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Monday, December 31, 2007

Business News

The Best Money-Saving Technologies of 2007
Here are some of the technologies that gained prominence in 2007 and that are considered to be among the best at helping companies retain their hard-earned profits.
Man picks up NYC garbage, dusts it off and sells it for $100 - really!
What does he sell? Garbage. New York City picked-out-of-the-gutter garbage. Rubbish, you say? It may well be, but it's a lucrative business.
Digg This: Deal or No Deal?
CEO Jay Adelson discusses rumors that the thriving content-sharing site is up for sale and its plans for 2008
How to Safeguard Your Privacy Online
I can live with the fact that national security concerns may warrant some invasion of privacy ...I am not comfortable giving up personal information as to how I think for the sake of companies and their marketing departments serving me relevant advertising.
Nanosolar’s Breakthrough - Solar Now Cheaper than Coal » Celsias
They [Nanosolar] have successfully created a solar coating that is the most cost-efficient solar energy source ever. ...This makes, for the first time in history, solar power cheaper than burning coal.
Home Prices Post Record Decline, S&P: U.S. Home Prices Fall By Record In October For 23rd Straight Month Of Deceleration - CBS News
U.S. home prices fell in October for the 10th consecutive month, posting their largest drop since early 1991, according to a key index
Study: Ads in online shows work better than ads on TV
Good news for TV networks: online ads work. As TV shows continue their lengthy migration onto the web, new research finds that the people watching those shows actually pay more attention to both advertising and content when they watch online.
Diversity Training Backfires
Employers pay a lot of money for diversity training and sexual harassment training, but often the training backfires and blows up in the face of the employer that paid for it.
U.S. Ruling Backs Benefit Cut at 65 in Retiree Plans
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Wednesday that employers could reduce or eliminate health benefits for retirees when they turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare.
36 Startup Tips: From Software Engineering to PR and More!
This is a collection of startup tips covering software engineering, infrastructure, PR, conferences, legal and finance. They describe best practices for an early-stage startup.
Major Retailers Feel the Squeeze From Consumers - New York Times
As the nation’s merchants began poring -- or weeping -- over holiday sales receipts Wednesday, a surprising pattern emerged: even brands that for years have inspired the undying devotion of shoppers felt the pinch of tightening wallets.

Posted by KenW at 10:07 AM
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Saturday, December 29, 2007

Science and Technology News

The technology with impact 2007
The BBC News technology team members pick out their favourite technology of 2007.
Hospitals Look to Nuclear Tool to Fight Cancer
There is a new nuclear arms race under way — in hospitals. Medical centers are rushing to turn nuclear particle accelerators, formerly used only for exotic physics research, into the latest weapons against cancer.
Shower-ready suit to go on sale in Japan
...business suits, which can be washed in a warm shower and require no ironing...
The Spectrum Swindle
On January 24 a strange transaction will take place. At least $4.6 billion dollars will change hands between one or more firms and the FCC. The likely payoff is estimated to be somewhere between $10 and $30 billion.
Time is running out - literally, says scientist
Scientists have come up with the radical suggestion that the universe's end may come not with a bang but a standstill - that time could be literally running out and could, one day, stop altogether.
Google-powered mobile phones to make a February debut?
Right now, it's what sits inside the phone that is most important.
Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs of 2007
Welcome to the first annual Wired News rundown of the year's 10 most important scientific breakthroughs. 2007 was an amazing year for science.
Samsung unveils 31-inch organic screen
Samsung ...said on Thursday it had developed a 31-inch ultra-thin organic screen, raising the stakes in an accelerating worldwide race for organic displays.
Breakthrough battery for electric cars?
Toshiba promises 'energy solution' with nearly full recharge in 5 minutes
Open Source Living
Welcome to Open Source Living, an archive of the Web's best Open Source software, applications and references for a zero-cost / top quality digital experience.
The Best Money-Saving Technologies of 2007
Here are some of the technologies that gained prominence in 2007 and that are considered to be among the best at helping companies retain their hard-earned profits.
Russian GPS alternative near completion, Putin and dog celebrate
The GPS competitor ...is now theoretically capable of providing coverage to the entire Russian territory
The Pogies: Envelope, Please
...this award was created to celebrate the tiny glints of cleverness and innovation that sometimes appear in consumer electronics. We award 10 Pogie trophies — not to products, but to individual features within them.
Largest diamond in galaxy predicts future of solar system
Astronomers discovered the largest diamond of all times in space. The weight of the precious stone reportedly makes up ten billion trillion trillion carats or five million trillion trillion pounds).
Merry Christmahanukwanzaakkah: How to Set Up Your New Computer
Trick out your new rig with our favorite system tweaks and downloads for Windows XP, Vista, Mac, and Linux.
Everex gPC: Full Review - Reviews by PC Magazine
Aside from being cheap and unaffected by Windows viruses, there's not a lot to recommend in the Everex gPC.
'Test tube universe' hints at unifying theory
A "universe in a test tube" that could be used to assess theories of everything has been created by physicists.
The Best Notebooks Concept Ideas
The ranking chosen for this top [10] is based on how cool these concepts are but also on how realistic their design is, because in our view it is more important that such a machine to be functional and reliable, rather than just futuristic looking.
» Best picture quality with 6 megapixels!
A digital camera with 12 million pixels is better than one with 6 million. ‘That is correct’ is what you would probably say because you’ve always heard more pixels are better. It’s not true(!!!)

