Internet News Record

Internet News Record LibertyNewsprint.com U.S. Edition18/10/09 - 19/10/09

Washington divided, more trouble ahead forObama?By Ruben Ramirez (Front RowWashington)Submitted at 10/18/2009 9:53:52 PM

Washington insiders says thatnot since the 1890's have thepeople that represent the U.S.been so divided. From Gay rights

to Afghanistan lawmakers are atpolar opposites on issues that areon the Obama administration'sagenda. What's next? And, what'slikely to get the green light, and,in many cases, likely, the stopsign.

No winner for African leadership prizeBy Mark Tran (World news andcomment from the Guardian |guardian.co.uk)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:39:28 AM

Billionaire businessman sayscommittee considered a range ofcandidates – but could find nowinner A foundation set up to award a$5m (£3m) annual prize for goodgovernance in Africa has saidthere will be no winner this yearbecause it could not find anyoneto award it to. In a snub to recent ex-presidentsand heads of state in Africa, theMo Ibrahim Foundation- set up bythe billionaire businessman andphilanthropist - said its prizecommittee considered somecredible candidates, but could notselect a winner. "The pr ize commit tee isindependent of the board,"Ibrahim said. "It is the prize

committee's decision not to awarda prize this year and we entirelyrespect it. We made clear at thelaunch of the foundation that theremay be years when there is nowinner." The seven-member prizecommittee is chaired by KofiAnnan, the former UN secretarygeneral . I t includes Mart t iAhtisaari, the former president ofFinland and Nobel laureate,Mohamed ElBaradei, directorgeneral of the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency andNobel laurea te , and GraçaMachel, the former minister ofe d u c a t i o n a n d c u l t u r e i nM o z a m b i q u e . Launched in 2006, the MoIbrahim foundation was designedto encourage good governance inAfrica and to hand out the world'slargest annually awarded prize.T h e I b r a h i m p r i z e f o rachievement in African leadership

is worth $5m over 10 years and$200,000 for l i fe annual lythereaf ter . Past winners include FestusMogae, the former president ofBotswana, Joaquim Chissano, theformer president of Mozambique,and Nelson Mandela, who wasmade an honorary laureate inrecognition of his "extraordinaryleadership qualities". A Sudanese-born former BTengineer, Ibrahim moved toBritain in 1974 and created andsold two highly successfulcompanies including CeltelInternational earning himself apersonal fortune and turning manypeople into millionaires in theprocess. The Forbes rich list putshis wealth at $2.5bn, and heappears regularly at the top of listsof influential black Britons. Writing in today's Guardian,Ibrahim defended himself againstcritics who suggested he was

trying to "bribe leaders to do theirjobs". He said the critics "arefailing to take into account howcentral governance and leadershipare for Africa's development". He also argued that the lifelongnature of the award providedAfrican leaders with the option ofcontinuing a life in public serviceas they do not unlike leaders inthe west have the option ofjumping on the gravy train afteroffice. In conjunction with the award,the foundation publishes anannual index on the quality ofgovernance in every Africancountry, designed to promote andstimulate debate around theworld. Although no prize will begiven out this year, the plannedeven t s i n Da r e s Sa l aam,Tanzania, next month will goahead. They will include a discussionforum on issues critical to Africa's

future, including climate change,agriculture and food security andregional economic integration. "At a time when, we are seeingoverall progress in Africa, despiteworrying setbacks in somecountries, it is vital that Africanstakeholders and institutions cometogether to look for a way forwardon the major challenges facing theAfrican continent," Ibrahim said."I look forward to the discussionsaround this urgent Afr icanagenda." • African Union Mark Tran guardian.co.uk© GuardianNews & Media Limited 2009 |Use of this content is subject toour Terms & Conditions| MoreFeeds

'The Berlin wall was a monster'

By Rebecca Lovell, FrancescaPanetta, Christian Bennett,Kate Connolly (World newsand comment from theGuardian | guardian.co.uk)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:33:08 AM

Berlin wall 20 years on: In thefirst of five films Berlinersdescribe a city divided RebeccaL o v e l l F r a n c e s c a P a n e t t aChristian Bennett Kate Connolly

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(BloggingStocks)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:30:00 PM

2 Internet News Record

The First Draft: White House vs. Fox NewsBy David Alexander (FrontRow Washington)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:42:14 AM

In case you’ve not been payingattention, the White House isfeuding with Fox News. In the latest salvo, PresidentObama’s senior political adviserDavid Axelrod told ABC’s “ThisWeek” that Fox’s programming“is not really news” but “pushinga point of view.” White House Chief of StaffRahm Emanuel echoed thoseremarks on CNN’s “State of theUnion” program Sunday, sayingFox “is not a news organization so

much as it has a perspective.” The White House beganpushing back against Fox’sc o v e r a g e o f t h e O b a m aadministration a week ago afterthe president won the NobelPeace Prize. Embedded v ideo f rom& a m p ; a m p ; l t ; ahref=”http://www.cnn.com/video”mce_href=”http://www.cnn.com/vi d e o ” & a m p ; a m p ; g t ; C N NVideo&lt;/a&gt; White House communicationsdirector Anita Dunn noted thatc o n s e r v a t i v e s w h o w e r e“rejoicing” over Obama’s failure

to bring home the Olympicsseemed “quite bitter” about theNobel prize. “Fox News often operates almostas either as the research arm orthe communications arm of theRepublican Party,” she said. “What I think is … fair to sayabout Fox, and certainly it’s theway we view it, is that it really ismore a wing of the RepublicanParty,” Dunn said. Karl Rove, former PresidentGeorge W. Bush’s polit icaladviser, told “Fox News Sunday”the White House was dominatedby “Chicago-style politics.” “If you don’t like the questions

that are being asked by MajorGarrett or Wendell Goler or ChrisWal lace , then you t ry anddemonize Fox News,” Rove said. News Corp. Chairman RupertMurdoch saw a bright side to theWhite House attacks. “There were some strongremarks coming out of the WhiteHouse about one or two of thecommentators on Fox News,”Murdoch told an annual meetingof News Corp. shareholders. “Andall I can tell you is that it’stremendously increased theirratings.” Despite all the back and forthbetween the two sides, the White

House says Obama will acceptinterviews with the network. “We’re going to appear on theirshows,” Axelrod told ABC.“We’re going to participate, butunderstanding that they representa point of view.” For more Reuters political news,click here. Photo credit: Reuters/JimYoung (Obama with Emanuel andAxelrod at a meeting in Turkey inApril)

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3Internet News Record

Storm-hit Philippines in disease warningBy Justin McCurry (Worldnews and comment from theGuardian | guardian.co.uk)Submitted at 10/19/2009 3:42:07 AM

Exper t s warn o f dead lyepidemics in country still in thegrip of devastation caused by twopowerful storms In pictures: Storm survivorsface disease threat Survivors of two powerfulstorms that caused widespreaddestruction in the Philippines inrecent weeks are threatened byoutbreaks of potentially life-threatening diseases, as thecountry braces for another super-typhoon, health experts havewarned. Charity workers say disease andpoor sanitation could afflict largenumbers of people, many ofwhom are still waiting for medicaland other supplies from thegovernment and international aidorganisations. "It's a perfect storm becausethere's standing water, there'scholera, leptospirosis is endemicin the population and there's adisease called dengue which isspread by mosquitoes," said DrSean Keogh, emergency healthassessor for Merlin, a UK-basedmedical relief agency. More than 800 people died aftertropical s torm Ketsana andtyphoon Parma swept through thecountry in late September andearly this month. Ketsana caused the worstflooding in the capital, Manila, for

more than 40 years, while Parmalingered for a week, triggeringfloods and deadly landslides inmountainous areas of the mainisland of Luzon. A fortnight later, 340,000people are still living in crampedevacuation centres, while morethan 7 million people have beenaffected by the storms, localofficials said. Many areas are stillunderwater. Today, preparations were beingmade to evacuate areas threatenedby typhoon Lupit, which couldbrush the northern tip of Luzon byThursday, according to the USnavy's joint typhoon warningc e n t r e . L u p i t ' s f o r c e h a sintensified since the weekend,with sustained winds of 108mphand gusts of up to 130mph. Forecasters said they expectedthe typhoon, which would be the18 th b ig s to rm to h i t thePhilippines this year, to spareManila but warned that Lupitcould wreak havoc in northernregions. The reassurances failed to putManila residents at ease, however."We're scared. We haven't evenrecovered from the last floodingand here comes another typhoon,"said Gerardo Martin, who lives inthe city's suburbs. In the mountainous Cordilleraregion of Benguet province,police officers have been orderedto tell people to evacuate beforethe typhoon arrives, althoughsome residents are reportedlyrefusing to leave their homes.

About 290 people in the area,located 130 miles north of Manila,died in landslides triggered bytyphoon Parma. "Those in critical areas should beevacuated now that there is stillt ime," said the head of theweather service, Prisco Nilo. "Itwould be more difficult to rescuepeople in the middle of atyphoon." Health officials say that as manyas 1.7 million people living in andaround Manila risk exposure toleptospirosis , a waterbornedisease that has killed 96 peoplethis month. The disease, which can becontracted by wading throughfloodwater, can lead to kidneyfailure if left untreated. State-runhospitals say they are inundatedwith leptospirosis cases, withmany patients forced to sit onchairs as there are not enoughbeds. The disease has infected morethan 1,300 people, according tothe National Centre for DiseasePrevention and Control. Thehealth department plans to handout antibiotics to 1.3 millionpeople in high-risk areas. The government has packedtonnes of food aid and prepared afleet of helicopters to lift peopleto safety in Benguet and othernorthern regions, the nationaldisaster co-ordination councilsaid. The international communityhas pledged at least $100m(£61m) in food and o therhumani ta r i an a id .

"Most people are getting someclean water, but the problem isthat people are using the standingwater as a toilet and children areswimming through it ," saidKeogh, who recently visited twoof the most badly hit areas."People are walking in the waterall day. "All these things are comingtogether. There's another stormcoming, there's standing water,endemic disease and peoplewalking through the water, whichhas all sorts in – petrol, humanwaste – it's a complete mess. Thisis a communicable diseasedisas ter in the making." Keogh said he was concernedthat vital medical and othersupplies were not getting topeople in flooded areas quicklyenough, adding: "The death tollhas been modest for a disaster ofthis scale. But this is somethingthat can turn around and bitereally quickly. These diseases canspread like wildfire and once theyhave got a grip in the communityit's a real struggle to containthem." • Natural disasters and extremeweather • Philippines • Cholera Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk© GuardianNews & Media Limited 2009 |Use of this content is subject toour Terms & Conditions| MoreFeeds

Iran: IAEAtalks begin inViennaBy Julian Borger (World newsand comment from theGuardian | guardian.co.uk)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:51:05 AM

Talks under way in Vienna onfuture of uranium enrichment The meeting here in Vienna onthe fate of Iran's enriched uraniumhas started, amid lots of negativenoises coming from Tehran.Everything about this meeting,including team lists, has beenunder wraps until the last minute. The only senior-ish figureknown to be he re i s DanPoneman, the US deputy secretaryof energy, and a non-proliferationveteran from the Clinton era. There are reports that the heado f I r a n ' s A t o m i c E n e r g yOrganisation, Ali Akbar Salehi, isin town to step in if needed butthat has not been confirmed. No one knows how long it willlast, but it should be clear prettyquickly if there is anything tonegotiate at all. • Iran • International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA) • Nuclear weapons Julian Borger guardian.co.uk© GuardianNews & Media Limited 2009 |Use of this content is subject toour Terms & Conditions| MoreFeeds

Sony to finally create “Help Me Obi Wan Kenobi” interfaceBy John Biggs (CrunchGear)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:30:41 AM

Sony will show off a crazy 360

s t e r e o s c o p i c d i s p l a y t h a tessentially places a 3D figureinside a little tube and allows it tobe viewed from all angles. The

device, to be shown in Tokyo onOctober 22 (SER-KAAAAN! Goto this!) has a 96×128 resolutionand 24-bit color palette.

It’s just a prototype but this isthe kind of 3D I can stand behind.Or walk around. Or sit next to.

World/ Gadgets/


Afghanistan fraud inquiry 'strips Karzai ofoutright victory'By Jon Boone, EwenMacAskill, Mark Tran (Worldnews and comment from theGuardian | guardian.co.uk)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:47:25 AM

R e c o u n t b y U N - b a c k e dwatchdog ends with Afghanpresident's tally falling below the50% required for outright victory A UN-backed e l ec t ionwatchdog has declared invalidhundreds of thousands of votesfor Afghanistan's president in thed i s p u t e d A u g u s t e l e c t i o n ,apparently str ipping HamidKarzai of outright victory andsetting the stage for a secondround. After nearly two months ofinvestigations, the ElectoralComplaints Commission (ECC) –controlled by a majority of non-Afghans – found Karzai's totalhad fallen to 48.3%, according toan independent analysis. Heneeded 50% to clinch anotherterm in office. A separate election commissionthat backs the president will haveto endorse the findings and callfor a second-round vote to be heldin the next few weeks. "Now that we have the ECCorders , we expect the IEC[ I n d e p e n d e n t E l e c t i o nCommission] to implement thoseorders with haste and moveswiftly to issue the final certified

results or the need for a runoff asrequired by Afghan electorallaw," said Aleem Siddique, a UNspokesman in Kabul. According to the independentana ly s i s by t he US-basedDemocracy International, Karzai'sshare of the vote fell from 55% to48.3% after fraudulent votesidentified by the EEC werestr ipped away. The f iguresconfi rmed views expressedanonymously by several foreigndiplomats and election workersthat Karzai's share of the vote haddropped to around 48%. The president's closest rival,Abdullah Abdullah, gained fromhis preliminary tally of 28% to31.6%. A spokesman for the Karzaicampaign, Moen Marastial, saidthey would accept only the resultspublished by the IndependentElection Commission, an Afghan-led organisation thought to beheavily partisan in favour ofKarzai. "Nothing has been officiallyannounced so far. Only the ECChas said some votes should bedisqualified," Marastial said. He warned that the IEC coulddisagree the ECC's findings. "Idon't know whether they willaccept it or not. They have theright to work on the proceduresand formulas of the investigationsand after that they will decide

whether they will accept or not, ifit is according to internationalrules of investigation," he said. In its published findings, theECC stressed that the IEC wasconstitutionally bound to acceptits orders. Marastial said Karzaimay also refuse to accept theresults if there was evidence of" in te r fe rence in the f r audinvestigation". Karzai's supportershave several times suggested thatthe ECC is controlled by foreigninterests. Any refusal by the IEC toaccept the results would spark yetanother crisis for a country thathas been paralysed by the two-month delay in sett l ing theelection result. Ahead of theannouncement, pressure had beenmounting on Karzai to accept apossible second-round vote orwork out a deal to break thedeadlock. The tainted election hasundermined Karzai's credibilityand complicated Barack Obama'sdecision on whether to send moreUS troops to fight a resurgentTaliban. The White House has linked theAfghan polit ical crisis to adecision on sending extra UStroops to the country. RahmEmanuel, the White House chiefo f s t a f f , s a i d t h e U Sadministration could not make adecision about a request for

40,000 extra troops without acredible government in place inKabul. The administration has beendelaying a decision on extratroops because of a dividebetween members of the cabinet,a i d e s , g e n e r a l s a n d t h eintelligence services. Emanuel isamong those adv i s ing thepresident not to send more troops,partly because of the impact ondomestic politics. The war isincreasingly unpopular withAfghans. The US wants Karzai to acceptt h e r u n o f f t o e s t a b l i s h asemblance of legitimacy. TheObama administration has longprivately expressed its lack offaith in Karzai because of thewidespread corruption in hisgovernment. Karzai has a fortnight's windowto hold a runoff before wintersnow makes it impossible. • Hamid Karzai • United Nations • Afghanistan Jon Boone Ewen MacAskillMark Tran guardian.co.uk© GuardianNews & Media Limited 2009 |Use of this content is subject toour Terms & Conditions| MoreFeeds

iRobot (IRBT):From vacuums tomilitary defenseBy Steven Halpern(BloggingStocks)Submitted at 10/19/2009 10:30:00 AM

Filed under: Newsletters, Stocksto Buy "For a pure play in automatedand remotely controlled vehicles,cons ider iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT)," says Jim Powell. Here'sthe la tes t f rom his GlobalChanges & Opportunities Report. "The company is best known forits Roomba vacuum cleaners thatwander around the house bumpinginto everything and setting offsecurity alarms. "A similar product cleans thesurface of swimming pools.iRobot also makes automated mailand product delivery carts forbusinesses. Continue reading iRobot( IRBT) : From vacuums tomi l i t a ry defense iRobot (IRBT): From vacuumsto military defense originallyappeared on BloggingStocks onMon, 19 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Permalink| Email this|Comments

Honest Bank of the Day: Banco Popular(Financial Sector and StocksAnalysis from Seeking Alpha)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:02:23 AM

San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday,

October 19, 2009 – Popular, Inc.(“the Corporation”) (NASDAQ:BPOP) reported a net loss of$125.0 million for the quarterended September 30, 2009,

compared with a net loss of$183.2 million for the quarterended June 30, 2009, and a netloss of $668.5 million for thequarter ended September 30,

2008. For the nine months endedS e p t e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 0 9 , t h eCorporation’s net loss totaled$360.7 million, compared to a netloss of $541.0 million for the

same period in 2008. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

World/ Finance/


Fed chairman calls for US to cutdeficit(World news and commentfrom the Guardian |guardian.co.uk)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:12:13 AM

Remarks by Ben Bernanke comedays a f te r US governmentreported a $1.42tn deficit for theyear Ben Bernanke, the FederalReserve chairman, today calledfor the United States to whittledown its record-high budgetdeficits and for countries likeChina to get their consumers tospend more, moves that wouldhelp combat skewed global tradeand inves tment f lows tha tcontributed to the financial crisis. Bernanke's remarks to a Fedconference in Santa Barbara,California comes just days afterthe federal government on Fridayreported a $1.42tn deficit for 2009budget year that ended on 30September. The previous year'sdeficit was $459bn. The Fed chief's comments werea i m e d a t r e d u c i n g g l o b a limbalances, and echo pledgesmade by leaders of the Group of20 nations at their summit inPittsburgh last month. "As the global economy recoversand trade volumes rebound,however, global imbalances myreassert themselves," Bernanke

warned. For the United States'part, "the most effective way" toboost national savings in thiscountry "is by establishing asustainable fiscal trajectory,anchored by a clear commitmentto substantially reduce federaldeficits over time," Bernankesaid. He didn't suggest ways to doso. And, for trade surplus countriesl ike China and most Asianeconomies, they need to get theirconsumers to spend more and relyless on expor t - led growth ,Bernanke sa id . "In large part, such action shouldfocus on boosting consumption,"Bernanke said. The bulk of Bernanke's remarkslargely offered a scholar lyassessment of Asia and how itfared during the global financialcrisis, the focus of the Fed'sconference. The Fed chief didn'tdiscuss the state of the USeconomy or the future course ofinterest rates. Bernanke and his colleagues lastmonth held a key bank lendingrate at an all-time low near zeroand pledged to hold it there for an" e x t e n d e d p e r i o d " . M a n yeconomists believe that meansthrough the rest of this year andinto next year. Deciding when to boost interest

r a t e s a n d r e e l i n t h eunprecedented amount of moneyploughed into the US economywil l be one of the biggestchallenges facing the Fed in thecoming months. Remove thesuppor ts too soon and therecovery could be derailed. Leavethe supports in place for too longrisks unleashing inflation. In terms of the world economy,"Asia appears to be leading theglobal recovery," Bernanke said."Recent data from the regionsuggest that a strong rebound is,in fact, under way." Many economists predict theUS economy — the epicentre ofthe financial crisis — startedgrowing again in the third quarterat a pace of at least 3 percent, andis still expanding in the currentquar ter . Economic ac t iv i tycontracted in the second quarter atan annualised rate of 0.7%,marking a record four straightquarters of decline. • US economy • US economic growth andrecession • United States guardian.co.uk© GuardianNews & Media Limited 2009 |Use of this content is subject toour Terms & Conditions| MoreFeeds

