at about 1:30 AM EST (10:30 PM PST). During "totality", which is when the Earth is directly between the moon and the sun, the moon will be colored a rusty orange-red for 72 minutes. This will occur between approximately 2:40 AM to 3:50 AM EST (11:40 to 12:50 AM PST).
The lunar eclipse will be best visible to viewers in North America as watchers in Europe, West Africa and South America will have their experience interrupted by sunrise.
What happens in a lunar eclipse is actually very interesting. First, when the Earth's shadow is only partly covering the moon, you see an almost black shadow on the moon. However, during totality the sunlight filtering through the Earth's atmosphere casts a ruddy glow on the moon. This makes the moon look, for a little while, almost like our very own planet Mars.
If you were an observer standing on the moon, looking back at the Earth, you would see a ring of red light circling the Earth. This light would mark all the sunrises and sunset across the planet.
If you want to skip the waiting, and want to only catch a little glimpse of the eclipse in its prime, you can go outside at 3:17 AM EST (12:17 AM PST). This is where the moon will be in the most shadow and will be displaying it's greatest coppery red color.
الأحد، 19 ديسمبر 2010
Lil Wayne Gets out of Prison and Changes Someone's Life
[caption id="attachment_12823" align="alignleft" width="340" caption="Ronda"]
[/caption]
Lil Wayne has, as you may know, been out of prison since early November. He has since then helped another person gain their freedom. This freedom, is not, however, from prison. This freedom is the ability to move again.
While he was serving his eight months in New York's Riker's Island on a weapons charge he was getting letters sent to him from a woman named Ronda. She wrote to him telling him to keep his head up and to stay encouraged. She talked a lot about herself and her family. Here is what she said in a video that was posted on Lil Wayne's site, WeezyThanxsYou.com:
“The first time I wrote Lil Wayne I just let him know that I support him, and I'm gonna keep writing him until he comes out. Just giving him a lot of encouragement...[letting] him know that God is with him and... to keep his head up and stay encouraged,” Ronda, of Williamstown, New Jersey, explains in a video posted on Wayne’s site. “I talked a lot about my family, myself and especially my mom and dad.”
After she had been sending letters for a while she received a phone call from Wayne. At first she was very surprised, however, she soon began having a conversation with him. In the middle of this he asked whether she and her dad had gotten her mom a wheelchair yet. She told him that she hadn't and he replied, "Well, if you didn't get it, don't worry about it. I'm going to take care of it."
Ronda's mother Evelyn says that about 10-15 years ago her knees started getting weaker. Ever since then she hasn't been able to walk.
When Lil Wayne heard about this from someone who had been so kind to him when he had been in such a bad situation, it must have caused him to want to help. He sent Evelyn a Quantum 6000 wheelchair. This has allowed Evelyn to get up and about for the first time in years, according to Ronda.
“I see such a difference in her; she has this get-up-and-go in her now. She’s mobile,” Ronda said. “When she’s actually up and about,” she went on, pausing with emotion, “it’s like….it’s just a good thing to see.”
[/caption]Lil Wayne has, as you may know, been out of prison since early November. He has since then helped another person gain their freedom. This freedom, is not, however, from prison. This freedom is the ability to move again.
While he was serving his eight months in New York's Riker's Island on a weapons charge he was getting letters sent to him from a woman named Ronda. She wrote to him telling him to keep his head up and to stay encouraged. She talked a lot about herself and her family. Here is what she said in a video that was posted on Lil Wayne's site, WeezyThanxsYou.com:
“The first time I wrote Lil Wayne I just let him know that I support him, and I'm gonna keep writing him until he comes out. Just giving him a lot of encouragement...[letting] him know that God is with him and... to keep his head up and stay encouraged,” Ronda, of Williamstown, New Jersey, explains in a video posted on Wayne’s site. “I talked a lot about my family, myself and especially my mom and dad.”
After she had been sending letters for a while she received a phone call from Wayne. At first she was very surprised, however, she soon began having a conversation with him. In the middle of this he asked whether she and her dad had gotten her mom a wheelchair yet. She told him that she hadn't and he replied, "Well, if you didn't get it, don't worry about it. I'm going to take care of it."
Ronda's mother Evelyn says that about 10-15 years ago her knees started getting weaker. Ever since then she hasn't been able to walk.
When Lil Wayne heard about this from someone who had been so kind to him when he had been in such a bad situation, it must have caused him to want to help. He sent Evelyn a Quantum 6000 wheelchair. This has allowed Evelyn to get up and about for the first time in years, according to Ronda.
“I see such a difference in her; she has this get-up-and-go in her now. She’s mobile,” Ronda said. “When she’s actually up and about,” she went on, pausing with emotion, “it’s like….it’s just a good thing to see.”
السبت، 18 ديسمبر 2010
You Use Phones, Phones Use You - App Users Beware
[caption id="attachment_12818" align="alignleft" width="215" caption="Current Location Use"]
[/caption]
Many Americans use smart phones on a daily basis. What they don't know is that smart phones also use them. Phones such as the Apple iPhone or Google's Android devices regularly share people's personal information via many various applications without their knowledge or knowing consent.
These devices share such information as their user's current location, age, gender, full name and sometimes a phone's unique ID number. This information is usually shared with advertisers.