Posted by KenW at 8:02 AM
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Friday, December 28, 2007

Internet News

Open Source Living
Welcome to Open Source Living, an archive of the Web's best Open Source software, applications and references for a zero-cost / top quality digital experience.
Digg This: Deal or No Deal?
CEO Jay Adelson discusses rumors that the thriving content-sharing site is up for sale and its plans for 2008
How to Safeguard Your Privacy Online
I can live with the fact that national security concerns may warrant some invasion of privacy ...I am not comfortable giving up personal information as to how I think for the sake of companies and their marketing departments serving me relevant advertising.
Google Thinks It Knows Your Friends
“Reader and Talk are Friends!” That’s how Google announced earlier this month on one of its corporate blogs the expansion of the sharing features in Google Reader, the company’s service for viewing blogs. The feature didn’t win Google a lot of friends.
Google-powered mobile phones to make a February debut?
Right now, it's what sits inside the phone that is most important.
Techland Survey: More online ads, free content «
A new study reveals that the majority of consumers would rather be bombarded with online ads than pay for content on the Web.
Blogging’s a Low-Cost, High Return Marketing Tool - New York Times
To its true believers at small businesses, it is a low-cost, high-return tool that can handle marketing and public relations, raise the company profile and build the brand.
Merry Christmahanukwanzaakkah: How to Set Up Your New Computer
Trick out your new rig with our favorite system tweaks and downloads for Windows XP, Vista, Mac, and Linux.
kwout | A brilliant way to quote
"kwout" is a way you quote a part of a web page as an image with an image map.
Top 10 Worst Computer Worms of All Time
Let's take a look at the last 20 years to see which of these worms have stood out from among the rest.

Posted by KenW at 7:42 AM
Edited on: Friday, December 28, 2007 7:44 AM
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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Society Culture News

Celebrities Without Makeup
More than two dozen pictures of celebrities without their makeup and some are just celebrities having a bad day… a really bad day.
Best Internet Marketing Blog Posts of 2007
"I present you my favorite timeless posts of 2007, complete with descriptions about each blog post..."
gethuman 500 database from Paul English
How to get a human on the phone at 500 major companies.
Year in review: Social networking gets its geek on
For most of 2007, buzz in the social-networking world could be summed up in two syllables: Facebook.
School To Continue Electric Shock
State officials are allowing a controversial special education school to use electric shock treatments on students for another year.
Lakota Indians Withdraw Treaties Signed With U.S. 150 Years Ago
The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States. "We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,'' long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means said.
Google ruining Christmas? Get a grip
I’ve been trying to remain calm in the face of all the Google Reader hysteria about shared items and so on
NBC gets feisty with strike-period promos
NBC’s Vince Manze noted to Variety that the network will have more original, scripted programming during the first quarter of 2008 than it did in that period of 2007.
Pot Prohibition Costs Taxpayers More Than $40 Billion...
Marijuana prohibition costs US taxpayers nearly $42 billion dollars per year in criminal justice costs and in lost tax revenues, according to an economic analysis released this week.
Kid suit sets off storm
The Pennsylvania couple suing an 8-year-old and his father over a January skiing accident have been the victim of "an electronic tar and feathering" since stories about the case began circulating on the Internet, the couple's attorney said...
Bank ATMs converted to steal bank customer IDs
A team of organized criminals are stealing ATM card numbers by adding a card reader to the ATMs.
Marijuana Is Number One Cash Crop In U.S.
Marijuana Policy Project executive director Rob Kampia interviewed on MSNBC..., regarding a new study showing marijuana is the number one cash crop in the United States.
Teens find newborn alive in Queens
Four skateboarders found a crying infant girl - the umbilical cord still attached - wrapped in a blanket and left atop a trash bin Monday night in Queens, authorities said.
Revealed! the black sheep effect in kids
Children nurse a lot of prejudices and often come down heavily on disloyalty, says a new study that has implications for the understanding of peer victimisation among the young.