Crowdsource the CFPA!(Financial Sector and StocksAnalysis from Seeking Alpha)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:29:00 AM

The credit unions and the bankshave won: thanks to somethingknown as the Miller-Mooreamendment , the ConsumerFinancial Protection Agency willnow be barred from overseeing allbut a handful of credit unions andany bank with less than $10billion in assets. That’s 98% of allthe banks in the country. Even so,however, it’s not exactly suprisingto see the headline in The Hill thismorning: “Tweaks to consumeragency fail to calm banks, creditunions”. Those lobbyists, they’renever satisfied. (If they were,they’d be out of a job.) I’m actually a little unclear onw h a t t h e M i l l e r - M o o r eamendment does. Here’s how theNYT explains it: Under the Miller-Mooreamendment, the new agencywould have the authority to writerules for all banks and otherlenders, including lenders thathave never faced significantregulation. But the banks withassets of less than $10 billion andcredit unions smaller than $1.5billion would not face regular

exams by the agency. I n s t ead , t he consumerregulations would continue to beenforced in most cases by theagencies that monitor the financialcondition of the banks. Mr. Franksaid that under the amendment,the new agency would still havethe authority to investigatecomplaints raised at any bank. So the CFPA can write rules forsmall banks, and can investigatecomplaints at small banks, butcan’t examine small banks, orenforce its own regulations atsmall banks? It all seems like ahorrible mess to me. One thing is clear, though: inthe wake of the amendment beingaccepted, consumer finance iscrying out for some kind ofc e n t r a l i z e d , c r o w d s o u r c e ddatabase of bank fees andpractices. If the CFPA is barredfrom examining banks itself, thenwe should just get the banks’customers to do its job for it. Thenviolations of CFPA rules could beau tomat i ca l ly f l agged andforwarded on to the agency assoon as they arise, even withoutformal examinations. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Video: Man breaks TV on Home Shopping Network while playing WiiBy Nicholas Deleon(CrunchGear)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:00:27 AM

Oh, this is embarrassing. A manon the Home Shopping Network

is demonstrating how much fun itis to play Wii Sports with one ofthose p las t ic tennis racketaccessories. Gotta make the sale!And it all goes well until he raiseshis arm and goes for the serve…

BAM~! That’s one broken TVyou have there, mister. Maybeyou should have paid attention tothe warning that comes on whenyou turn the Wii on: “please makesure the controller is strapped to

your wrist, lest you break the TV,and look like a fool.” Though full credit to the manfor, as the Brits say, getting onwith it. And for the life of me I can’t get

the video to queue up to where Iwant it, so you’ll have to skipmanually to 4m53s if you justwant to go right to the action.

World/ Finance/ Gadgets/


South African police shot dead 556in yearBy David Smith (World newsand comment from theGuardian | guardian.co.uk)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:26:59 AM

Rise to highest toll for a decadecomes as father blames Zumarhetoric for death of daughtermistakenly shot by police Police in South Africa shot dead556 people – including 32bystanders – last year, the highestannual total for a decade. The increase was revealed as thefather of a 30-year-old hairdressermistakenly shot dead by policeblamed calls for a shoot-to-killpolicy from the president, JacobZuma. The death toll of 556 suspectsand others up to April this yearwas the fourth consecutive riserecorded by the IndependentComplaints Directorate. It wasalmost double the 281 deaths thatresulted from police action in2005-06. The toll has almost returned tothe levels of the apartheid era.David Bruce, of the Centre for theS t u d y o f V i o l e n c e a n dReconc i l i a t ion , to ld SouthAfr i ca ' s Mai l & Guard ian

newspaper that an estimated 653people were shot dead by thepolice in 1976, the year of thestudent uprising in Soweto. Police tactics ahead of nextyear's World Cup are underscrutiny after the killing thismonth of 30-year-old OlgaKekana, who was on her way to aparty in a car with three friendsnear Pretoria. Police allegedlysprayed the grey Toyota with atleast 13 bullets after mistaking theoccupants for hijackers. Kekanadied after being shot in the head,and two others were injured. Kekana ' s fa ther , F ransMakgotla, blamed the policeactions on Zuma's rhetoric. Thepresident has backed the demandsof the new nat ional pol icecommissioner, Bheki Cele, for areturn to apartheid-era legislationmaking it easier for officers toopen fire on suspects withoutfearing the consequences. The controversy deepenedyesterday when Zuma's AfricanNational Congress was accused ofpoliticising Kekana's funeral.Angie Molebatsi, an ANC MP,reportedly told mourners: "Oneway or another we are all going to

die, regardless of whether a copshoots you or you were ill. Let'snot lose hope towards the police.Let's keep on trusting them.Forgiveness is what God wants.This was her destiny, let's notblame the police." Dianne Kohler Barnard, theshadow police minister, called onMolebatsi to apologise for thec o m m e n t s . " Q u i t eunderstandably, according to thereports, her comments werer e c e i v e d v e r y p o o r l y b ymourne r s , " she s a id . "MsMolebatsi 's comments werecallous and cold, and she ought topublicly apologise immediately." Cele has announced plans torebrand the police as a forceinstead of a service, with amilitary-style command structureof generals and lieutenants. • South Africa David Smith guardian.co.uk© GuardianNews & Media Limited 2009 |Use of this content is subject toour Terms & Conditions| MoreFeeds

Earnings Preview: TheBank of New York MellonCorp.(Financial Sector and StocksAnalysis from Seeking Alpha)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:11:25 AM

The Bank of New York MellonCorp.( BK) is expected to reportQ3 earnings on Tuesday, October20 before the market opens, witha conference call scheduled for 8am ET. Guidance Analysts are looking for EPS of47c on revenue of $3.16B. Theconsensus range is 30c-60c forEPS and $2.99B-$3.31B forrevenue, according to First Call.Analyst Views J.P. Morgan's ( JPM) resultscontained negative informationfor trust banks such as Bank ofNew York Mellon, UBS andGoldman Sachs analysts said lastweek. J.P. Morgan's resultsindicated that its trust bank unithad weak revenues in Q3 due to

low revenues, the analysts said.Separately, Rochdale analystRichard Bove, in an interviewwith CNBC, recently named BankOf New York as one of five bankswhose stocks he would considerowning. In addition, Sandler O'Neill last month upgraded thebank to Hold from Sell, with a$32 target. While a majority ofbanks will lose money over thenext six months, Bank of NewYork is sure to report pre-taxprofi ts , according to Bove.Meanwhile, the bankruptcy ofReader's Digest may have asignificant negative impact on thebank , the New York Pos treported. The publisher owesBank of New York Mellon about$600M. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Mozilla Releasing Unknown App for iPhone [Mozilla]By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)Submitted at 10/19/2009 6:00:00 AM

Mozilla CEO John Lilly tellstech blogger Om Malik that theFirefox maker will "release an appto the iPhone App Store in thenext few weeks," and that "It'llsurprise people." Kevin Tofelguesses it might be a Fennec-typebrowser, based on screenshots and

other evidence, but Malik tendstoward an app to implement thesynchronizing service Weave.

Based on what Mozilla MobileVP Jay Sullivan told us, the latterseems more likely, but it'll beinterested in any case to see whatMozilla app Apple would approvefor use on the iPhone, given itspo l i c i e s t oward apps t ha t"duplicate features" and "causec o n f u s i o n . " [ G i g a O M ,j k O n T h e R u n ]

World/ Finance/ Tech Tips/


Earnings Preview: Jefferies Group(Financial Sector and StocksAnalysis from Seeking Alpha)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:16:12 AM

Jeffer ies Group( JEF) isexpected to report Q3 earnings onTuesday, October 20 before themarket opens, with a conferencecall scheduled for 9 am ET.Guidance Analysts are looking for EPS of28c on revenue of $535.52M. Theconsensus range is 23c-33c forEPS and $461.40M-$608.36M forrevenue, according to First Call.T h e r e h a v e b e e n s e v e r a loptimistic reports about Jefferiesand its sector in recent months.Last month, Reuters reported thatmid-size firms like Jefferies arestarting to win a bigger share ofmerger advisory fees amidworries about pay limits and otherrestrictions at large investmentbanks. Analyst Views In August a Goldman Sachsanalyst upgraded Jefferies' sectorand ra ised 2010 and 2011est imates for the company.Goldman Sachs increased itsrating on the mid-cap brokeragesector to Attractive from Neutral.The firm expects the sector to

benefit from stepped-up M&Aactivity and IPOs. Also in August,Investor's Business Daily said thatthe demise of some of WallStreet's largest investment bankshad allowed Jefferies to hire manye x p e r i e n c e d e x e c u t i v e s .According to Investor's BusinessDaily, Jefferies' biggest coup onthis front was hiring UBS' formerhead of health care banking, alongwith about 34 former employeesof the department. In July,I n v e s t o r ' s B u s i n e s s D a i l ypredicted that Jefferies would be aleader in the mid-cap investmentbanking sector if current trends

continue. Meanwhile, better thanexpected trading results byGoldman Sachs and J.P. Morganmay be a posit ive sign forJefferies' results. Jefferies sold anadditional $300M of 8.5% seniornotes last month. The companyhad issued $400M of the notes inJune. Investors may t ry todetermine tomorrow i f theinvestment bank will need to issueany further debt or shares anytimesoon. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

MySpace (still) refocusingon entertainment contentBy Tom Johansmeyer(BloggingStocks)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:00:00 AM

Filed under: Internet, Google(GOOG), Yahoo! (YHOO),General Electric (GE), TimeWarner (TWX), Walt Disney(DIS), News Corp'B' (NWS),Media World A new executive team is tryingto bring MySpace back to itsformer glory. By focusing onmusic, videos and games, it hopesto recapture some of its luster.With the MySpace refugeesmounting, it's time for some newblood to make some brilliant,future-changing decisions. Thisweek, the company is holding aconference for its global ad salesteam to explore ways to bring intraffic and beef up ad spending. MySpace is poised to haul in$495 million in ad revenue thisyear, down 15% from last year's$585 mil l ion, according toresearch firm eMarketer. In

August, MySpace attracted 64.2million unique visitors from theUnited States, off 15% fromAugust 2008, according tocomScore, while Facebook pulledin 92.2 million unique U.S.visitors - up more than 100% year-over-year. Continue reading MySpace(still) refocusing on entertainmentcontent MySpace (still) refocusing onentertainment content originallyappeared on BloggingStocks onMon, 19 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Read| Permalink| Emailthis| Comments

Earnings Preview: Comerica(Financial Sector and StocksAnalysis from Seeking Alpha)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:58:34 AM

Comerica( CMA) is expected toreport Q3 earnings on Tuesday,October 20 before the marketopens, with a conference callscheduled for 8 am ET. Guidance Analysts are looking for EPS of(53c) on revenue of $609.41M.The consensus range is ($1.03)-(26c) for EPS and $582.20M-

$675M for revenue, according toFirst Call. Analyst Views Credit Suisse downgradedComer ica to Neut ra l f romOutperform earlier this month,citing valuation and risk from thebank's consumer and constructionNPL/NCO book. More generally,the firm thinks that regionalbanks' return to profitability maybe later than many investorsbelieve, while commercial realestate will not reach an inflection

point before the second half of2010 . On the o the r hand ,G o l d m a n S a c h s u p g r a d e dComerica to Neutral from Sell on

October 5, citing moderatingconsumer credit and expectationsfor improved Q3 revenues.Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan wrote

last month that Comerica's shareswere pricing in overly severetangible book value erosion. Thefirm said the shares had strongupside potential, and set its targetfor the stock at $32. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Finance/


GM can't find a new CFO whowill work for peanutsBy Zac Bissonnette(BloggingStocks)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:30:00 AM

Filed under: General Motors(GM) The Wall Street Journalreports(subscription required) that"General Motors Co.'s search foran outsider to replace its chieff i nanc i a l o f f i c e r i s be ingc o m p l i c a t e d b y t h e p a yr e s t r i c t i o n s t h e T r e a s u r yDepartment is imposing oncompanies that received largeb a i l o u t s f r o m t h e f e d e r a lgovernment, according to peoplefamiliar with the matter." GM is expected to be able tooffer its CFO a pay packageconsisting of a significant amountof stock (Hah!) but a salary ofonly about $1 million per year --not much for a company of GM'ssize and problems. Plus, ya gotta

live in Detroit and work with FritzHenderson. Continue reading GM can't finda new CFO who will work forpeanuts GM can't find a new CFO whowill work for peanuts originallyappeared on BloggingStocks onMon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Permalink| Email this|Comments

KaChing hopes to be the soundof successBy Tom Johansmeyer(BloggingStocks)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:00:00 PM

Filed under: Deals, Products andse rv ices , In te rne t , Yahoo!(YHOO), Apple Inc (AAPL),Mutual funds, Personal finance KaChing! KaChing! It only makes sense to call acompany a sound you like to hear.This is exactly what CEO and co-founder Andy Rachleff must havehad in mind. His new company --kaChing, of course -- is backed byMarc Andreesen (a name oftenassociated with that sound) andJ e f f J o r d a n , t h e C E O o fOpenTable(NASDAQ: OPEN),two guys who usually do a solidjob of backing winners. But,they've taken on a challenge bybacking a company in thef inancial services industry. Continue reading KaChing

hopes to be the sound of success KaChing hopes to be the soundof success originally appeared onBloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Oct2009 12:00:00 EST. Please seeour terms for use of feeds.Permalink| Email this| Comments

Blackstone: Piles to be made from theme parks?By Tom Taulli(BloggingStocks)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:30:00 PM

Filed under: Private equity,Blackstone Group L.P (BX) In the U.S., the prevailingsentiment is that the consumer istapped out. And, even for thosethat have money, there willcontinue to be a good deal offrugality. So, it would seem that themeparks would suffer, right? Perhaps not. This is the thinking

of Stephen Schwarzman, who isthe chief of the BlackstoneGroup(NYSE: BX). Interestinglyenough, he's doubling down on

t h e m e p a r k i n v e s t m e n t s ,accord ing to Reu te r s . com. Continue reading Blackstone:Piles to be made from themeparks? Blackstone: Piles to be madefrom theme parks? originallyappeared on BloggingStocks onMon, 19 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Permalink| Email this|Comments

Kraft: Suddenly,it's a 'frugalconsumer' playBy Joseph Lazzaro(BloggingStocks)Submitted at 10/19/2009 10:00:00 AM

Filed under: Kraft Foods'A'(KFT) Kraft Foods(NYSE: KFT) isturning into a "frugal consumer"play, which is why I'm reiteratingmy Buy rating for the company,first recommended on July 13,2009, at a price of $26.88. Kraft will benefit from the now-established "frugal consumer"trend, whereby Americans savemore and eliminate needless,optional purchases. Included inthe above will be more mealsconsumed at home per month,which is good news for foodcompany Kraft. Continue reading Kraft :Suddenly, it's a 'frugal consumer'play Kraft: Suddenly, it's a 'frugalc o n s u m e r ' p l a y o r i g i n a l l yappeared on BloggingStocks onMon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Permalink| Email this|Comments

What Could Possible Go Wrong on a Skatekeyboard? [Art]

By Mark Wilson (Gizmodo)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:00:00 AM

ASDFG and ZXCVB—those

aren't just QWERTY strings,they're also potential sounds you'llmake when face-planting off theSkatekeyboard. [ F.A.T. via

MAKE]

Gateway EC seriesultraportables arebasically Acer Timelinesthat say ‘Gateway’ Let’s say you’re intrigued byAcer’s new Windows 7 Timeline

Finance/ Gadgets/

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ultraportables due to ship out thisThursday but you like saying“Gateway” more than you likesaying “Acer” for some reason.You’ll be happy to know thatGateway (which is owned byAcer, by the way) has justannounced two ultraportablecomputers that are spitting imagesof two of the recently-announcedTimeline machines: an 11.6-inchmodel and a 15.6-inch model. The 11.6-inch Gateway EC14series is virtually identical to theAcer Aspire Timeline AS1810series, save for a slightly lowerMSRP ($550 versus $600) thanksto a slightly different CPU – theGateway has a low-voltage IntelPentium SU4100 at 1.3GHz with2MB of L2 cache and an 800MHzfrontside bus while the Acer has alow-vo l t age In te l Pen t iumSU7300 at 1.3GHz with 3MB ofL2 cache and an 800MHzfron ts ide bus . As for the 15.6-inch model, theGateway EC54 series and theAcer Aspire Timeline AS5810TZseries are identically spec’d andcarry the same $650 MSRP.Granted, Acer/Gateway will likelybe offering a myriad of differentconfigurations for these machinesso you may be able to findsomething that best fits yourneeds in a Gateway versus anAcer or vice versa. Both are due this Thursday,October 22nd, when Windows 7ships. Full press release: Thin-and-Light Gateway ECSeries Notebooks Deliver LongBattery Life and Distinctive Style All-day productivity, fun,communication with up to eighthours of battery life in head-turning lightweight and thindesigns IRVINE, Calif.–( BUSINESS

WIRE)–The new Gateway ECSeries notebook PCs debut todayin two of the most popular sizesfor today’s busy computer users –15.6-inch mainstream size forproductivity maximizers and the11.6-inch ultraportable size forroad warriors – both delivering upto eight hours of battery life. The new Gateway EC Seriesmodels will both be available thisweek in retail stores nationwidewith the launch of Windows 7. The new Gateway EC58, EC54and EC14 notebook PC linesdeliver all-day productivity,reliable wireless connectivity and6-8 hours of battery life, socustomers can get more donewhile away from their home oroffice. Plus, the Gateway ECmodels let customers go longerwithout having to recharge,reducing energy consumption andm a k i n g t h e m v e r ye n v i r o n m e n t a l l y f r i e n d l y . The upscale and distinctivedesign of the new Gateway EC58and EC54 lines is the idealcomplement to its advancedba t t e ry l i f e and th in -and-lightweight form factor. Bothmodels start at only 5.29 poundsand are merely an inch thin, sot h e y c a n b e c o m f o r t a b l ytransported by hand or in abriefcase or backpack. The sleekform factor still has room for alarge 15.6-inch LED-backlit HDwidescreen display that deliversvideo in stunning detail, forexcel lent mobi le c inemat icentertainment. Plus, the EC58 andEC54 notebook PCs come in asophisticated and understateddesign featur ing a brushedaluminium alloy chassis availablein Arctic Silver and Pacific Blue. Mobile enthusiasts who want toremain connected and productiveon-the-go will find the Gateway

EC14 ultraportable notebook theideal choice for them. With its11 .6- inch HD LED-backl i tdisplay, notebook-standard Intelp rocessors and a fu l l - s izekeyboard, customers can use it toenjoy web browsing, video chatsand running al l their usualapplications. Plus, it’s designedfor mobility — its integrated802.11b/g/Draft N Wifi, compactform factor and low weight ofonly 3.79 pounds make it ready totake on the road. Flashy and funin an eye-catching glossy chassis,the Gateway EC14 series comesin Cherry Red and NightSkyBlack. “The new Gateway EC Seriesproduct lines were designed forthe many PC users that haveembraced the fun and productivityof being able to compute and stayin touch while away from theirhome or office,” said Ray Sawall,senior manager of productmarketing for Acer America.“We’re delivering exactly whatthey need – incredibly long andreliable battery life, vibrantwidescreen displays, and wirelessconnectivity – all in uniquelystylish thin and lightweightdesigns.” F u l l P r o d u c t i v i t y a n dEn te r t a inmen t i n a S l eek ,L igh twe igh t S i ze Elegantly crafted, the GatewayEC58 and EC54 Series notebooksare thin and light enough to takeanywhere, and so stylish thatcustomers will want to show themoff. The slim one-inch profilesimplifies mobility, since it’s easyto grip and handle on the go. Theultra-durable aluminium alloyd e s i g n d e l i v e r s e x c e l l e n tprotection for the display, whilethe brushed silky smooth cover isu p s c a l e i n i t s m i n i m a l i s ta p p r o a c h .