According to a test done by the Wall Street Journal, 56 out of 100 popular smartphone applications from both iPhone and Android devices transmitted the phone's unique device ID to companies without the user's consent or knowledge. Forty-seven apps transmittted their location in some way. Five of them sent age, gender and a few other personal details to outside companies. These statistics should be more than enough to make most people worry about their privacy. However, in recent times, people have become accostumed to having their lives and their personal details become more and more public. Most people aren't really worried about how this can affect them.
The unique ID number in an iPhone is called a UDID, a Unique Device Identifier. It can't be blocked or deleted, hence it is often used to track phone users.
"The great thing about mobile is you can't clear a UDID like you can a cookie," says Meghan O'Holleran of Traffic Marketplace, an Internet ad network that is expanding into mobile apps. "That's how we track everything."
Ms. O'Holleran says Traffic Marketplace, a unit of Epic Media Group, monitors smartphone users whenever it can. "We watch what apps you download, how frequently you use them, how much time you spend on them, how deep into the app you go," she says. She says the data is aggregated and not linked to an individual.
This shows that people should become more aware of the information they give their electronic devices, especially the ones that can be tracked and traced.
[/caption]Many Americans use smart phones on a daily basis. What they don't know is that smart phones also use them. Phones such as the Apple iPhone or Google's Android devices regularly share people's personal information via many various applications without their knowledge or knowing consent.
These devices share such information as their user's current location, age, gender, full name and sometimes a phone's unique ID number. This information is usually shared with advertisers.
According to a test done by the Wall Street Journal, 56 out of 100 popular smartphone applications from both iPhone and Android devices transmitted the phone's unique device ID to companies without the user's consent or knowledge. Forty-seven apps transmittted their location in some way. Five of them sent age, gender and a few other personal details to outside companies. These statistics should be more than enough to make most people worry about their privacy. However, in recent times, people have become accostumed to having their lives and their personal details become more and more public. Most people aren't really worried about how this can affect them.
The unique ID number in an iPhone is called a UDID, a Unique Device Identifier. It can't be blocked or deleted, hence it is often used to track phone users.
"The great thing about mobile is you can't clear a UDID like you can a cookie," says Meghan O'Holleran of Traffic Marketplace, an Internet ad network that is expanding into mobile apps. "That's how we track everything."
Ms. O'Holleran says Traffic Marketplace, a unit of Epic Media Group, monitors smartphone users whenever it can. "We watch what apps you download, how frequently you use them, how much time you spend on them, how deep into the app you go," she says. She says the data is aggregated and not linked to an individual.
This shows that people should become more aware of the information they give their electronic devices, especially the ones that can be tracked and traced.
الجمعة، 17 ديسمبر 2010
Facebook Rolling Out New Features: Facial Recognition
[caption id="attachment_12811" align="alignleft" width="202" caption="Facebook Photos"]
[/caption]
Facebook will be rolling out some new features in the next couple of weeks. One of these new features will be the addition of facial recognition tagging suggestions. This means that when you upload photos Facebook's new algorithm will analyze the photos to see if it finds any matches in your friends. When it is pretty certain it will give you these tagging suggestions and you will either be able to set the tags or to deny them.
This new feature is an addition to the many new features that Facebook has, and will, be adding to it's photo browsing experience. Some of the other features that have been added recently are larger thumbnails, page-free album viewing, group tagging, high resolution and drag-and-drop photos.
Facial recognition is definitely a big step forward for Facebook. It will take a lot of work out of the tagging experience. For most people, tagging is simply too tedious. Facial recognition tagging will take a lot of work out of the experience, and may make people more willing to tag their friends.
Privacy is definitely a concern for some people looking at this new feature. Facebook has addressed this concern by allowing its users to opt out of the "Suggest photos of me to friends" feature. This should calm down all of the privacy advocates and make people more willing to accept Facebook's changes.
A couple days ago when Facebook accidentally leaked some new features, we got a sneak peek of some other up-coming changes. One of the greatest of these is a lightroom view of photos. This allows users to have a nicer view of their more special photos. It also allows photographers to publish their photos and know that they can be seen in an artistic light.
[/caption]Facebook will be rolling out some new features in the next couple of weeks. One of these new features will be the addition of facial recognition tagging suggestions. This means that when you upload photos Facebook's new algorithm will analyze the photos to see if it finds any matches in your friends. When it is pretty certain it will give you these tagging suggestions and you will either be able to set the tags or to deny them.
This new feature is an addition to the many new features that Facebook has, and will, be adding to it's photo browsing experience. Some of the other features that have been added recently are larger thumbnails, page-free album viewing, group tagging, high resolution and drag-and-drop photos.
Facial recognition is definitely a big step forward for Facebook. It will take a lot of work out of the tagging experience. For most people, tagging is simply too tedious. Facial recognition tagging will take a lot of work out of the experience, and may make people more willing to tag their friends.
Privacy is definitely a concern for some people looking at this new feature. Facebook has addressed this concern by allowing its users to opt out of the "Suggest photos of me to friends" feature. This should calm down all of the privacy advocates and make people more willing to accept Facebook's changes.
A couple days ago when Facebook accidentally leaked some new features, we got a sneak peek of some other up-coming changes. One of the greatest of these is a lightroom view of photos. This allows users to have a nicer view of their more special photos. It also allows photographers to publish their photos and know that they can be seen in an artistic light.