Posted by KenW at 11:20 AM
Edited on: Thursday, December 27, 2007 11:22 AM
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Science and Technology News

Scientists say mummified dinosaur reveals surprises
A partially mummified hadrosaur discovered by a teenager in North Dakota may be the most complete dinosaur ever found, with intact skin that shows evidence of stripes and perhaps soft tissue, researchers said on Monday.
Barrier Reef could be gone within 30 years: study
A new study predicts the world's coral reef systems, including Queensland's Great Barrier Reef, could collapse within 30 years if the effects of global warming are not reversed.
Scientists who studied 'dolphinese' claim they are closer to humans than we thought
Scientists are teaching themselves to speak dolphinese.
The Risks and Rewards of Skipping Meals
People often miss meals because they get busy or are trying to lose weight. But how you skip meals, and the amount you eat at your next meal, can affect your overall health.
Ancient trees found using 200 year old maps
Maps more than 200 years old are being used to help find and protect Britain's natural treasure house of ancient trees.
Medical myths that even doctors believe
Researchers in the United States selected seven medical beliefs, long assumed to be true by both doctors and the general public and then searched for evidence to support or refute each of these claims.
FBI Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics
The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion effort to build the world's largest computer database of peoples' physical characteristics, a project that would give the government unprecedented abilities to identify individuals in the United States and abroad.
Warwick University scientists invent colour Sudoku
A colourful new way to make Sudoku more addictive, and easier, has come from scientists who are trying to make computers more creative.
The secret to winning at rock, paper, scissors
Scientists believe they have worked out the secret to winning at paper, scissors, stone.
Whale 'missing link' discovered
The whale is descended from a deer-like animal that lived 48 million years ago, according to fossil evidence.

Posted by KenW at 6:13 AM
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Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Good News

LAist: Extra, Extra: The Good News Edition
Good news in Los Angeles
Politics aside, Russian result is good news for investors
...the victory of Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in the recent parliamentary election and the likelihood of his protege, Dmitri Medvedev, becoming president in March 2008, have improved the risk-reward balance for investors.
2007 the good: vitamin D and one Hershey's Kiss
The past 12 months brought a mix of nutrition stories to the forefront. ...[this] last column of the year looks back at 2007's nutrition headlines. Here's a recap.
Scientists Publish Good News for Green Turtles Long-Term...
A new study shows that long-term protection of the sea turtles' nesting beaches is successful in achieving increases in the green turtle populations.
Scientists Find Good News About Methane Bubbling Up From...
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have discovered that only one percent of this dissolved methane escapes into the air -- good news for the Earth's atmosphere.
'Good' News From Iraq, By Kevin Drum - CBS News
According to the Pentagon, new focus group findings in Iraq have produced some good news: it turns out that Iraqis have a number of "shared beliefs" about their current situation that "cut across sectarian lines." Great! And what is this good news?
Dog Saves Elderly Woman After Icy Fall
Mary Hartman's friends say a heroic hound is the reason she's still alive today. ... it was a 3-year-old dog's insistent nature that prevented Hartman from freezing to death as she laid on the frigid cement...
The Daily Breeze - Good news: Congress did little
Consider Congress' agreeably meager record:
Adopted son finds birth mom at his workplace
For years, Steve Flaig, a delivery truck driver at the Lowe's store on Plainfield Avenue, had searched for his birth mother. He found her working the cash register at the front of the store.
Some good news, some bad in 2007
This is the time of year to be grateful for what we have and to look back at what was accomplished. We also need to look forward to what we want to accomplish during the upcoming year.

Posted by KenW at 9:31 AM
Edited on: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 10:26 AM
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