The high-capacity 6-cell Li-ionbattery gives users up to eighthours of battery life for all-dayp r o d u c t i v i t y , f u n a n dcommunicat ions. Integrated802.11b/g Draft-N wirelessprovides a reliable untetheredconnect ion to hotspots andwireless networks. Plus, theintegrated webcam and digitalmicrophone delivers smoothvideo and voice quality for real-time video streaming, onlinechatting, and video conferences.In addition, Gateway customerscan enjoy even more uptime withthe Gateway PowerSave one-touch key, which puts then o t e b o o k i n t o e n e r g yconservation mode with a singletouch. The Gateway EC58 andEC54 lines feature the GatewayMyBackup Manager for backing-u p i m p o r t a n t f i l e s a n dinformation, as well as theP o w e r S a v e s o l u t i o n f o rm a x i m i z i n g b a t t e r y l i f e . Designed to readily handleeveryday computing tasks, theEC58 and EC54 notebooks useultra-low voltage Intel Core 2Duo and Pentium Dual-Coreprocessors. The notebooks deliverexcellent computing performanceand generate low heat output,since they use Intel’s LaminarWall Jet technology to coolinternal components and the case.As a result, the Gateway EC58a n d E C 5 4 n o t e b o o k s a r ei n c r e d i b l y c o m f o r t a b l e i ncustomers’ hands as well as ontheir laps. On-the-go entertainment isdynamic and exciting with thelarge 15.6-inch LED-backlitdisplay that features a 16:9 aspectratio and 1366 x 768 (WXGA)pixel resolution. Images areincredibly clear and crisp, whilethe cinematic-quality video is

realistic and smooth. DolbySound Room audio enhancementand two built-in speakers delivercrisp, natural surround sound tocomplement the stunning video. Compact, Packed with Features They eye-catching design of theGateway EC14 Ser ies l e t severyone know it’s the ultimaten o t e b o o k f o r o n - t h e - g ocomputing. Available with a 6-cell battery, the Gateway EC14notebook line provides battery lifeof up to eight hours, so customerscan use it nearly all day to stay intouch. This long battery life is theperfec t complement to theultraportable notebooks’ sleeksize that measures only about aninch thick and weighs only 3.79pounds. Updating social networkingsites and exploring web pages iseasy with the EC14’s integratedWifi 802.11b/g/Draft N. Plus,customers can capture video andphotos and stay in touch via videochat with the integrated webcamand built-in digital microphonethat provides excellent voicequality. Consumers will enjoylistening to audio with the DolbyHeadphones and two built-instereo speakers. To ensure customers have allthe horsepower they need to driveapplications, the Gateway EC14line is well-appointed with IntelUltra Low Voltage Pentium DualCore, Intel Celeron Dual Core andCeleron (single core) processors,a hard drive up to 500GB incapacity, a multi-in-1 media cardreader and 4GB of memory thatmay be upgraded to 8GB. The attention-grabbing designof the Gateway EC14 models isfun and youthful, while detailssuch as rounded edges, engraved

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logo and silver trim make thedesign even more compelling.The textured palm rest provides acomfor tab le hand res t fo rconsumers . Gateway Extras MaximizeMobile Capabilities The Gateway EC Seriesnotebooks enhance productivitywith a Multi-Gesture Touchpadthat can be used with uniquemovements so customers canintuitively move through Internetsites and digital media. Forexample, customers can make aninward or outward pinchingmotion to naturally zoom in andout on photos. They can movetwo fingers horizontally to flipthrough photos and web pages.Also, customers can swirl theirfingers in a circular motion toscroll through web pages, longlists of files and music playlists.The TouchPad can also bedisabled with a one-touch button,eliminating accidental cursormovement with palms and wristswhen using an external mouse. Additionally, these new modelscome with Windows 7 HomePremium, which makes mobilecomputing more reliable andresponsive, enhancing the userexperience. In addition, theGateway EC notebook lines areEnergy Star qualified.

Configurations, Pricing andAvailability The new Gateway EC Serieswill be available beginning Oct.22, each with Windows 7 HomePremium. Sample configurationsand pricing are listed below. Gateway EC1430u: MSRP$549.99 • Intel® Pentium Dual CoreProcessor SU4100 (1.3GHz, 2MBL2 cache, 800MHz FSB) • Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit • 11.6-inch HD WidescreenUltrabright LED-backlit TFTLCD (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9aspect ratio) • Mobile Intel® GS45 ExpressChipset • In t e l Graph ics Med iaAcce le ra to r 4500MHD • 4096MB DDR2 Dual-Channel667MHz memory upgradeable to8GB • 320GB(2) 5400RPM SATAhard drive • Integrated webcam • Multi-in-1 digital media cardreader • Intel® WiFi Link 10008 0 2 . 1 1 b / g / D r a f t - N W i F iCERTIFIED® featuring MIMOtechnology • Gigabit Ethernet LAN • Three USB 2.0 ports • HDMI port

• Multi-Gesture Touchpad withKeypad lock • Standard 6-cell Li-ion (5600mAh) Battery • 3.08 lbs. • 11.2” (W) x 0.87-1.18” to1.18” (H) x 8.03” (D) Gateway EC5409u: MSRP$649.99 • Intel Pentium® Dual-CoreProcessor SU4100 (1.30GHz,2MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB) • Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit • 15.6-inch HD WidescreenUltrabright LED-backlit TFTLCD (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9aspect ratio) • Mobile Intel® GS45 ExpressChipset • Intel® Graphics MediaAccelerator 4500MHD • 4096MB DDR3 Dual-Channel1066MHz memory upgradeable to8GB • 320GB(2) 5400RPM SATAhard drive • 8x DVD-SuperMulti Double-Layer Drive • Integrated HD webcam • Multi-in-1 digital media cardreader • 2 nd Generation Dolby SoundRoom® Audio Enhancement • Intel® WiFi Link 10008 0 2 . 1 1 b / g / D r a f t - N W i F iCERTIFIED® featuring MIMO

technology • Gigabit Ethernet LAN • Three USB 2.0 ports • HDMI port • Multi-Gesture Touchpad withKeypad lock • Dedicated numeric keypad • Standard 6-cell Li-ion (5600mAh) Battery • Gateway MyBackup Button • 5.29 lbs. • 14.85” (W) x 1.01-1.08” (H) x10.0” (D) Gateway Limited Warranty,Service and Support The Gateway EC Seriesnotebook PCs are backed by a oney e a r w a r r a n t y . G a t e w a y ’ scommitment to qual i ty andreliability is evident in its award-winning line of PCs as well as inits exceptional service and supportprograms. In addition to thecompany’s standard l imitedwarranty options, its extensiveonline support center helpscustomers maximize their PCinvestment; it gives them easyaccess to customer supportrepresentatives and informationon important issues such aswarranties, technical issues andupgrading.

SNES / Sega Genesis USB cartridge adapter now available for pre-orderBy Joseph L. Flatley(Engadget)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:04:00 AM

Looks like our old friend,Matthias -- the developer of theUSB SNES cart reader-- is backon the scene, and this time he'sgoing commercial. His newest

project, Snega2USB, adds SegaGenesis, read and write for battery-backed SNES games, opensource firmware, and up to fourgamepads to the homebrew faveof classic gaming fanatics worldo'er. This is a work-in-progress,but all the pieces are in place tohave al l orders met on the

December, 2009 street date. Pre-orders will be taken until October

31 for $90 in the United States or€75 in Europe. Video after thebreak. [Via Gadgetoid] Continue reading SNES / SegaGenesis USB cartridge adapternow available for pre-order Filed under: Gaming SNES / Sega Genesis USB

cartridge adapter now availablefor pre-order originally appearedon Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct2009 11:04:00 EST. Please seeour terms for use of feeds. Read|Permalink| Email this| Comments

DIY: DSLR handstrapBy Matt Burns (CrunchGear)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:30:56 AM

I’m not a big fan of the cameraneck strap. I never use it as a nextstrap but I put up with it because Iwould drop my camera if thatstrap wasn’t there. However, I’mgoing to ditch that strap and makeme one of these hand straps. Thatis, of course, if something else onthe Internet doesn’t distract mefirst. The instructions are easyenough. Basically the strap ismade up of nylon webbing and acouple of grommets. The wholething is attached to the tripodmount on the bottom and one ofthe neck strap mounts up top.What I like best about this simplesolution is that you could easilyswitch the strap’s side for lefthanded weirdos like my wife.

Gadgets/


Facebook, Twitter, Zune Video and Last.Fm onXbox Live Hands On: Hrm, That's Interesting[Xbox Live]By matt buchanan (Gizmodo)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:33:13 AM

Twitter and Facebook, on yourXbox. It's weird, like people whoput ketchup on their eggs. TweetTweet Twitter actually makes the mostnatural jump to the Xbox. It's areally basic app, with yourtimeline, search, and trendingtopics, but it works, largelybecause the vertical stream ispreserved, even if you can onlysee four (very legible) tweets at atime, so you won't be power-browsing, TweetDeck style, byany means. It's slow, and typing'sreeeeeeeally frustrating, likehaving your eyeballs poked outone pinprick at a time, if you don'thave the chatpad (part of thinksthis entire update is all a giantconspiracy to sell more Xbox 360chatpads). Updates can sometimestake forever to hit your Twitterstream, too. Still, it's pretty, andworks the best of the new apps.Facebookin' Facebook uses the standardXbox tile UI instead of rolling itsinterface, like Twitter did. Whichi s d i s o r i e n t i n g ( a n ddisappointing), since you'rebrowsing through a s t reamhorizontal ly, one choppily-animated tile at a time. Why is thetile-sliding animation so terribleon a monster console like theXbox 360? We don't know. LikeTwitter, it's basic—focused onNewsfeeds. Your groups areported over, so you can browse

their newsfeeds individually, butyou literally have to browse onepost at a time, which is agonizing,making you far less inclined tocomment on upda tes . Theinterface works much better, andfeels way more natural, withphoto albums. What's interestingis that, at least in the preview,your friends have to link theirX b o x L i v e a n d F a c e b o o kaccounts together themselves inorder to show up in the "XboxLive Friends on Facebook" (andvice versa) pages—you can'tmanually go in and link JasonChen's accounts so you'll see themtogether in your app. Last.fm This would be would be way

better if it could play in thebackground. It can't. Meaningonce you link your accounts andall of you stations are nicely andautomatically ported over, tolisten to Last.fm, you just have tosit there and leave it running, withband pictures floating up to yourscreen every once in a while.Lame. Zune Video Marketplace Not a whole lot to write homea b o u t y e t b e s i d e s 1 0 8 0 pstreams—it's a video store onXbox, with movies for rent orpurchase, TV shows, trailers—butZune Video is here and it, um,works. You browse through thestandard Xbox interface, likeNetflix. We didn't get a chance to

u s e t h e p o s s i b l e k i l l e rfeature—Party mode, where youcan watch s tuf f wi th yourfriends—yet, but if anythingmakes the Zune video store reallystand out, that could be i t .Previews, alas, didn't come in at1080p, even over FiOS, whichclearly has the bandwidth todeliver. All in all, the new apps, they'reinteresting, they add something,but with the exception of ZuneVideo Marketplace, aren't critical.At least for now.

Where Plastic GoesWhen It Dies: Birds'Stomachs [Image Cache]

By Mark Wilson (Gizmodo)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:40:00 AM

This nature photography byChris Jordan isn't for the faint ofheart. The series of decomposingb i r d c a r c a s s e s f a i t h f u l l ydocuments the impact of the GreatPac i f i c Garbage Pa t ch onalbatross chicks in the MidwayAtoll. His collection of 30 hauntinglysimilar shots show what adultbirds are feeding to their young:bottlecaps, lighters, spray bottlesand, in one case, a piece of whatlooks to be a headphone. From the photographer: On this diet of human trash,every year tens of thousands ofalbatross chicks die on Midwayfrom starvation, toxicity, andchoking. To document this phenomenonas faithfully as possible, not asingle piece of plastic in any ofthese photographs was moved,placed, manipulated, arranged, oraltered in any way. These imagesdepict the actual stomach contentsof baby birds in one of the world'smost remote marine sanctuaries,more than 2000 miles from thenearest continent. It's gross stuff, to say the least.Hopefully, if you're buying everyUSB foot warmer cigarette lighterthat Brando releases, you'redisposing of your plastics in amore sustainable way. (But really,in case it wasn't clear, we don'texpect you to actually buy any ofthis junk...) [ chris jordan viaTreehugger]

Gadgets/


What On Earth Is Mozilla's MysteryiPhone App? [IPhone Apps]By John Herrman (Gizmodo)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:14:35 AM

Mozilla's CEO says an iPhoneapp is due within a few weeks,and that it'll "surprise people." Imean, that's neat and all, but them o s t e x c i t i n gpossibility—Firefox—would bethe least surprising. So, uh, whatis it? Om Malik's got a little embryoof a theory, and it revolves aroundMozilla's hosted services/browsersync service called Weave: I sat around gabbing with Lillyand Jay Sullivan, Mozilla's VP ofMobile, talking about Weave andthe Awesome Bar, which is a wayto get access to all your browsinghistory and bookmarks by justtyping them in the URL bar onyour browser. And while we weretalking about Weave, I askedthem if it was going to be part ofthis new, mysterious iPhone app.Lilly and Sullivan smiled andremained silent. Interestingly,they didn't correct me. It's a telling anecdote, andnearly enough to assume thatWeave will be some part of theapp, and if the alternative is a

browser—which Apple probablywouldn ' t be too exci ted toapprove—then maybe the wholeapp. But goddamnit, let's indulgeour depressingly modest mobileF i re fox f an ta s i e s anyway!Lifehacker flags a (cautious)t h e s i s b y K e v i n T o f e l a tJKOnTheRun, who sees a Fennechiding behind the smoke: Apple did begin to approve third-party applications earlier thisyear, so a Mozilla browser does

have a chance for approval. Andthat could open the door for theWeave service, as well. Apple'sMobile Me service doesn't syncbookmarks or web passwordsover-the-air currently, although Isuspect these functions could beadded in the future. In light ofthat, I'm thinking we're about tosee Fennec on the iPhone. So in conclusion, Mozilla: ^T h i s . ^ [ G i g a O m a n dJKOnTheRun via Lifehacker]

The Engadget Show:Inside Ben Heck's magickingdomBy Joshua Topolsky(Engadget)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:22:00 PM

I f y o u ' r e a r e a d e r o fEngadget(and let's be honest --you're reading this, right?) thenyou surely know Ben Heck'swork. The master modder hasbeen the source of some of ourfavorite tweaks, hacks, and flat-out crazy gadget manipulationsover the years. We recently had achance to take a peek inside hisworkshop and hear straight fromBen about what drives him tocreate the madness we've see onour pages. It's a phantasmagoricadventure you won't likely forget-- so sit back, crack a cold one,and enjoy the ride! Note: Don't forget, our next fulll e n g t h E n g a d g e t S h o w i shappening this Thursday, and ourguest is Steve Ballmer! Update: Video is now live!Sorry about that!

Host: Nilay Patel Produced and Directed by: ChadMumm Edited by: Michael Slavens Music by: Bit Shifter Subscribe to the Show: [ iTunes] Subscribe to the Showdirectly in iTunes (M4V). [ Zune] Subscribe to the Showdirectly in the Zune Marketplace(M4V). [ RSS M4V] Add the EngadgetShow feed (M4V) to your RSSaggregator and have it deliveredautomatically. Download the Show: Download The Engadget Showin HD (720p M4V) Download The Engadget Showformatted for iPod / iPhone The Engadget Show: Inside BenHeck's magic kingdom originallyappeared on Engadget on Mon, 19Oct 2009 12:22:00 EST. Pleasesee our terms for use of feeds.Permalink| Email this| Comments

Video: Debi Mazar Dances into 'Castle'(ETonline - Breaking News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:01:00 AM

ET was on the set of "Castle"where Nathan Fillion and former" D a n c i n g w i t h t h e S t a r s "contestant Debi Mazar dish aboutwhat's to come on Monday night'sepisode of the hit ABC show! Mazar was honored that a head

of ABC thought of her for thepart. She hopes this guest stintcould turn into a recurring role.She told ET, "If they want to haveme back and if Steve McPhersonthinks I'm fabulous, then he'llwork out the dates." In the episode entitled "Whenthe Bough Breaks," book agentPaula Haas (Mazar) approaches

C a s t l e ( F i l l i o n ) w i t h a nextraordinary career opportunitythat would mean an end to hisrelationship with Beckett ( StanaKatic). Will this be their last casetogether? Find out when "Castle"airs Monday night at 10 p.m. onABC.

Gadgets/ Entertainment/


How To Enable MMS on iPhone 2G, Tethering onOS 3.1.2 [IPhone]By John Herrman (Gizmodo)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:32:04 AM

What better way to kick off theweek than with two questionablysafe iPhone hacks, each of whichscratches a particular naggingitch: the first being lack of MMSon 2G iPhones, and the secondbeing tethering on OS 3.1.2. The hacks are pretty hardcore,and demand not just a jailbrokeniPhone, but a working knowledgeof the handset's operating systeminternals. Basically, I wouldn'trecommend anyone who enjoyshaving a not-bricked iPhone tryeither one. Anyway! The formercomes by way of the Hackint0sh

forums, courtesy of user Whiterat: 1. Backup original CommCenter(goes without saying...) 2. Replace CommCenter in:/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CoreTelephony.framework/Support/ with a patched one.

3. Chmod the new CommCenterto 755 4 . O p e n/System/Library/CoreServices/SpringBoard.app/M68AP.plist andinsert a true boolean value for"mms" under capabilities

and the latter, from the DevTeam Wiki, step-ified by TheBeat Mix(the instructions are toolong to include here; just checkthem out at the link). If they're soooooo dangerous,then why even mention them?Because in their respectiveforums, the chatter around thehacks is that they'll make theirway to the Cydia jailbreak appstore before too long, and both beinstallable with little more than atap. [ MuscleNerd's Twitter via9to5Mac]

GPS Puzzle Box Only Opens In One Specific Location[GPS]By Adam Frucci (Gizmodo)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:59:47 AM

This box is a GPS puzzle buildas a wedding gift by Mikal Hart.It only opens when it 's in aspecific location, and the puzzleinvolves discovering just wherethat location is. The box has a button and anLCD display on the lid. When youpress the button, the display willshow you how far, in kilometers,you are from the goal location. Itdoesn't give you directions, soyou need to triangulate whereyou're supposed to go via trial and

error. Oh, and you can only pressthe button 50 times. There's a pretty sweet disguisedback door built-in as well, just incase the battery dies or the GPSunit fails.

Spoiler: the box only openswhen brought to Île-de-Bréhat,France. As for what's inside? With all the electronics, therewasn't much room inside the boxfor anything too substantial. I put

in a few local (US) gift cards toentice them to visit soon, a set ofKazuo Ishiguro audio books (on aUSB key ) , and an ove r lysentimental card. And of course,as I pointed out in the card, ifeither of them fancies doing ali t t le Arduino development,t h e r e ' s a p e r f e c t l y g o o dDuemilanove to play with, not tomention an LCD, a servo, and aGPS. I guess the puzzle itself ispresent enough, really. Pretty coolstuff, no? [ Arduiniana via Make]

Google Voicevoicemails appearingin public search resultsBy Nilay Patel (Engadget)Submitted at 10/19/2009 10:42:00 AM

We're not exactly sure what'sgoing on here, but it certainlyseems like at least some GoogleVoice voicemails are beingindexed and made publiclyavailable somehow. If you punchi n"site:https://www.google.com/voice/fm/*" as a search string you geta few pages of what appear to betest messages, with a couple eye-open ing obv ious non- tes t sscattered in there as well. Dateson these messages range from acouple months ago all the wayuntil yesterday, so this is clearlyan ongoing issue -- hopefullyGoogle patches this up awful fast. P . S . - G o o g l e V o i c etranscription accuracy really fallsoff a cliff when it's listening tomuffled audio, doesn't it? Update: Google says it 'schanged how shared messages areindexed and made available topublic searches, so we're hopingthis was just a one-time thing. [Via Boy Genius Report] Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Google Voice voicemailsappearing in public search resultsoriginally appeared on Engadgeton Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:42:00EST. Please see our terms for useof feeds. Read| Permalink| Emailthis| Comments

Gadgets/


Gateway intros 15.6 and11.6-inch EC Series laptops:EC58, EC54 and EC14By Darren Murph (Engadget)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:26:00 AM

It's quite possible that you'vemissed the memo, but Microsoft'snext major operating systemlaunches this week. Along withpretty much every other PC makeron the planet, Gateway is alsoannouncing new laptops that humalong on Windows 7. Startingthings off is the 11.6-inch EC14,which gets going at $549.99 andincludes a 1.3GHz Pentium DualCore SU1400 CPU, 1,366 x 768resolution LED-backlit panel,Intel's GMA 4500MHD graphics,4GB of DDR2 RAM, a built-inwebcam and multicard reader,320GB HDD, WiFi, gigabitEthernet, a trio of USB 2.0sockets, HDMI output, multi-

gesture trackpad and a batterygood for around "six to eighthours" of life. The EC58 andEC54 models are 15.6-inchers,with a base model starting at$649.99 and featuring most of thesame specs in a larger enclosure.Naturally, the gang will ship onOctober 22nd, complete withbundles of " Wow!" in tow. Er,wait. Filed under: Laptops Gateway intros 15.6 and 11.6-inch EC Series laptops: EC58,EC54 and EC14 or ig inal lyappeared on Engadget on Mon, 19Oct 2009 11:26:00 EST. Pleasesee our terms for use of feeds.Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

Tiny $80 travel router doeswireless NBy Doug Aamoth(CrunchGear)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:30:00 AM

Take it from me: a good,inexpensive, small travel router ishard to find. This $80 pocket-sized wireless N-compatiblerouter may be just what the doctorordered, assuming your doctor isprogressive enough to write youprescr ip t ions for computerper iphera ls . The “Mini 300Mbps Wireless NT r a v e l R o u t e r ” f r o mThinkGeek.com is being pitchedas the “world’s smallest” and, at2.5 inches wide by 3.25 incheslong by 0.75 inches thick, thatmay very well be true. According to the productdescription: “It has a reset button, powerport, one 10/100Mbps Wide AreaNetwork Ethernet port, and anLED display that communicatespower and link status. The routerfeatures convenient Access Point

and Access Point Client modes.The latest in wireless encryptionprotects valuable data, whileadvanced Multiple Input MultipleO u t p u t ( M I M O ) a n t e n n atechnology delivers high speedwireless connectivity and broadcoverage that minimizes deadspots.” Looks like it might be worth acloser gander for anyone whospends a lot of time on the road. Mini 300Mbps Wireless NTravel Router[ThinkGeek.com]

Google Gives The Ultimate Holiday Gift: Free WiFi OnVirgin America FlightsBy Erick Schonfeld(CrunchGear)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:26:25 AM

Google is going to make a lot offrequent f lyers, and VirginAmerica, happy this holidayseason. As a gift to people whofly on Virgin America's WiFi-equipped planes, Google will befooting the bill for everybody on

board between November 10,2009, and January 15, 2010. ForGoogle, this is a smart marketingmove because it generates tons ofgood will among everyone who

flies Virgin America. But Googleis really giving a gift to VirginAmerica in the form of yet onemore incentive to fly its planesover competitors'. Will AmericanAirlines and others with WiFi onboard have to respond with theirown freebie giveaways? I hope so.

Will 'The Simpsons'Create an Episode BasedOff of ‘Balloon Boy’Saga?

(ETonline - Breaking News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 4:50:00 AM

Characters and stars walked the"yellow" carpet in honor of "TheSimpsons'" 20th Anniversary. According to the AssociatedPress, director Morgan Spurlocksaid the "Balloon Boy" headlineswould make "such a perfect' S i m p s o n s ' e p i s o d e . " H econtinued, "It was American newsat its best. We run with somethingwithout having all the facts. Weturn it into a big lead story." "The Simpsons" had a lot tocelebrate as they cut their cake.The series is the longest-runningAmerican si tcom, animatedprogram, and primetime scriptedentertainment program, accordingto the AP. "The Simpsons 20thAnniversary Special in 3-D onIce" is set to air in January.



Original BlackBerry Storm to getflick scrolling, better browsingthrough firmware update?By Darren Murph (Engadget)Submitted at 10/19/2009 10:19:00 AM

Despite Verizon's best efforts toignore the obvious , RIM'sBlackBerry Storm2 is not onlyofficial, it's (un)officially destinedfor Big Red's airwaves. If you'reone of those slightly disgruntledStorm 9530 owners, however, youcould be looking at a rather nicefirmware update coming your wayin the near future. According tophoneArena, the Storm andStorm2 wi l l eventua l ly be"practically identical" in terms ofsoftware, with a forthcomingupdate to add flick scrolling,tabbed browsing and threadedtexting to the original. Of course,we should probably wait for VZWto confirm the existence of theStorm2 before expecting anyformal word on this, but feel freeto go about your day withcautious optimism. Filed under: Cellphones

Original BlackBerry Storm toget flick scrolling, better browsingth rough f i rmware upda t e?originally appeared on Engadgeton Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:19:00EST. Please see our terms for useof feeds. Read| Permalink| Emailthis| Comments

Heat diodes give thermalcomputing a fighting chanceBy Darren Murph (Engadget)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:57:00 AM

Anyone who has tried their handat overclocking recognizes justhow evil waste heat is, and we'reguess ing tha t one Wata ruKobayashi at Waseda Universityin Japan understands explicitly.He, along with a few colleagues,has recently devised a new diodethat allows heat current to travelin one direction but not in theo t h e r . T h e b r e a k t h r o u g hessentially paves the way forthermal computing to actuallyt a k e o f f , w i t h o b v i o u sapplications including heat sinksfor microprocessors. Kobayashi,who may or may not be able to eata dozen hot dogs per minute in hisspare time, also hopes that hisdiscovery will lead to a thermal

transistor, thermal logic gates anda thermal memory. The future'syours, friend. Filed under: Science Heat diodes give thermalcomputing a fighting chanceoriginally appeared on Engadgeton Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:57:00EST. Please see our terms for useof feeds. Read| Permalink| Emailthis| Comments

LG BL40 New Chocolate reviewBy Vladislav Savov (Engadget)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:44:00 AM

You know the deal by now: wegrab a slab of fresh new hardware,fiddle, play, and tinker with ituntil exhaustion or boredom isreached, then wax poetic about

the whole experience, with a sideserving of pictures and videosthrown in. Today's candidate for agrilling is LG's BL40, which isnow available in Europe. You'llbe familiar with it already fromour hands-on look last month, butdo join us over at Engadget

Mobile where we explore what'sunder the glossy hood in more

detail, and give you a definitiveanswer on just how useful thatelongated screen really is. Gallery: LG BL40 NewChocolate review Filed under: Cellphones LG BL40 New Chocolatereview originally appeared on

Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 200911:44:00 EST. Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Read|Permalink| Email this| Comments

Livescribe Plus Smartpen gets smarterBy John Biggs (CrunchGear)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:12:22 AM

I’ve heard so much about thePulse Smartpen, the little pen thatrecords what you write along with

the audio around you at the timeof writ ing, that I’ve growncurious. Who out there has usedthis little thinger? Is it good forstudents? The elderly? Membersof the Spanish Inquisition?

Anyway, there’s a new model

that holds 4GB for $199.95 and a2GB version for $169.95. It alsocomes in titanium. There’s also a Business Bundlefor $249 that includes a A5notebook, transcription software,

and a charging cradle. It will beavailable at Target and AppleStores shortly.

Jennifer Love Hewitt &Jamie Kennedy DebunkBreak-up Rumors(ETonline - Breaking News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 4:55:00 AM

The stars tried to keep a straightface as they versed lady luck in acharity poker tournament onSaturday. The host, Camryn Manheim,personally invited ET to the event.She attracted quite a full house,with entrants such as JenniferLove Hewitt, with boyfriendJamie Kennedy by her side, JoelyFisher, Cheryl Hines, and JennieGarth. Despite rumors that they hadbroken up, Jennifer and Jamie toldET that they are still all in thegame of love. As he embraced hisgirlfriend, Jamie said, "We're veryhappy. Yes, we're a couple andthings sometimes are up anddown."



Video: Extreme Hang Gliding withthe Nikon D300s [Photography]By Danny Allen (Gizmodo)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:25:00 AM

This isn't the first time Nikonhas teamed up with spor tsphotographers to showcase theD 3 0 0 s ' n e w 7 2 0 p v i d e ocapabilities, but this footage of theworld's top hang glider surfingAustralia's mysterious " MorningGlory" wave-cloud phenomenon,is just as spectacular. The D300s was mounted to thefront of the hang glider and fitted

with a 10.5mm fisheye lens. Acustom hardwired trigger andrelease mechanism was used tofire both video and stills. Of course, the $1800 D300snow has some serious semi-procompetition from the $1900Canon 7D. And the 7D is an 18-megapixel, 1080p video beast.Click through the links above forour in-depth primers. [ YouTubevia CrunchGear]

Gartner: Loosen up on socialnetworks, securityBy Stephen Shankland(Webware.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:16:00 AM

ORLANDO, Fla.--OK, ITmanagers, it's time to loosen up. That's how analysts advisedGartner Symposium attendeeshere Monday, arguing thatcorporate computing departmentsshouldn't block social networkingand that securi ty shouldn ' tc o m p l e t e l y l o c k d o w ncommunications with the outsideworld. And even if informationtechnology authorities want toshut down such activity, theycan't. Carol Rozwell, a Gartner vicep r e s i d e n t ( C r e d i t : S t e p h e nS h a n k l a n d / C N E T ) "Banning access to social mediafrom the corporate network isfutile," said Carol Rozwell, aGartner vice president. "Theworld we live in is digitallyenabled and socially connected." The advice ref lects thetransformation of the informationtechnology world as the Internetsteadily pervades more and morecorners of everybody's l ife.Although the Gartner eventhistorically has concerned itselfwith matters such as justifying theexpense of a new enterpriseresource management computingsystem, the broadening showreflects the growing scope ofwork that IT managers face. Overall, companies mustacknowledge that not everythingis under control of their own top-

down administration, said PeterSondergaard, senior vice presidentof research at Gartner. "We're moving from control togreater autonomy," Sondergaardsaid. Managers also must find ana p p r o p r i a t e p l a c e o n t h espectrums of in here vs. out thereand owned vs. shared. To underscore her view,Rozwell argued that humans aresocial creatures and that there'smore to employee relations than apaycheck for work performed. "While a job may be regarded asan economic transaction, thehuman bra in th inks of theworkplace as a social system," shesaid. Social networking can makeemployees "feel valued, a part ofa community, and earn the respectof peers." Peter Sondergaard, senior vicepresident of research(Credit:S c r e e n s h o t b y S t e p h e nS h a n k l a n d / C N E T ) Employees should get used to agreater corporate presence in theirsocial-networking lives, though.For companies, social networkingcan reveal previously unknowninfluence and performance inemployees, and companies shouldtell employees that corporateconduct rules apply online, too. " W e c a n ' t s t o p s o c i a lnetworking, but harnessing thepass ion o f employees andeduca t i ng t hem abou t t heresponsibilities is essential,"Rozwell said. Computing security, too, ischanging, argued Paul Proctor,

another vice president. IT securitystaff should think carefully beforeexercising a reflex to preventemployees from communicatingwith Facebook's e-mail or Skype'sInternet telephony. Paul Proctor, a Gartner vicep r e s i d e n t ( C r e d i t : S t e p h e nS h a n k l a n d / C N E T ) Companies should rationallyevaluate services such as Google'sGmail and decide whether thepotential cost savings might wellb e w o r t h t h e r i s k s . E v e nevaluating such services will be abig step for IT departmentsaccustomed to being able to ruletheir own domain with an ironfist. "You cannot protect yourselffrom everything. You must learnto balance risk and performance,"Proctor said. "The cloud andsoftware as a service have appeal,but they introduce a huge shift inhow technology is managed andcontrolled." He was no Pollyanna. Softwarefor intrusion detection, antivirus,and firewall protection is stillessential, he said. But there arelimits to what's practical. China's incoming firewallrevealed that while it's possible toblock some incoming information,it's not practical to block thewidespread outbound flow ofinformation. "Don't try to shut down the two-way flow of information becauseyou can't stop it," Proctor said."Transparency is in." Originally posted at Deep Tech

Jenna Elfman Reveals Why SheReturned to TV(ETonline - Breaking News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:51:00 AM

"Accidentally on Purpose" starJenna Elfman is giving ET's MarkSteines an inside look into hernew show and revealing why shechose this time to return totelevision. A pregnant Elfman also plays amommy-to-be on the show. Her

character is expecting a child witha much younger man. "It feelsgreat to be back on a show that Ilove. ... I laughed out loud readingthese scripts," she tells Mark. "Everyone on this cast, honestly,is the most decent, hard working,loyal, wonderful human beingsI've ever met, and completelytalented."

Gadgets/ Tech/ Entertainment/


Yahoo betting on content biz revivalBy Tom Krazit (Webware.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 4:00:00 AM

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--Driveabout 350 miles down U.S. 101from Yahoo's Silicon Valleycampus and you'll find what CEOCarol Bartz appears to believe isthe future of her pioneeringInternet company. Yes, we're talking aboutYahoo's often-ridiculed MediaGroup headquartered about twomiles from the famous SantaMonica pier and a world awayfrom the technology-orientedplans of Bartz's predecessor,company founder Jerry Yang. Yahoo is turning its focus backtoward content with an eye toshows like Prime Time in NoT i m e , s t a r r i n g F r a n kN i c o t e r o . ( C r e d i t : Y a h o o ) Just a few years ago, amid theruins of the disastrous reign offormer Yahoo media boss LloydBraun, that notion would havebeen laughable. Sure, lots ofsmart people agreed the Internetwas going to be a big deal forcontent creators, and Braun,having selected hit show after hitshow for ABC, was at one pointconsidered one of the smartestand best-suited individuals tobuild a real media business atYahoo. But his tenure was a flop--perhaps most notable for acontroversial Los Angeles Timespiece that declared, among othertech industry heresies, Braunreceived a special parking spaceand a de luxe of f ice . (Thehistorical record was disputed bysome, including All Things D'sKara Swisher.) He lasted a littlemore than two years, and formerCEO Terry Semel soon followedhim out the door. Then came

Yang, a renewed focus on searchas Yahoo's bread and butter, thedistracting--and equally disastrous--takeover fight with Microsoftand Yang's eventual departurefrom the corner office. It's possible, however, that theInternet content idea was clever,even if the execution was terrible.Bartz, the former CEO of CAD-software maker Autodesk and notech-industry dilettante, appears tobelieve this. Yahoo's new strategyhinges on a basic premise thatmany have figured out, but somestill don't get: The Internetdemands a unique approach tocontent creation. You can't justpick up a newspaper or televisionand plug it into an Ethernet jack. And you can't take the networkT V a p p r o a c h t o I n t e r n e tprogramming, as Braun's failuresdemonstrated. Yahoo executivesare finally trying to marry thehuge audience afforded by itstechnology products such as e-mail and instant messaging withnews and entertainment contentdesigned for the 21st century. We're talking about shows likePrime Time in No Time, a 3- to 5-minute recap of last night's prime-time television shows, perfect forgiving you a few quips to shareover the coffee machine at workwithout having to actually watchthe shows. Or Yahoo SportsMinute, which won't get confusedwith ESPN's SportsCenter butgets the basics across. The result could be a page-viewmachine. Yahoo lost the secondround of the Internet advertisingwars to Google and its ubiquitoussearch engine, but as Yahooprepares for its third-quarterearnings call Tuesday it's hopingthat by increasing its focus onquality, home-grown content it

can attract the types of brand-name advertisers that still plowmos t o f t he i r money in tot e l ev i s ion . By the numbers Yahoo has the second largestcollection of Web sites in theworld, as measured by uniquevisitors, trailing Google by 5million unique visitors. 160million people visited a Yahoosite in September 2009, accordingto ComScore, and Yahoo Mediacounted 85.9 million uniquevisitors, up from 80 million a yearago. Those sites include YahooNews (48 million unique visitorsi n S e p t e m b e r ) , Y a h o oEntertainment (44 mil l ion),Yahoo Sports (38 million), andYahoo Finance (22 million),among others. If it was counted as a separateentity, Yahoo Media would be theseventh-largest property on theInternet as measured by uniquevisitors. That's not the best way tolook at it--since many of thosevisitors first entered Yahoo'sworld by checking their e-mail orcustomized home page--but anyway you cut it, it's a lot of people. Those visitors--a mass thatcovers many demographics--arethe kind of people that big-brandadvertisers covet. Yahoo Sportsand Games get the guys, andYahoo has launched a number ofwomen-oriented sites over the lastyear--such as OMG and Shine--drawing readers, viewers, andadvertisers with a consciousdecision to focus on "sunny andfriendly" entertainment andwomen ' s news , sa id S iby lGoldman, vice president ofentertainment at Yahoo. That'scompared with some of the moretawdry sites in this category--think TMZ--that draw a lot of

traffic but not necessarily thekinds of high-profile advertisersthat Yahoo likes. Bartz has set clear priorities forthe Media group: do what you dobest, and we'll find resources toinvest in your business by gettingrid of dead weight . Yahooannounced a round of targetedlayoffs in Apr i l tha t weredesigned to funnel investmenttoward businesses the companywants to stay in for the long haul,and the Media group will beperhaps the largest beneficiary ofthat investment. And that doesn'teven count the savings that willeventually be realized if Yahoo'ssearch outsourcing deal withMicrosoft is approved by federalregulators. What does Yahoo plan to dowith that money? Yahoo's contentsites currently obtain their contentfrom three different buckets:aggregation, original contentcreated in-house, and contentpartnerships. At the moment, thatdivision roughly breaks down atabout 80 percent aggregation, 10percent original content, and 10percent content partnerships: thedivisions are slightly different fordifferent properties. During the next year, managerssuch as Goldman are being askedto increase the amount of originalcontent they produce. That meansbuilding on the success of showslike Prime Time in No Time--which Yahoo claims is the most-watched original show everdeveloped for the Internet--andavoiding the mistakes of the past. By the Internet, for the Internet Jimmy Pitaro, head of Yahoo'sMedia group, wants to make itvery clear that Yahoo is not in thesitcom business. Pitaro has been with Yahoo's

media operation forever--ornear ly forever , jo ining thecompany after it acquired LaunchMedia in 2001, where he had beenvice president of business affairs.As a result he has seen all the upsand downs of the previous decadeat Yahoo, and while he refuses toslag Braun directly he does admitthat the company has learned itslessons from that era. Jimmy Pitaro, vice president ofMedia at Yahoo.(Credit: Yahoo) During a recent lunch in therestaurant below the Yahoo'sSanta Monica offices, Pitaromakes roughly 5,397 attempts(perhaps a slight exaggeration) tomake sure I understand thatYahoo i s no t go ing to beproducing 22-minute programswith earnest moms and dadssolving life's little crises, orsearing crime dramas ripped fromthe headlines. Instead, Yahoo wants tocont inue developing showssimilar to Prime Time in NoTime, a Talk Soup-like showf e a t u r i n g c o m e d i a n F r a n kNicotero that glibly summarizesthe previous evening's prime timenetwork shows. ("The gift thatreality TV gave us," Goldmanchortled.) The company claims PrimeTime in No Time is the mostwatched original show in thehistory of the Internet, with 280million streams since it launchedin early 2008 and several millionviewers per day, comparable to amid-t ier broadcast networkprogram and much easier toproduce: Nicotero rolls into theoffice after watching the east-coast network feeds at home totape the short show.

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YAHOO page 18


YAHOOcontinued from page 17

News and entertainment will beYahoo's focus over the next year,Pitaro said. He wants to makeYahoo known as a source ofbreaking news developed byprofessionals, building on severalhigh-profile scoops involvingcollege athletics and recruitinggenerated by the Yahoo Sportsteam, which he built in his priorrole as vice president and generalmanager of Yahoo Sports. Hewants to expand Yahoo's originalprogramming to include longer 10- to 12-minute scripted programswith more of a documentary ornews magazine style. And hewants to bring in people who canoffer point-of-view content, asopposed to straight news or flamebait opinion. But whatever Yahoo ends upp roduc ing , i t ha s t o t akeadvantage of the Internet 'sproclivity toward short-termattent ion spans and viewerparticipation, Pitaro said. Thiswas the fatal mistake of the Braun-era Yahoo, which Yahoo execst r i ed t o r ep l i c a t e t he TVproduct ion process on theIn te rne t . Yahoo learned that approach issimply too expensive and toofraught with risk to work on thef a s t - m o v i n g I n t e r n e t . T V

executives green-light dozens ofprograms to fill out the clock,knowing full well that only ahandful of those programs willturn into long-term successes. Butthey have to fill airtime to sellcommercials, whereas Internetb u s i n e s s e s d o n ' t n e e d t o"program" against time slots andthey can develop programs thatfill specific needs rather thantrying to ram another hospitalshow down our throats. Developing short Internet-focused scripted comedy or dramashows is equally risky. There havebeen a few successes, but morefailures, and such programs don'tnecessarily fit in with the rest ofYahoo's newsy content. Will it blend? Yahoo's strategy with the Mediagroup hinges on a couple offactors. One is that advertiserswill increasingly invest in displayads. That's Yahoo's historicalstrength, but it 's a categoryadvertisers have considered lessattractive than search ads forseveral years. In the first half of 2009--albeit aterrible six months for Internetadvertising--companies spent $5.1billion on search ads and $3.8billion on display ads, accordingto the Interactive Advertising

Bureau, with search ad spendingrising slightly and display adspending falling slightly year overyear. Display ad spending grewfrom 2007 to 2008, but searchgrew faster, and some analyststhink that pattern will repeat asthe indust ry emerges f romrecess ion. Another risk is the competition:Advertisers might prefer to workwith Google's YouTube as theybuild out their display advertisingstrategy: CFO Patrick Pichettesaid last week that Google is nowmonetizing 1 billion video viewsa week and sold out 90 percent ofits home page inventory in thethird quarter. Google recently launched arevamped display ad exchangethat has a long way to go to catchYahoo but could create problemsfor the company if Google is ableto sign more content deals withpublishers to put professionallyproduced content on YouTube.Still, Google seems unlikely to getinto the content productionbusiness i tself . A third risk comes from theestablishment media: Will theyfinally get their act togetheronline? At the moment, they'vemainly focused on ways of gettingtheir television content online

through partnerships like Hulu,but they haven't put a strong focuson developing shows unique tothe Internet, with a few exceptionslike The WB that was once atelevision network and is now anonline-only destination. But with Bartz at the helm,Media group execs no longer feellike Yahoo's weird cousins fromSouthern California. "With Carolcoming on board, she's providinga clarity around becoming adestination," said Kyle Laughlin,head of sports and games atYahoo. Jerry Yang had famouslyattempted to describe Yahoo as "aplace where you start your day,"but Bartz is attempting to refinethat definition by making sureYahoo develops the kind ofcontent that gets people in thedoor--any door, any time--andencourages them to stay. And so, the fate of one of theSilicon Valley Internet industry'sseminal companies might bede te rmined by a g roup ofAngelenos. The perennial Yahoodeba te - - i s i t a t echnologycompany or a media company?--isentering another round. Originally posted at RelevantResults

Office 2010 to enter public beta next month(CNET News.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:00:00 AM

Microsof t on Monday isannouncing that it will release inNovember a public test version ofOffice 2010. The software maker released alimited technology preview of thesoftware in July and plans to

release the final version next year.It also started testing of thebrowser-based "Office WebApps" in September. Microsoft, which is making theannouncement at its SharePointconference, is also detailing someof the features of the next versionof its portal software, which willalso enter beta next month.

The new version, SharePoint2010, includes Office's Ribbonuser interface as well as enhancedsupport for video, audio andSilverlight. Programmers will alsobe able develop Sharepointl sitesusing the next version of thecompany's Visual Studio, which isgoing into a second beta thisweek.

SharePoint is an importantproduct for Microsoft as it is oneof the company's fastest growinglarge businesses. Last year itbrought in more than $1.3 billionin revenue, up 20 percent from theprior year. "SharePoint 2010 is the biggestand most important release ofSharePoint to date," CEO Steve

Ballmer said in a statement."When paired with MicrosoftOffice 2010, SharePoint 2010 willt r a n s f o r m e f f i c i e n c y b yconnecting workers across asingle collaboration platform forbusiness." This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Penn Badgley:Relationship with BlakeLively Might Not Be aSmart Move

(ETonline - Breaking News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:55:00 AM

Penn Badgley-- who's dating co-star Blake Lively-- reveals that hebelieves dating your co-workercould be a big mistake! The "Gossip Girl" star talks toMen's Health about love -- andjeans - - in the magaz inesNovember issue and "DenimGuide: 2009." Speaking about his co-star andreal-life love Blake Lively, Pennsays, "Having a relationship withsomeone you work with might notalways be the smartest move," hesays.

Tech/ Entertainment/


Gartner: Loosen up on social networks, security(CNET News.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:16:00 AM

ORLANDO, Fla.--OK, ITmanagers, it's time to loosen up. That's how analysts advisedGartner Symposium attendeeshere Monday, arguing thatcorporate computing departmentsshouldn't block social networkingand that securi ty shouldn ' tc o m p l e t e l y l o c k d o w ncommunications with the outsideworld. And even if informationtechnology authorities want toshut down such activity, theycan't. Carol Rozwell, a Gartner vicep r e s i d e n t ( C r e d i t : S t e p h e nS h a n k l a n d / C N E T ) "Banning access to social mediafrom the corporate network isfutile," said Carol Rozwell, aGartner vice president. "Theworld we live in is digitallyenabled and socially connected." The advice ref lects thetransformation of the informationtechnology world as the Internetsteadily pervades more and morecorners of everybody's l ife.Although the Gartner eventhistorically has concerned itselfwith matters such as justifying theexpense of a new enterpriseresource management computingsystem, the broadening showreflects the growing scope ofwork that IT managers face. Overall, companies mustacknowledge that not everythingis under control of their own top-down administration, said PeterSondergaard, senior vice presidentof research at Gartner. "We're moving from control togreater autonomy," Sondergaardsaid. Managers also must find ana p p r o p r i a t e p l a c e o n t h e

spectrums of in here vs. out thereand owned vs. shared. To underscore her view,Rozwell argued that humans aresocial creatures and that there'smore to employee relations than apaycheck for work performed. "While a job may be regarded asan economic transaction, thehuman bra in th inks of theworkplace as a social system," shesaid. Social networking can makeemployees "feel valued, a part ofa community, and earn the respectof peers." Peter Sondergaard, senior vice

president of research(Credit:S c r e e n s h o t b y S t e p h e nS h a n k l a n d / C N E T ) Employees should get used to agreater corporate presence in theirsocial-networking lives, though.For companies, social networkingcan reveal previously unknowninfluence and performance inemployees, and companies shouldtell employees that corporateconduct rules apply online, too. " W e c a n ' t s t o p s o c i a lnetworking, but harnessing thepass ion o f employees andeduca t i ng t hem abou t t he

responsibilities is essential,"Rozwell said. Computing security, too, ischanging, argued Paul Proctor,another vice president. IT securitystaff should think carefully beforeexercising a reflex to preventemployees from communicatingwith Facebook's e-mail or Skype'sInternet telephony. Paul Proctor, a Gartner vicep r e s i d e n t ( C r e d i t : S t e p h e nS h a n k l a n d / C N E T ) Companies should rationallyevaluate services such as Google'sGmail and decide whether thepotential cost savings might wellb e w o r t h t h e r i s k s . E v e nevaluating such services will be abig step for IT departmentsaccustomed to being able to ruletheir own domain with an ironfist. "You cannot protect yourselffrom everything. You must learnto balance risk and performance,"Proctor said. "The cloud andsoftware as a service have appeal,but they introduce a huge shift inhow technology is managed andcontrolled." He was no Pollyanna. Softwarefor intrusion detection, antivirus,and firewall protection is stillessential, he said. But there arelimits to what's practical. China's incoming firewallrevealed that while it's possible toblock some incoming information,it's not practical to block thewidespread outbound flow ofinformation. "Don't try to shut down the two-way flow of information becauseyou can't stop it," Proctor said."Transparency is in." This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Using A SecurityBreach As AnUpsell Opportunity?By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:00:00 AM

Danny Sullivan has a blog postblasting Citibank for how ithandled a secur i ty breach,requiring him to get a new creditcard. Apparently a vendor whereSullivan had used the card had abreach, meaning Citibank senthim a new card. But did they tellhim which vendor it was so thatSull ivan could avoid doingbusiness with them in the future?Of course not. But much moreinsulting is that when he went toactivate the new card, Citibanktried to upsell him on a creditcheck offering. As Sullivan notes,shouldn't Citibank be offering thatto him for free? It's probablycheaper than having to send outthousands of new cards everytime a vendor screws up. Ofcourse, when Sullivan points thatout to the person on the phone, theperson at the other end says"we ' r e j u s t t he ac t iva t iondepartment, you'd have to talk tocustomer service for that." Ofcourse , i f they ' re jus t theactivation department, why arethey doing sales as well? I'm surethe big banks will claim that thesesorts of sales processes work inthat enough people are suckeredinto these high margin upsellofferings, but wouldn't it be niceto have a bank that actuallytreated customers well? Permalink| Comments| EmailThis Story

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KaChing takes on mutual fund industryBy Rafe Needleman(Webware.com)Submitted at 10/18/2009 4:47:00 PM

When I wrote about KaChinglast December, the site was afantasy stock market where youcould track the pretend portfoliosof other investors. But the gameof make-believe is coming to anend at the company, and KaChingis now letting users attach realmoney to their accounts. In doingso, this company is taking on the$11.5 trillion U.S. mutual fundindustry. It looks like a greatopportunity, both for the investorsin the company and consumerequity investors. KaChing lets anyone create andmanage a portfolio on the site,and any user can see theseportfolios and track their returns.Unlike other fantasy stock-tradingsites, though, with KaChing youcan actually commit money tomirroring another user's portfolio.This feature should be live on thesite Monday. The site offers some protectionfor users choosing to track others.It awards "genius" badges to

portfolio managers to only thoseplayers who have been on the sitefor a year, who have qualified forand signed trading regulatorydocuments, and whose consistentperformance measures over acertain level. Only genius userscan be mirrored. KaChing's "geniuses" might beworth investing real moneyin.(Credit: Screenshot by RafeNeedleman/CNET) KaChing traders also have tospecify their fund or portfoliophilosophy, which is tracked andrated by the system. If you sayyou're a health care investor, forexample, and then you make akilling on Apple, your return maygo up but your "sticks to strategy"rating will decline, and peoplefol lowing you or invest ingalongside your portfolio will besent "drift alerts" to tell them thatyou might have moved from the"good" category into either the"lucky" or "reckless" bins. AsCEO Andy Rachleff says, with atypical mutual fund, there's noway to tell if the investors arelucky or good, and especially notin between quarterly statements.

To invest alongside KaChinggeniuses, you have to use fund abrokerage account at InteractiveBrokers, which KaChing will dofor you, online. KaChing workswith this particular brokeragesince it has an API that letsKaChing make fast trades fairlycheaply, at 2 cents a share. Geniuses on the site set theirown management fee, of whichKaChing takes 25 percent .KaChing also will collect marginson stock trade commissions.Investors who are mirroringKaChing geniuses can stop doingso whenever they wish and tradetheir s tocks out thereaf ter .Unfortunately, you can't yet tradeinto another genius' fund withoutsetting up a new trading accountyourself, but that should be fixedshortly. Account minimums arelow, though ($3,000) and thereare no exit fees. Rachleff told me that the realsecret behind KaChing is theobservation that the Ivy Leagueendowments outperform the S&Pdue to "a superior strategy tochoosing investment managers,"w h i c h i s w h a t K a C h i n g ' s

a l g o r i t h m s c h e c k f o r .Oversimplified, KaChing ratesadherence to strategy coupledwith returns, not just returnsthemselves. That makes returnspredictable, Rachleff says. Top KaChing genius Min Thangbelieves in health-care.(Credit:S c r e e n s h o t b y R a f eN e e d l e m a n / C N E T ) Of more than 8,000 KaChingusers with public portfolios, onlyten, so far, are geniuses whoseaccounts can be mi r ro red .Hopefully that number will rise.T h e s e t e n p e o p l e n e e dcompetition, and users needoptions. I 'm one of mi l l ions ofconsumers dissatisfied with thereturns in my mutual funds aswell as the lack of transparency inthese investments. I am a big fanof KaChing's model, enough sothat I am strongly consideringputting some of my own moneyinto the service once there aremore genius managers to track. Originally posted at Rafe'sRadar

NaNoWriMo participants: Scrivener has some deals for youBy Steven Sande (TheUnofficial Apple Weblog(TUAW))Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:30:00 AM

Filed under: Odds and ends,Deals After my post aboutNaNoWriMo preparation theother day, a couple of TUAWreaders pointed out that Literatureand Latte, the folks behindScrivener 1.52, have a specialdeal going on for NaNoWriMo2009 participants.

Are you considering givingScrivener a try while you'rew r i t i n g y o u r e n t r y f o rNaNoWriMo 2009? You're inluck! Normally, the applicationcomes with a 30-day free trial.While that's long enough to lastthrough the 30 days of writingecstasy that it NaNoWriMo, youshould get to know the tools ofyour trade before you startwriting. Downloading the trialversion of Scrivener between nowand the start of NaNoWriMo on

November 1st gives you a trialversion that lasts until December7th, long enough for you to notonly finish your tome, but alsomake your first editing passbe fo re send ing i t t o yourpub l i she r . Now here comes the really funpart -- if you are successful in

writing your 50,000 words byNovember 30th, you can buyScrivener starting on December2nd at a 50% discount off thenormal license price of US$39.95.Those who run out of luck or timeand aren't NaNoWriMo finisherscan still get 20% off by using thepromo code NANOWRIMO. If you'd like to be able to takenotes in between writing sessions,you'll be happy to know thatWriteRoom notes can be syncedto SimpleText.ws, and then

imported directly into Scrivener. Thanks to Cthulu Saves andsophielynette for the tip! T U A W N a N o W r i M oparticipants: Scrivener has somedeals for you originally appearedon The Unofficial Apple Weblog(TUAW) on Mon, 19 Oct 200909:30:00 EST. Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

Donny Osmond:'We're beating eachother up!'(ETonline - Breaking News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 5:50:00 AM

New video: ET is with DonnyOsmond as he prepares for thisweek's "Dancing with the Stars"challenge, where the question is --will he make it to the showunharmed? He and partner Kym Johnsonare doing the Argentine tango,which i s ve ry fas t - - anddangerous! "She's beating me upagain," Donny says with a laugh."We're beating each other up!" "It's really fast footwork, Kymsays. "We've had a few misses. Iscratched [Donny's] eyeball."



Firefox blocks insecure .Net add-on--awkwardlyBy Stephen Shankland(Webware.com)Submitted at 10/18/2009 6:04:00 PM

Mozilla on Friday disabled aMicrosoft plug-in for Firefoxcal led the .Net FrameworkAssistant because of a securityproblem--then scrambled to givepeople with patched systems anoverride option. Mike Shaver, Mozilla's vicep r e s i d e n t o f e n g i n e e r i n g ,announced the first step lateFriday night on his blog. "It'srecently surfaced that it has aserious security vulnerability, andMicrosoft is recommending thatall users disable the add-on,"Shaver said. "Because of thedifficulties some users have hadentirely removing the add-on, andbecause of the severity of the riskit represents if not disabled, wecontacted Microsoft today toindicate that we were looking todisable the extension and plug-infor all users via our blocklistingmechanism. Microsoft agreedwith the plan, and we put theblocklist entry live immediately." This warning sign greetedFirefox users after Mozil lablocked use of a Microsoft add-on.(Credit: Screenshot by StephenShankland/CNET) The.Net Framework Assistanta d d - o n l e t s F i r e f o x u s eMicrosoft's ClickOnce technologyfor installing applications that run

o n i t s . N e t p r o g r a m m i n gfoundation. The add-on alreadywas something of a thorn in thesides of some Firefox users: it wasautomat ica l ly ins ta l led v iaWindows Update with the .NetFramework 3.5 Service Pack 1without telling the user the add-onwas being installed or giving anoption. More hackles were raisedbecause it wasn't compatible withFirefox 3.5, Shaver said, andbecause removing it initiallyrequired people to edit theirWindows Registry--a technicallyonerous task for most people. Firefox checks a Mozilla serverperiodically for a list of add-onsto avoid. Although Mozilla'sblocking move was intended toprotect users, it caused otherproblems. Shaver indicated thatFirefox's changed behavior irkedsome system administrators. That led Justin Angel, a formerSilverlight program manager atMicrosoft , to tweet, "Whenbusiness users can't use their corebusiness functionali ty--theyuninstall s tuff ." One issue was that Mozilla'sadd-on blocking technologycouldn't tell if people had patchedtheir software and so weren'tvulnerable anymore. "We can'td i s t i n g u i s h p a t c h e d f r o munpatched, so we're blocking itwhile we sort that out," Shavertwittered. Over the weekend,Mozilla worked to remedy the

situation. "Pushing a change to ourblocklist software that will letFirefox 3.5 users override theblocking of .NET FA/WPF pluginif they 're patched," Shavertweeted Sunday. But a few hourslater, he added, "We're stillworking on the blocklist tweaks tohelp enterprises override theblocking of the WPF plugin, staytuned!" Update 6:47 p.m. PDT: Crisispartially averted, apparently. Atabout 6:10 p.m., Shaver tweeted,"MSFT confirmed that the .NETFramework Assistant is notexploitable, so we've removed itfrom the blocklist; one down!" Update 8:34 p.m. PDT: There'sstill another blocked Microsoftadd-on that's vulnerable, one thatc o n c e r n s t h e W i n d o w sPresentation Foundation (WPF),which also is installed with the.Net service pack. Shaver said itwas more serious. "We' re hard a t work onimproving the experience for(especially enterprise) users whowish to override the blocking ofthe WPF plugin before we removeit from the blocklist," Shaver saidin a Sunday night blog post thatannounced the other plug-in hadbeen removed from the Firefoxblocked add-on list. Originally posted at Deep Tech

Sprint to acquire iPCSto end lawsuit(CNET News.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:14:00 AM

Sprint Nextel has settled its legaldispute with its wireless affiliateiPCS by striking a deal to acquirethe company in a transactionvalued at around $831 million. Sprint announced Monday thatit plans to buy iPCS for $24 ashare, a 34 percent premium to itsFriday closing price of $17.88,which means the company will bespending about $426 million incash. Sprint also agreed to assume$405 million of debt, bringing thetotal price tag to $831 million. The deal is expected to close inlate 2009 or early 2010. And onceit is completed, the companiesplan to suspend litigation. The original agreement betweenSprint and iPCS precluded Sprintfrom operating a competingwireless service in its territory.When the company bought Nexteli n 2 0 0 5 , i t v i o l a t e d t h i sagreement, iPCS has argued. The courts have sided with iPCSon this issue. Last year, theSupreme Court of Illinois uphelda lower court's ruling that Sprintmust stop owning, operating, andmanaging i t s Nexte l iDENnetwork in Sprint affiliate iPCS'sterritory. Sprint was given 360 days todivest itself of the iDEN assets inthat territory or strike some kindof deal with iPCS. Given that

Nextel is the only operator thathas used the iDEN wirelesstechnology in the U.S., divestingthese assets appeared unlikely. As the deadline looms, itappears that Sprint was eitherunable or unwilling to get rid ofits Nextel iDEN assets in this areaand has instead decided to strike adeal with the company. Once the merger is completed,Sprint said that it will no longerhave to divest its iDEN networkin the iPCS markets. Sprint's merger with Nextel hasbeen blamed for many of theproblems facing the wirelessoperator today. One if its mainproblems has been a steady loss ofvaluable wireless subscribers.Since its new CEO Dan Hessecame on board nearly two yearsago, the company has worked toimprove its network and customerservice. It's also been trying torepair its damaged reputation. But even Hesse has admittedthat customer perceptions do notchange overnight. Sprint said the iPCS transactionis valued at 6.4 times estimated2010 adjusted earnings beforeincome, taxes and depreciation.The company forecasts $30million of annual cost savings andexpects the deal to add to freecash flow in 2010. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Sexy & Sizzlin': TV's Hottest Hunks!(ETonline - Breaking News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 3:06:00 AM

What do Simon Baker, DavidBoreanaz and Rob Lowe all have

in common? They are all ET'spicks for TV's hottest hunks! So who gets the nod for theHottest Cop, Hottest RealityContestant, Hottest Vampire, and

Hottest Nerd on TV? Keepclicking to find out the answer tothese and many more smokin' hotcategories!



Why Would The Copyright LobbyBe Concerned About An Anti-SpamBill?By Michael Masnick (Techdirt)Submitted at 10/19/2009 4:43:25 AM

Up in Canada, there have beeno n g o i n g d i s c u s s i o n s a n dnegotiations over an anti-spamlaw. While I have var iousreservations over anti-spamlegislation (here in the US it'sdone little to stop spam, butp l e n t y t o o u t l i n e h o w t o"legitimately" spam people), it's abit surprising to find out that thecopyr ight lobby is heavi lyinvolved in the process as well.Why would the copyright lobbycare about an anti-spam bill?Apparently, they're afraid that it'llhinder their use of DRM, sincethe current bill requires consentbefore installing software oncomputers. And, as we learned inSony's famous rootkit debacle,p l en ty o f DRM works bysurreptitiously installing softwarethat watches what you do withcontent. Of course, the last thingthe entertainment industry wouldwant is to be required to be 100%upfront and truthful with youwhen it's installing spyware/DRMon your computer. That would --in their minds -- defeat the point. So, the copyright lobby hasbeen making sure to water downthe bill, to try to cut out thelanguage that would cover theiru s e o f s u r r e p t i t i o u s

spyware/DRM: Sources say thatthe Liberals have introduced amotion that would take thesepractices outside of the bill. In itsp l a c e , t h e y w o u l d d e f i n ecomputer program as, amongother things, "a program that hasas its primary function...inducinga user to install software byintentionally misrepresenting thatins ta l l ing tha t sof tware i snecessary to safeguard security orprivacy or to open or play contentof a computer program." This setssuch a high bar - pr imaryf u n c t i o n , i n t e n t i o n a lmispresentation - that music andsoftware industry can plausiblyargue that surreptitious DRMinstallations fall outside of C-27.And , o f cou r se , once t hecopyright lobby can put spywareon your machine, they want to besure they can spy on you and usethat information against you:PIPEDA currently features aseries of exceptions to thes t anda rd r equ i r emen t s fo rob ta in ing consen t fo r t hecollection of personal information(found in Section 7). Bill C-27includes a provision that barsthose excep t ions i n ca sesinvolving computer harvesting ofe m a i l a d d r e s s e s a n d t h e" c o l l e c t i o n o f p e r s o n a linformation through any means oft e l ecommun ica t i on , i f t he

collection is made by accessing acomputer system or causing acomputer system to be accessedwithout authorization." In otherwords, email harvesting andspyware would not be permittedand would not qualify for thePIPEDA exceptions found inSection 7. The copyright lobby is deeplyconcerned that this change willblock attempts to track possibleinfringement through electronicmeans. The Section 7(1)(b)exception in PIPEDA currentlystates that collecting personalinformation without consent orknowledge of the individual ispermitted if it is reasonable toexpect that the collection "wouldcompromise the availability oraccuracy of the information" andthe collection is "related toinvestigating a breach of anagreement or a contravention ofthe laws of Canada." It's reallystunning what kind of sense ofentitlement the entertainmentindustry has -- insisting that itshould have the right to installspyware on your computerwithout you knowing about it, andto then collect all sorts of privateinfo about you and what you doon your computer. Shameful. Permalink| Comments| EmailThis Story

Mac 101: Add ScreenSharing folder to Dockfor quick accessBy TJ Luoma (The UnofficialApple Weblog (TUAW))Submitted at 10/18/2009 3:00:00 PM

Filed under: Mac 101 More Mac101, our series of tips and tricksfor novice Mac users. This is really two tips in one.The first is a fairly basic one thatnew Mac users might not know:you can drag any folder to theright-hand side your dock (to theright of the faint-white lineswhich separate the Trash fromapplications). When you first setup an account, the Applications,Documents, and Downloadsfolders are already there. The second is a "news to me"tip: did you know that when youconnect via screensharing todifferent Macs, a file is created iny o u r h o m e d i r e c t o r y a t~ / L i b r a r y / A p p l i c a t i o nS u p p o r t / S c r e e n S h a r i n g / ? These files can be used toreconnect to those machinessimply by clicking on them. Thismeans that you can launch ScreenSharing without having to switchto Finder, locate the machine, andthen click the "Screen Share..."button. If you screen share to adifferent Mac, the .vncloc file willautomatically be added to thatfolder. Just drag the folder ofScreen Sharing shortcuts to yourdock to make it into an easily-accessible Stack. Using the Finder does have oneadvantage: if a computer is notavailable (if it's powered off orasleep) it will automatically

disappear from the "Shared"section in Finder. The files in theScreen Sharing folder will still bethere, so if you are having troubleconnecting, you might checkFinder to make sure that it still"sees" the computer you are tryingto reach. Henrik Nyh also suggestedputting VNC shortcuts in a Stackin the dock, and he adds thenotion of picking some suitableicons for them. Check out hisrundown here. TUAW Mac 101: Add ScreenSharing folder to Dock for quickaccess originally appeared on TheU n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g(TUAW) on Sun, 18 Oct 200915:00:00 EST. Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

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UK ISP Shows Why Kicking PeopleOff The Internet Based On An IPAddress Is DumbBy Michael Masnick (Techdirt)Submitted at 10/19/2009 2:21:32 AM

UK ISP TalkTalk has been astrong critic of the way therecording industry has tried toturn ISPs into copyright cops inthe past. A year and a half ago itswore it would not be a copyrightcop , and sco lded BPI fo rs u g g e s t i n g i t h a d a n yresponsibility to enforce theentertainment industry's poorexcuse for a business model --while also complaining about "themost unbelievably rude letter"tha t BPI sen t Ta lkTalk indemanding it do so. At the time,he told them:"They're not justshutting the stable door after thehorse has bolted -- the horse hasleft town, got married, and starteda family." Well said. Then, earlierthis year, TalkTalk's CEO alsopointed out how naive it was tothink that the industry could doanything to stop unauthorized filesharing, noting: If you try speedhumps or disconnections for peer-to-peer, people will simply eitherdisguise their traffic or share thecontent another way. It is a game

of Tom and Jerry and you willnever catch the mouse. The mousealways wins in this battle and weneed to be careful that politiciansdo not get talked into puttinglegislation in place that, in theend, ends up looking stupid.... If people want to share contentthey will find another way to doit.... TalkTalk is continuing toshow how silly the recordingindustry's plans are, by doing alittle demonstration. The companysent out a security expert on staffto an ordinary street in Stanmore,Middlesex. Then it had him findall the WiFi connections there --noting that many were totallyopen, and many others used weaksecurity. From a few open ones,he went and downloaded somesongs including Barry Manilow'shit Mandy and the soundtrack tothe 1992 film Peter's Friends --those two choices in honor ofPe t e r Mande l son , t he UKBusiness Secretary who suddenlybecause a supporter of kicking filesharers off the internet using athree strikes provision after diningwith entertainment industrymogul, David Geffen.

To be clear, in this case, themusic downloads were both donelegally -- and the companychecked with the WiFi accesspoint owners first to make surethey were okay with it -- but thepoint is still clear. Just becauseyou have an IP address, it doesn'ta c t a s any so r t o f p roo f .TalkTalk's director of strategy andregulation, Andrew Heaney madethe point clear:"The Mandelsonscheme is every bit as wrong-headed as it is naive. The lack ofpresumption of innocence and theabsence of judicial processcombined with the prevalence ofwi-fi hacking will result ini n n o c e n t p e o p l e b e i n gdisconnected." This, of course, isthe same point that plenty ofpeople have been making forages, but the recording industrynever has a good response. Theyalso haven't been able to respondto a more important point: howwill kicking people off theinternet make anyone moreinterested in buying music? Permalink| Comments| EmailThis Story

Meet New People NearYou Using Your iPhoneand Loopt MixBy Christina Warren(Mashable!)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:41:23 AM

Geolocation is one of the bigcurrent trends in social networksand mobile applications. And whynot? Being able to find out what’sgoing on around you and whatyour friends are doing nearby ispretty awesome. It’s one of thereason apps and services likeFoursquare are gaining traction. Today, Loopt, one of the earlyplayers in connecting users totheir friends based on location, islaunching a new app that helpsyou meet new people, calledLoopt Mix. Loopt Mix(iTunes link) is a freeapp for the iPhone that lets youconnect with people nearby thatyou don’t already know, butmight want to meet. With it, youcreate a profile (your e-mailaddress is never shown and youcan choose to hide or show yourage) and you can search forpeople nearby. Your exact location is nevershown and you can choose to hideyour profile from public view atany time (so if you’re on a dateand you don’t want to be botheredby potential new friends, or ifyou’re trying to get stuff done —you can turn off your publicprofile). See someone interesting

nearby? You can send them a freemessage and see if they want anycompany or want to mee tsomewhere c lose -by . You can post status updatesshowing what you’re doing – so ifyou are playing basketball andlooking for someone to join in,you can include that informationso that would-be ballers can knowto message you to join in on thefun. Meeting new people can behard and the social web issupposed to make it easier.Unfortunately, that isn’t alwaysthe case. Loopt Mix is aiming tofix that. What do you think about usingthe social web to meet new peoplewhile on the go? How do youmeet new people when you are ina new city or looking to expandyour social circle? Let us know! Tags: geolocation, iphone,loopt, loopt mix

Be the First to Nab New CoverGirl Products!By ELLE.com (ELLE NewsBlog)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:54:33 AM

Make like a beauty editor andget your own stash of newCoverGirl products before they hitstores! Starting November 2, head

to covergirl.com to score ourlatest obsessions: ShineBlast LipGloss, LashBlast Length, andSmoky ShadowBlast—buy allthree and save $5! There's alimited quantity, so plan to make

your move fast. —Janna Johnson, BeautyAssistant Photo: Courtesy of CoverGirl Follow ELLE on Twitter

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Wolfram Alpha iPhone app is coolbut overpricedBy Rafe Needleman(Webware.com)Submitted at 10/18/2009 9:07:00 PM

The iPhone app for WolframAlpha( iTunes store link) gotapproved by Apple surprisinglyquickly, I was told in a breathlesse-mail from Wolfram PR onSunday. But the real surprise wasthe price: The app is $49.99. The rationale is twisted. "It's less than half the price of agraphing calculator, but it doesmore," the rep told me. By theway, "pr ice of a graphingcalculator" is a calculation thatWolfram Alpha can't compute. For much, much less than theprice of a graphing calculator, or$0.00, you can point youriPhone 's Safar i browser a tWolframalpha.com and have fullaccess to the service for free.Divide by that, Wolfie. Also, the $49.99 price doesn'tget you an actual standalonegraphing calculator, since the appdoesn't work when it doesn't havea Web connection.

The Wolfram Alpha iPhone appm a k e s i t e a s i e r t o e n t e rcalcula t ion quer ies . (Credi t :S c r e e n s h o t b y R a f eN e e d l e m a n / C N E T ) Now, to be fair, the iPhone appis a much better way to useWolfram than the Web site, for afew reasons. The Wolfram Web site rendersall answers, even text, as GIFgraphics, which means that textdoesn't automatically wrap, oreven scale well, on the iPhone'ssmall screen. The app fixes that,and results render nicely on theiPhone. Also, entering complexqueries using numbers andsymbols on the iPhone's standardkeyboard is a real drag, but theWolfram app has a specialkeyboard that gives fast access tothe symbols you'll need if you're aheavy Wolfram user. There are several other nicefeatures. You can bookmarkqueries, e-mail them, and Twitterthem. They really do make theWolfram app very handy forfrequent users, and it's those

power Wolframers that the app istargeted at. If you need it, then the" p r i c e o f 1 2 l a t t e s f r o mStarbucks," which I'm told isanother way the team is thinkingof the price, is as they might sayin the halls of some physicsdepartments, trivial. But as they would tell you in theeconomics department, you'rebeing taken for a ride. Also, Wolfram Alpha doesn'tknow the price of 12 Starbuckslattes either, but it did tell me thestock price of SBUX and, to itscredit, if you enter "12 lattes" as aquery, you'll get all sorts ofnutritional information, such ascalorie content for the 12 lattes(1,654), carbohydrates (61 percentof daily recommended intake),and cholesterol (162 mg). Just like the dozen lattes, thisapp is hard to swallow. Previously: Wolfram Alphaopens API to developers. Originally posted at Rafe'sRadar

Alex: Dual ScreeneReader With GoogleAndroidBy Christina Warren(Mashable!)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:59:08 AM

Amidst all of those tasty AppleTablet and Microsoft Courierrumors, some very real productsare prepar ing to en ter theeReader/web-browser space. Last week we got moreinformation on the forthcomingBarnes & Noble eReader, andtoday Engadget points us towardsanother eReader/browser hybridfrom a company called SpringDesign— and this one runs onGoogle’s Android. The Spring Design device iscalled “Alex” and like the Barnes& Noble eReader, it features adual-screen. The top portion ofthe screen is a 6 E-Ink EPDdisplay and the lower display is a3.5 color LCD. This seems to bethe popular work around fort a k i n g a d v a n t a g e o f t h ereadability and energy savingfeatures of E-Ink, while alsooffering support for color graphicsand multimedia. Spring Design has patentedwhat it calls its Duet Navigatordual-screen technology, whichallows hyper-linked content andimages to show-up in the lowerscreen, while text shows up on the

EPD. Spring Design says userscan toggle where data shows up inorder to save battery life. The device has both Wi-Fi andsupport for mobile networks like3G, EVDO and GSM (whichmakes it sound like it could becustomize for multiple carriers)and has an SD slot for morestorage options and for viewingother media. There’s also ah e a d p h o n e j a c k , w h i c hemphasizes the multimedia natureof this type of device. There’s no word on price orpartnerships — but Spring Designsays they are working with anumber of content providers andplan to release it by the end of theyear. What do you think of these webbrowser/eReader hybrid devices?Is this something you could s Tags: alex, android, ereader,spring design alex

MPAA's CEO will leave in 2010(CNET News.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:31:24 AM

Dan Glickman, the chairman andCEO of the Motion PictureAssociation of America, will walkaway from the job in September,when his contract runs out. Glickman told the blog Politico:"My guess is that I'll end up in thenonprofit or academic world.People who know me know I'vehad these great extracurricularinterests that have been very

significant in driving me." On Friday, I cited an industrysource who said that Glickmanwouldn't last until the end of hiscontract. Apparently, the studioswill let him stick around until thenbut it's unlikely that many wouldhave asked Glickman to staybeyond that, my sources said. Politico's story on Monday citedprob lems wi th Gl i ckman ' slobbying efforts in Congress. Mysources said there were plenty ofpeople who were dissatisfied with

the MPAA's antipiracy efforts. On Friday, I wrote that theM P A A c a n n e d t h r e e o fGlickman's top antipiracy chiefsand also changed the name of theunit from "antipiracy" to "contentprotection" as part of a majoroverhaul. The content protection group isalso being combined with theMPAA's legal department. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

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Thundergod gets you out in the rainwithout getting wetBy Mel Martin (The UnofficialApple Weblog (TUAW))Submitted at 10/18/2009 12:00:00 PM

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch,App Review I'm spending theweekend in Northern Arizona ona photo shoot. It's dry up here, butI took along a little iPhone/iPodtouch app that put me in thecenter of severa l dramat icthunders torms. The app is called Thundergod[iTunes l ink]. With creativemicrophone technique, and a goodset of headphones, you'd swearyou were in a raging storm, or arain forest, or one of 5 otherenvironments, listening to natureat its most spectacular. You canlisten and let your mind drift off,consider the state of the universe,or just fall asleep in a soft rainusing the built in sleep timer. I suspect the techniques used tomake these recording are similarto the highly regarded binauraltechnique, using 2 microphonesseparated by the approximatedistance between your ears. Thenwhen you play back with goodheadphones, you are instantlytransported to a hyper-realistic,almost holographic place thatclosely duplicates being in a realspace with real sounds.

This effect doesn't work throughspeakers. It can sound nice, butit's not startling or compelling.With headphones the soundcomes alive, and you can begin tohave an emotional reaction towhat you are hearing. The app also allows for aspecial equalization curve if youare using earbuds like the onesApple includes, and it is effective.T h i s a p p a s p r o d u c e d b yHolographic Audio Theater, whogave us the free app Naturespacethat shows off their recording and

producing prowess. It's a goodintroduction to their technique. Thundergod is not cheap. It's aU.S. $9.99 app, but of you look atthe App Store reviews you'll besurprised how many purchasersthought the app was worth themoney. The sounds are not shortrepeating loops, but somethinglike a long concert that has abeginning, a middle and aconclusion. I liked the 'Thor'environment the best, because itwas the most dramatic andattention-grabbing. It's not forrelaxation, but for stimulation. Ifrelaxation is what you want, thereare sonic environments includedfor that as well. My suggestion is that you trythe free intro app, and if you likei t , then go ahead and ge tThundergod. The effect can'treally be described, but must beexperienced. TUAW Thundergod gets youout in the rain without getting wetoriginally appeared on TheU n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g(TUAW) on Sun, 18 Oct 200912:00:00 EST. Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

Three-wheel vehicleseligible for federal funds(CNET News.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:08:00 AM

Worth promoting with federaldollars?(Credit: Aptera) Congress has approved ameasure that will allow makers ofthree-wheel cars to receivefunding for fuel-efficient autotechnologies , accord ing topubl i shed repor t s . The bill, which still needs to besigned into law, could be a boostt o c o m p a n i e s d e v e l o p i n galternative car designs, notablyAptera Motors and Elio Motors.Both companies have argued thattheir three-wheel cars deservefederal funding meant to promotemore efficient vehicles. The legislation, passed late lastweek, would overturn an EnergyDepartment rule that limitedfunding to four-wheel vehiclesmeeting emissions and fuel-e c o n o m y b e n c h m a r k s ,Automotive News reported on

Friday. The new guidelines willnow allow vehicles that get anaverage of at least 75 miles pergallon and can carry at least twoadults, according to the report. Vista, Calif.-based Aptera plansin the middle of next year to startproducing its 2e, a three-wheelelectric vehicle that it says will beable to go at least 100 miles on itsbattery charge. Elio, based in Tempe, Ariz., isdeveloping a narrow, three-wheelgasoline car it says gets more than70 miles per gallon. It intends tosell the vehicle for less than$7,500. General Motors, which isapplying for DOE funds top r o m o t e e l e c t r i c v e h i c l eproduction, has opposed changesi n t h e r u l e s i n t h e p a s t ,A u t o m o t i v e N e w s s a i d . This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Karzai vote ‘fell short of victory’(Financial Times - UShomepage)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:28:49 AM

Fraud investigators orderedAfghan election officials onMonday to deny Hamid Karzai,Afghanistan’s president, an

outright victory in the country’sflawed presidential poll, raisingthe chances that a prolongedelection crisis may result in a run-off. The findings of the UnitedNations-backed watchdog willfuel an escalating confrontation

between Mr Karzai, who isadamant that he won the August20 vote, and western powersembarrassed by evidence ofmassive rigging in their ally’sfavour. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Tech/ Economy/


TUAW Tips: Sync The Hit List on multiple machines withDropBoxBy Kent Pribbernow (TheUnofficial Apple Weblog(TUAW))Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:00:00 AM

Filed under: Software, Tips andtricks, TUAW Tips One of the great torments ofowning several computers iskeeping all of your personal datain sync; having multiple copies ofthe same application speak thesame jive. Take The Hit List, forexample. I use this app on myMacBook Pro a t work fororganizing tasks and collectingthoughts like a virtual inbox to mybrain. At the end of the day I needa way to get all the day's notesfrom my laptop into my homedesktop, which also happens to berunning THL as well. What to do? The ideal solution is to get eachmachine sharing the same THLdatabase file synced to the cloud,instead of a locally rooted file.Fortunately, there is an way to do

just this, and all that is required isfor each machine to be runningDropbox. By now all of youshould be using this amazinglyawesome free service for savingand sharing data to the cloud. Ifyou haven ' t yet opened anaccount, and downloaded andinstalled the Mac desktop client,go now. It's ok, I'll wait. Got it?

Good, now let's do this. First, you need to locate THL'smain database file which can bef o u n d h i d i n gin/Users/userprofile/Library/Application Support/The Hit List. Lookfor a file called The Hit ListLibrary.thllibrary. Find it? Good,now simply drag this file to yourDropbox folder. Hold on, we're

not quite done yet. Here's wherethe magic happens. Hold down the option key whilelaunching The Hit List. A dialogwindow will appear, asking whatthe hell you've just done with itslibrary. Just select "ChooseLibrary" and point it the filelocated in your Dropbox folder.You must repeat this part of the

process on every machine runningTHL. That's it! There is one small caveat. It's agood idea to always ensure thatDropbox has fully synced all ofyour local changes before loadingTHL on another machine, or elseyou risk losing your most recentdata. Be wise to this and you'llhave no troubles at all. You'rewelcome. By the way, if you use Thingsrather than The Hit List for yourtask management, be sure to seeour previous post about how tosync it using Dropbox as well. TUAW TUAW Tips: Sync TheHit List on multiple machineswith DropBox originally appearedon The Unofficial Apple Weblog(TUAW) on Mon, 19 Oct 200907:00:00 EST. Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

Sponsored Post: Big Things for Small Business – Sacred WindCommunications, Inc!By Sponsored Post(Mashable!)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:50:21 AM

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bringing telephone and internetaccess to areas of the Navajoreg ion , Albuquerque , NewMexico. Congratulat ions toHappyBaby Foods and BeaconPaint & Hardware on beingfinalists! American Express andNBC Universal are thrilled torecognize all three businesses aspart of Shine A Light.

Tune into MSNBC’s YourBusiness on 10/22 to see thewinner! (This post is brought to you byAmerican Express. For moreinformation on sponsored postsplease read here.)

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Shepard Fairey Destroys Evidence,Goodwill; Harms His Case For NoGood ReasonBy Michael Masnick (Techdirt)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:30:00 AM

On Friday morning, someone"working with" Shepard Faireyalerted me that some news wascoming out that day about hislawsuit with the Associated Pressover his famous Barack Obamaposter: I finally got the "official"statement from Fairey late onFriday, just as I was about toleave work for the weekend, andthe whole thing was so ridiculousthat I just figured I'd leave it untiltoday. Apparently, Fairey, forabsolutely no good reason, tried todestroy evidence and then lieabout which photo he actuallyused to make his poster. He's nowcome clean about this, and whilehe's right in his statement that thisshouldn't have any impact on theunderlying case, it certainlydoesn't help. It was already prettywell known that Fairey washardly the poster child of fair use-- given that he has a history ofgoing after others who copy hisown work, despite being an"appropriation artist" himself.But, even so, this is beyond dumb-- something I don't say lightly. Fairey still has a very strong fairuse claim -- which is entirelyseparate from the question ofwhether or not Fa i rey d idsomething incredibly stupid here.

Even if he used the image the APclaimed he did (which he nowadmits), it still seems like this isan obvious case of fair use. Butdestroying evidence and lying --especially when there was nogood reason to do so -- just harmshis credibility and makes it thatmuch more likely that he'll losehis case not for any legitimatereason, but because of his ownseparate actions in dealing withthis case. There are important fairuse issues at play here, and Faireyjust made it that much harder tomaintain the high ground.

While some are pointing outthat this is the sort of thing thathappens when copyright lawsalways seem to stack the deckagainst fair use, that's still noexcuse for lying and trying todestroy evidence. Yes, the systemsucks, but doing something likethis only harms an otherwisestrong case. Permalink| Comments| EmailThis Story

Cameron Diaz and MikeMyers Banned FromTwitter?By Stan Schroeder(Mashable!)Submitted at 10/19/2009 3:50:59 AM

We’ve been reporting about theuse and misuse of a social mediapolicy in companies for quite awhile now, but it all got a bitmore mainstream when NFLplayers were prohibited fromusing Twitter (or have someoneupdate their account) duringgames. A couple of days ago, we heardthat even Hollywood is afraid thatits stars will reveal somethingt h e y s h o u l d n ’ t o n t h emicroblogging network. Now weknow the first victims: CameronDiaz and Mike Myers. While we haven’t seen thisexplicitly confirmed by the actorsthemselves, it seems that the folksat DreamWorks want to makesure Diaz and Myers will keepmum about the new Shrek sequel,in which they’ll both be starringnext year.

We know that actors’ contractsroutinely contain confidentialityclauses, but it seems that there arenow specific clauses on top,related to social media andTwitter in particular. We hate todisappoint you, Hollywood, butFacebook and Twitter are justforms of communication. You canalso leak information by, youknow, speaking, or writing anemail. Image courtesy of iStockphoto,LPETTET Reviews: Facebook,Twitter, iStockphoto Tags: Cameron Diaz, MikeMyers, twitter

Biggest ad markets will see no growthuntil 2011(Financial Times - UShomepage)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:07:45 AM

The world’s largest mediamarkets will return to growth in2011, according to the latestadvertising spending forecast, butwith only a “meagre” recovery asemerging markets take a greatershare of global ad budgets. ZenithOptimedia, the media

agency owned by Publ ic i sGroupe, said on Monday thatadvertising spending in thedeveloped markets of westernEurope, North America and Japanwould fall by 2.9 per cent nextyear, growing 1.5 per cent in2011. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Tech/ Economy/


What do you do after you start Twitter? Invent acredit card reader.By Steven Sande (TheUnofficial Apple Weblog(TUAW))Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:00:00 AM

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion,Hardware, Retail, Odds and ends,iPhone, iPod touch If you wereJack Dorsey, one of the co-founders and current chairman ofTwitter, you'd want to think aboutsomething else big to follow upon your huge success. While it doesn't sound likea n y t h i n g g r o u n d b r e a k i n g ,Dorsey's new company Square isdeveloping a tiny white cube (seephoto above) that plugs into theheadphone jack on either aniPhone or iPod touch. The cube isa credit card reader, somethingmissing from all of those creditcard apps currently in the iTunesApp Store.

The Square iPhone PaymentSystem consists of the reader andan app. After a card swipe, thecustomer uses a finger to sign theiPod touch or iPhone, one of theparticipants in the transactionenters the customer's emailaddress, and a receipt with the

location of the transaction, thesignature, and other standardinformation is emailed to thecustomer. While most online journalistsare anticipating that this deviceand software are going to be usedin retail (can you say Apple

Store?), I think Dorsey has biggerideas - let's face it, the guy doesn'tthink small. So why not make itpossible for anyone with aniPhone or iPod touch to be able toaccept credit cards for payments?Word has it that the card reader'smanufacturing price will be aslow as US$0.40, which meansthat Square could give away thereaders and still make money onthe transaction fees. [via Engadget] TUAW What do you do afteryou start Twitter? Invent a creditcard reader. originally appearedon The Unofficial Apple Weblog(TUAW) on Mon, 19 Oct 200911:00:00 EST. Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

Talkcast reminder: it's Mac Help night, live at 10 pm ETBy Michael Rose (TheUnofficial Apple Weblog(TUAW))Submitted at 10/18/2009 1:30:00 PM

Filed under: TUAW Business,Podcasts Last week, we were joined byNPD & Engadget's own RossRubin for a fun-filled hour oftablet speculation, iPhone VoIPconsideration and Talkshoe &Skype frustrat ion. You candownload the show, along with allpast shows, from Talkshoe or

subscribe in iTunes. We'll be back live tonight withone of our every-so-often MacHelp hours; call in with your MacOS X questions, concerns andheadscratchers and we'll do ourbest to advise you, live and in realtime (yes, this can go off the railsvery easily -- that's part of thespectacle). To participate on TalkShoe, youcan use the browser-only client, oryou can try out the classicTa lkShoe Pro Java c l i en t ;however, for maximum fun, you

should call in. For the web UI,just click the"TalkShoe Web"button on our profile page at 10pm Sunday. To call in on regularphone or VOIP l ines ( take

advantange of your free cellphoneweekend minutes if you like): dial(724) 444-7444 and enter ourtalkcast ID, 45077 -- during thecall, you can request to talk by

keying in *-8. Talk with you then! TUAW Talkcast reminder: it'sMac Help night, live at 10 pm EToriginally appeared on TheU n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g(TUAW) on Sun, 18 Oct 200913:30:00 EST. Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

Fed confirmsreverse repo tests(Financial Times - UShomepage)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:30:27 AM

The Federal Reserve on Mondayconfirmed it had been testingreverse repurchase agreements -known as “reverse repos” - withprimary dealers and said it hadbroadened the use of thesemonetary policy tools to includetriparty repos. In a statement released to clarifymarket concerns about themonetary policy implications ofthe Fed’s recent testing of reverserepos, the central bank’s NewYork arm sought to downplay theimmediate effects. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Tech/ Economy/


Join TUAW for Apple Q4earnings call liveblog at 5PM EDT todayBy Steven Sande (TheUnofficial Apple Weblog(TUAW))Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:00:00 PM

Filed under: Apple Financial,Liveblog Time flies when you'rehaving fun -- it seems like it wasonly a few weeks ago that wewere enjoying the Q3 earningsreport from Apple, Inc. Well, today the wizards ofCupertino are on the phone againwith top Wall Street analysts toreport how the company didduring the fourth quarter (July -September, 2009). Many analystsare expecting Apple to continueits recession-defying high wireact, with an analyst poll byThomson Reuters Financialshowing an earnings forecast of

US$1.42 per share. That's 13percent over the same quarter ayear ago, and higher than Apple'sown forecast of US$1.18 -US$1.23 per share. As usual, we'll be covering theearnings call via CoverItLive.Drop by TUAW at approximately5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT) and joinus. Bring your questions, andwe' l l supply the news andcommentary . TUAW Join TUAW for AppleQ4 earnings call liveblog at 5 PMEDT today originally appeared onThe Unofficial Apple Weblog(TUAW) on Mon, 19 Oct 200912:00:00 EST. Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Pe rmal ink | Emai l th i s |Comments

Bill Cosby Learns theTwitting, Tweeting, Twit andTweetie [VIDEO]By Pete Cashmore(Mashable!)Submitted at 10/18/2009 5:08:40 PM

Bill Cosby is back, and he’staking over social media. Bill is returning to the spotlightto promote “The Cosnarati”, asocially conscious hip-hop grouphe hopes will guide young peopleto do good with their lives. As such, Bill’s “people” havedetermined that Cosby needs toget involved with this glitzy new“social media marketing” thingthe kids are all doing these days.Bill’s social media tendrils havereached out across 12seconds,Facebook, Flickr, Blog TalkRadio, MySpace and Cinchamong others, and he’ll be hostinga live stream on Ustream.tv onMonday October 19 (tomorrow)at 7pm ET. He’s got a Facebookapp too– it lets you dress yourselfin a Cosby-style sweater.

Meanwhile, Cosby is getting togrips with a certain micro-blogging site that he calls “ Twitand Tweetie” (he’s@billcosby).And he’s learning the ropes at the“ T w i t t e r f o r v i d e o ” s i t e12seconds, as the video belowattests. Will you be following BillCosby? Let us know in thecomments. Reviews: 12seconds . tv ,Facebook, Flickr, MySpace,Twitter Tags: cosby, twitter

Microsoft to Restore Some of the Lost Sidekick Data This WeekBy Stan Schroeder(Mashable!)Submitted at 10/19/2009 1:08:59 AM

Recently, Microsoft and T-Mobile had a very embarrassingepisode: after a server failure,Sidekick data was lost for aportion of users, and originallyMicrosoft had said that the datawas lost forever. Shortly after that, Microsoft

announced that they were able torecover “most, if not all” of thelost customer data. Now, if you’reone of the users who’ve beenaffected by this incident, you’ll behappy to know that your data willbe restored soon. From Microsoft’s officialannouncement on the matter: “We continue to make steadyprogress, and we hope to be ableto begin restoring personal

contacts for affected users thisweek, with the remainder of thecontent (photographs, notes, to-do

-lists, marketplace data, and highscores) shortly thereafter.” Sounds encouraging; if you’reone of the affected Sidekick users,please let us know how the datarestoration process is going. Tags: microsoft, sidekick, T-Mobile

Waveboard: GoogleWave Client for Macand iPhone is ComingBy Stan Schroeder(Mashable!)Submitted at 10/19/2009 4:50:39 AM

The desk top ve r s ion o fWaveboard for Mac, although in avery early stage, is alreadyavailable for download. Officialinfo on the app is very scarce, butsome users have tried it out andcalled it “simple and practical”. The same developer is currentlywaiting for Apple’s approval of aGoogle Wave client for theiPhone under the same name. Youcan already run Wave on youriPhone by simply accessingwave.google.com/wave from youriPhone, with mixed results (worksa bit better on Nokia N900), butwe expect the app to make theentire experience far smoother. All you Mac users out there,please let us know how you likethe application in the comments. Reviews: Google Wave Tags: Google Wave, mac,Waveboard

Tech/


Wolfram Alpha's iPhone App Launches: Lots ofPower, But Too ExpensiveBy Frederic Lardinois(ReadWriteWeb)Submitted at 10/18/2009 5:23:46 PM

Quite a bit ahead of schedule,Wolfram Alpha's iPhone appappeared in the iTunes App Storetoday. The app, which costs$49.99, gives users full access toWolfram Alpha's capabilities andgreatly improves on the speed andergonomics of Wolfram Alpha'smobile site. The company istargeting this app at students andprofessionals and marketing it asa replacement for stand-alonegraphing calculators, which isclearly reflected in the price. Sponsor Dual Keyboards One of the most interestingfeature of the app, besides theability to quickly access all of thepower that Wolfram Alpha nowoffers , is the fact that thecompany has found a way tomake inputing queries very easy.Instead of a single keyboard at thebottom of the screen, the appactually displays two keyboards -one for numbers and symbols, anda regular QWERTY keyboard atthe bottom of the screen. Giventhe nature of a typical query forAlpha, this makes perfect senseand we hope that others willfollow Alpha's lead here. A Web-Connected Graphing Calculator,But With Some Limitations It's important to note that theapp only works when a user isconnected to the Internet. Thiscould be a deal-breaker for some,but then, the app store alreadyoffers plenty of basic graphing

calculators for those times whenyou don't have Internet access.Thanks to its vast database ofchemical compounds, nutritionaldata, geographical information,financial data, and its ability tosolve pretty much any mathproblem that a high school orc o l l e g e s t u d e n t w i l l e v e rencounter, the app can do a lotmore than any current graphingcalculator can offer. For some students, though, theproblem could be that someteachers won't allow them to bringa full-blown Internet-capabledevice like the iPhone or an iPodtouch into an exam. In addition,it's also important to note that theWolfram Alpha doesn't offer theability to write programs insidethe app, though maybe somebodyelse will build an app that can dothis based on Alpha's newlyreleased API. It's also important to rememberthat Alpha isn't as easy to use asGoogle. Alpha, and, by extension,the app, can be rather strict abouthow you structure a query, forexample. If you don't capitalize achemical formula, the app won'tknow what to do with thesesymbols. While Google hasvirtually no learning curve, Alphaworks best if you invest sometime into exploring the intricaciesof how to structure queries. Tohelp you along the way, the appfeatures a demo video, lots ofexample queries, and an FAQsection. Native App Offers a BitMore Than the Web Service, ButIs That Enough to Justify the HighPrice?

In its press materials, theWolfram Alpha team stresses thatthe app offers a number offeatures that the web app can'tcurrently offer. The app can nowmake assumptions based on yourlocation, for example. Wolframalso has added quite a fewfeatures that make using the appeasier than using the web service.You can easily bookmark queriesand the app keeps a running list ofrecent searches available as well.In addition, you can easily emailqueries or share them on Twitter. Is $50 Too Much? At $49.99, there can be nodoubt that Wolfram Research ispricing the app at the higher endof the spectrum. A spokespersonfor Wolfram Alpha told us thatthe company wants to target theapp at "serious users, and is pricedas such." The team is clearlyaware that this price could becontroversial, especially giventhat the mobile web site offers asimilar interface, though withoutthe ergonomic benefits of thenative app. In addition, Wolframtells us that the team wants to usethis price to make a statementabout the "non-trivial nature" ofWolfram Alpha's capabilities. While the company plans tooffer regular discounts and sales,we can't help but wonder if theprice isn't a bit too high. At $9.99or even $19.99, the app would bemore of an impulse buy, whilenow, even though it obviouslyoffers more features than a user

would ever expect from a high-p r i c e d h a r d w a r e g r a p h i n gcalculator which would generallyretail for more than $100. Verdict Wolfram Alpha launched to somuch hype that a backlash wasinev i t ab le when i t f ina l lylaunched. As Schoeller Porter, theproduct manager for the iPhoneapp, notes, the company is alsolaunching th i s app "as anopportunity to highlight how farthe system has come sincelaunch." Indeed, the WolframAlpha team continues to add newdata sources and new ways toquery them, making the servicemore useful with every newdataset it adds. The high price will probablykeep quite a few potential usersfrom downloading the app,however. While we understandthe company's rational behind thishigh price, users general lyconsider a $10 app to be a'premium' product. $49.99 is ahefty price for this app, especiallyconsidering that the majority offeatures is available through theweb service. If you are a studentor engineer who really needsthese features, though, the app isworth a look, but we recommendyou try the web service and seehow it works for the kinds ofqueries you would enter beforeyou spend $50, especially giventhat the company will surely offerdiscounts or bring the base pricedown at some point. Discuss

Ex-Googler & BrizzlyCreator on Real-TimeWeb FiltrationBy Jolie O'Dell(ReadWriteWeb)Submitted at 10/18/2009 10:13:50 PM

At the ReadWrite Real-TimeWeb Summit last Thursday, JasonShellen, a former Google engineerand current Thing Labs CEO, satdown to talk with us aboutfiltration and discovery on the real-time web. One of the greatest problems ofthis environment is said to be thecapacity for information overload.A t a S u m m i t s e s s i o n ,representatives of some of themost "filter-geeky" real-timestartups debated the methods andmerits of parsing data from thereal-time web. Shellen's was oneof the most authoritative voices inthe session, and his one-on-oneinsights are well worth listeningto. Sponsor Discuss

Tech News/


Sweb Apps 2.0: Build Your Own MobileStorefront for the iPhoneBy Sarah Perez(ReadWriteWeb)Submitted at 10/19/2009 6:59:19 AM

New from Sweb Apps, thecompany whose online servicelets anyone create their owniPhone application - no codingrequired - is Sweb Apps 2.0, thenext generation of the company'sapp builder product. Among ahandful of new features, includinga real-time WYSIWYG stylel a n d i n g p a g e b u i l d e r a n dYouTube integration, is the abilityto create an iPhone-based storewhere you can sell inventorywi th in your app and t akepayment s v i a PayPa l . Sponsor Sweb Apps is an interestingcompany to watch because it's oneof the first to democratize theiPhone app-building business bytaking the complexity of codingout of the equation. With theirservice, anyone can create theirown application in as little as fiveminutes. Of course, you aren'tneces sa r i l y de s ign ing anymasterpieces with this sort ofclick-to-build process, but itprovides an easy - if a bitsimplistic - way for small tomedium-sized businesses toestablish a presence in the iTunesApp Store. Real-Time View ofApp Creation With the next generation of the

product, Sweb Apps 2.0, some ofthe original concerns about the -well, let's say it- rather boringuser interface of the Sweb-builta p p s - h a v e b e g u n t o b eaddressed. Whereas before youcould only customize your ownbackground color and upload yourown buttons, today you cancustomize the background to bean image instead. And if you don'thave one of your own, Sweb Appsis providing an online library ofimages to choose from. That's astep in the right direction even ifsome of the backgrounds arereminiscent of early GeoCitieswebpages o r Windows 98wallpapers....after all, you havecrawl first before you can run. As you build your app's landingpage, you're provided with a real-time view of your app in progresswhich makes it much easier to tellwhether your images, buttons andcolors look good together or not.That's a handy feature for SMBowners who may be doing appcreation on their own without theaid of a professional designer. Theapp builder also uses drag-and-drop functionality to make theprocess even more painless for theinexperienced end user. MobileStorefronts However, one of the mostinteresting developments in the2.0 version of Sweb Apps' onlineservice i s the new "s tore"

functionality. Now, as easy as it isto bu i ld an app , you canessent ia l ly bu i ld a mobi lestorefront for your business. Thisfeature, still in beta, allows you tocategorize, subcategorize, itemize,and write descriptions for yourproducts. You can manage andmaintain your inventory throughSweb's CMS and your mobilecustomers can "check out" via theincluded PayPal integration. Sweb Apps tells us that theyenvision this sort of feature beingused by restaurants, boutiques,and small retailers. It's easy toimagine. For example: wish youhad picked up a t-shirt from thatseafood place where you dined onvacation? In theory, you couldnow even if you were halfwayhome thanks to these new mobilestorefronts. In a way, these sortsof mobile storefronts are an evenbetter choice than having thesame functionality on via anonline store on the "real" webmainly because not everyoneports their laptops around withthem 24/7. But their iPhones?People don't leave home withoutthem. And More... Other features being introducedtoday include podcasts, audio

s t r e a m s , a n d Y o u T u b eintegrations, all of which streamthe audio or video within the appitself as opposed to launching anexternal program such as theiPhone's own built-in YouTubeapp. Also news is the ability foru s e r s t o m a n a g e m u l t i p l eapplications from one account. Sweb Apps says they've seengood results since their August2009 launch with a 400% increasein sales, but won't share anyactual numbers. That doesn'treally tell us much about theservice's adoption by the SMBmarket. Since the company isn'ttouting any high-profile clients orcase studies in their PR though,we have to imagine that they'reflying a bit under the radar on thebusiness front at this point. Still,it's very early in the game andservices like this can take a whileto catch on and gain popularity. The pricing for Sweb Appsremains the same despite the newfeatures. The company offersfour , s ix, and eight but tonpackages which all include a onetime set-up fee of $50 per button.Then there is a $25 monthlyhosting fee applied to everyapplication going forward. Discuss

DIY Hand Strap KeepsYour DSLR Off theGround [DIY Creations]By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)Submitted at 10/19/2009 5:35:00 AM

A long camera strap is great forcarrying a camera hands-free, butif you're more concerned aboutd r o p p i n g y o u r p h o t o r i g ,Photojojo's got a cheap andcustomizable hand strap anyonecan make. The materials are fairly cheapand accessible at your local craftsor hardware store. Find a goodpiece of one-inch-wide nylon orpolyester webbing, a few bits ofmiscellaneous straps and slidehardware, and find a needle andthread and a match, and you're onyour way. If you wanted, youcould likely use the hand strap inconjunction with a longer, neck-strung strap to alternate uses ofyour camera. The Dashing DIYHand Strap[Photojojo]

Street Chic: New YorkBy ELLE.com (ELLE NewsBlog)Submitted at 10/19/2009 4:00:00 AM

A perfectly fitted blazer chicly

tops a simple black sheath. Photo: Jonathan Alpeyrie Think you are Street Chic? E-mail us your photo and you could appear in ELLE.com's Street Chic

Daily. Follow ELLE on Twitter.

Tech News/ Tech Tips/ Fashion/


Google Enterprise Campaign ShiftsInto High Gear on the Eve ofSharepoint ConferenceBy Alex Williams(ReadWriteWeb)Submitted at 10/19/2009 1:00:25 AM

On the eve of Microsoft'sSharepoint conference in LasVegas, Google is launching itsi n t e r n a t i o n a l p h a s e t o a nadvertising campaign that is thelargest ever for its push into theenterprise and one of the mostextensive in the company'shistory. The "Gone Google," campaignis significant in a number of ways. Sharepoint is one of Microsoft'scrown jewels. It's a huge business.The technology generates a cool$1 billion in revenues. Thetechnology is at the heart ofMicrosoft's strategy to remainking over the enterprise. SteveBallmer says Sharepoint willsurpass 1 million developers inthe next year. Sponsor Steve Ballmer is banking onc u s t o m e r s m a k i n g m a j o rinvestments in Sharepoint 2010.With the upgrade, customers facea host of new IT expenses. For example, Sharepoint 2010requires upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit technology on all servers.O f f i c e 2 0 0 7 w i l l r u n o nSharepoint 2010 but Microsoft isrecommending investments inOffice 2010 for richer integration.Office 2003 users will need toupgrade to Office 2007 to run

Sharepoint 2010. Google App services require noIT environment to manage, noexpensive software upgrades andno new server purchases. That'senticing for any size business. T h e G o o g l e c a m p a i g nhighlights why the Microsoftmodel may be slipping a bit.Companies are questioning if theyneed to make such ma jo ri n v e s t m e n t s i n M i c r o s o f tt e c h n o l o g y . For its part, Google has morethan 2 million businesses onGoogle Apps, representing 20m i l l i o n u s e r s . G o o g l e i sexpanding i ts Google Appsservice to the United Kingdom,France, Canada, Japan, Australiaand Singapore. Clients includeMotorola, New York Life andKonica Minolta. The "Gone Google," campaignis a continuation of the roll outthey did over the summer. Itfeatures changing messages frombusinesses that have switched toGoogle for Google Apps, GoogleSearch Appliance and servicessuch as Google Postini, theirhosted security and archivingservice. The campaign is now running

across the globe. With the launch,Google launched a montagevideo. We find this interesting. Ifnothing else, YouTube offersGoogle a great way to promote itsown products. Google has not slowed downwith i t service offering. InSeptember, Google announced anapplication program interface(API) for i t s Google Si testechnology, effectively providingusers with a way to import andexport apps from MicrosoftSharePoint sites. Google Wave isa collaboration platform. It hasreceived mixed reviews, i tseffectiveness in the enterprise stilltoo soon to tell. Google and many others see agiant in Microsoft that can beslow and at times uneasy in how itsteps through the market. Witheach step, they face a communitynetwork of micro-size businessesthat are proving formidable withtheir best-in-breed technologies. It's a big week for Microsoft.Sharepoint is at a juncture. WithGoogle in such an aggressivemode, Microsoft will have tomove faster with its own productdevelopment, convincing itscustomers that what they provideis still the best choice for theenterprise. Discuss

Spring Design AnnouncesAndroid-Based Dual-Screen eReaderBy Frederic Lardinois(ReadWriteWeb)Submitted at 10/19/2009 10:05:18 AM

Spring Design, a relativelyunknown ha rdware des igncompany, just announced that itwill enter the eBook market witha dual-screen eReader based onthe Android operating system.This device, the 'Alex,' willcombine a 6-inch eInk displaywith a 3.5-inch color LCDtouchscreen. According to SpringDesign 's press re lease , thecompany will use an 'enhanced'version of the Android OS thathas been optimized to facilitatethe integration between the twoscreens. Spring Design plans torelease this device later this year. Sponsor Hardware The dual-screen concept isd e f i n i t e l y i n t e r e s t i n g a n dsomewhat reminiscent of therumored Barnes & Noble-brandedeReader that is scheduled to beannounced tomorrow. For now,Spring Design's press releaseremains quiet about any contentpartnerships. Even though thecompany says that the device willbe ab le to connect to 3G,E V D O / C D M A a n d G S Mnetworks, Spring Design doesn'tappear to be ready to announceany partnerships there either.Multimedia Books Maybe the most interestingaspect of the device is that the

company plans to give developersand publishers the ability toenhance the text that appears inthe eInk screen with multimediacontent on the LCD screen. Thiscould open up a lot of newavenues for publishers, but at thesame time, we have to wonder if alot of publishers will be willing todevelop new content for thisdevice. Creating an eBook versionof a manuscript is easy, butadding additional content to thistext could quickly become acostly undertaking. Color usSkeptical Given how vague the detailsare, we remain skeptical aboutthis device until we get moredetails. For now, all we know isthat it will run Android, featuretwo screens, that it will have anSD card slot, and that users willbe able to cache web content onthe device and then display it onthe eInk screen. We also can't help but look atthe device and think that it wouldbe rather unwieldy to use. It isdefinitely exciting to see thatsomebody is using Android todevelop an eReader, but thisdevice seems to forego usabilityfor novelty. While we are alllooking forward to color eInkdisplays, this device looks like anodd Discuss

Tech News/


Loopt Launches "Loopt Mix": Lessabout Networking, More aboutDatingBy Sarah Perez(ReadWriteWeb)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:01:00 AM

Loopt, the makers of a popularm o b i l e s o c i a l n e t w o r k i n gapplication by the same name, isin t roduc ing a new iPhoneapplication today called LooptMix. Where their original appfocuses on connecting you withyour friends while you're out-and-about, Loopt Mix is more aboutintroducing you to "the peopleyou wish you knew." In otherwords , "peop l e " l i ke t ha tattractive person giving you eyesfrom the other end of the bar. Sponsor The new application is actuallya spinoff of Loopt's "Mix" featurewhich lets you browse the Looptprofiles of those around youwithin its original mobile socialnetworking application. Now Mixis its very own app - a change thatcould attract a whole new userbase looking to do a little morethan just basic "networking." Although the company is notspecifically marketing Mix as adating application, it's clearlydesigned for mobile singlesbecause - let's face it- who elsewants to browse the photos andprofiles of nearby folks and strikeup IM-based conversations withthose who look interesting? Ifthat's not about dating, then it'sjust borderline creepy.

While Loopt Mix is not the firstiPhone-based dating application -others like DatingDNA and Skouthave beaten them to the punch -the company may have a leg upon their competition alreadythanks to brand recognition alone.That's because Loopt was featuredin one of the many iPhone TVcommercials last year as a greatway to stay in touch with friends.Given widespread exposure likethat, Loopt is already well-knownoutside of the early adopter set.Loopt Mix Features Like its competitors, Loopt Mixlets you tap into the iPhone'slocation-based features to seewhat other Loopt Mix membersare nearby. You can browse theirprofiles, view and post photos andstatus messages, and start chatsessions - all of which are par forthe course in mobile dating appsthese days. In fact, there's nothingall that revolutionary about Mix'sfeature set except for perhaps its

ability to send you real-time pushnotifications - something which afew other social networking apps,Facebook included, have yet toadopt. In Loopt Mix, the pushnotifications work with the app'sbuilt-in chat functionality soyou're notified when and ifsomeone responds to you withoutyou having to sit there lookinguncool while constantly reloadingthe page or staring at the still-blank chat window. It's also worth mentioning thatyou don't have to be out on thetown to take advantage of LooptMix. Since it simply locatespeople near you, you could usethis anytime - even from yourown home - to find and connect too t h e r i n t e r e s t i n g p e o p l e .However, should you ever want togo offline, you and the otherperson would have to makea r r a n g e m e n t s t o m e e tsomewhere...just like you wouldon a "real" dating website likeMatch.com or eHarmony. Theonly difference with Loopt Mix isthat, unlike traditional datingsites, the app is completelyfree.That, too, could help Mixgrow - especially in this tougheconomy where finding love for afee is a luxury many can nolonger afford. Discuss

Cartoon: Blogging WasMade Possible by...By Rob Cottingham(ReadWriteWeb)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:09:31 AM

The new FTC guidelines fordisclosure by bloggers havestirred up some anger amongbloggers accustomed to gettingfree stuff and blogging about itwithout the heavy hand ofgovernmental Big Brother yaddayadda - oh, you can finish thesentence yourself. Sponsor I can respect that it might getpeople's backs up to suggest thatthe i r in tegr i ty i s for sa le ,especially for such low prices.(Although, the last time I checkedthe exchange rate, integrity wasdown sharply against the dollar...and against the free chewinggum.) Then again, I 've seenenough obv ious ly f e ignedenthusiasm in some "reviews" toconvince me that at least a fewbloggers are happy to rent theirvoices - and readers - to anymarketing department with a giftcard and b logger out reachprogram. All easy enough for me to say,of course; I have a job and make apretty good living (touch wood). Ican imagine that I might betempted to modify my views ifmoney was short and a blogreview could put another meal onthe table for my kids. Then again,for every blogger out there who's

struggling to make ends meet,there are countless more blogreaders - the people the marketersare really trying to reach. Don'tthey deserve to know about therelationship between product andblogger when they assess whatthey're reading? I'm a fan of disclosure, andwhile I haven't examined the FTCguidelines in detail, I support theidea in principle. But it's interesting that the FTCwent after bloggers rather than,say, entertainment writers whodon't mention the expensivejunkets that movie studios takethem on. A blogger who has todisclose that she or he received afree package of hot dog weinershas every right to feel burned afterdropping fifty bucks to take thef a m i l y t o t h e l a t e s t"THRILLING!" "FANTASTIC!""SURE-FIRE WINNER!" More Noise to Signal. Discuss

Tech News/


The Best Windows Tweaks that Still Work in Windows 7[Windows 7]By The How-To Geek(Lifehacker)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:00:00 AM

The final version of Windows 7is being released this week to thegeneral public, and after you getyour hands on it the first thingyou'll need to know is: Do all mytweaks still work? If you haven't already made theswitch over to Windows 7, besure to check out our guide toupgrading to the Windows 7 RC,which should still be applicablefor the final release. If you aren'tsure whether you want to makethe switch full-time, you canalways setup a dual-boot withVista or XP. Disable Shortcut Icon Arrows This is one of those littleannoyances that doesn't reallyaffect functionality at all, but ifyou are worried about makingyour system look just right, youmight want to get rid of theunseemly arrows that show up onany shortcut. There's loads ofdifferent methods to get rid ofthese icons—back in XP youcould just use Tweak UI, butstarting with Windows Vista youneeded another application: theVista Shortcut Overlay Remover.It still works in Windows 7, and isjust about the simplest way to getrid of the arrows. Why this settingisn't built into Windows, I justdon't know. Disable Shortcut Icon ArrowOverlay in Windows 7 or VistaAdd Defrag to the Right-ClickMenu I f you want to quicklydefragment your drive, there'sway too many clicks that you

have to go through to start thedefrag process—but you can use asimple tweak that adds defrag tothe context menu for each drive.It's as simple as a little registryhack, which you can downloadand install without having to messaround in the registry yourself. Add Defragment to the Right-Click Menu for a Drive Create Shortcuts to Lock theScreen, Shutdown, Restart Microsoft keeps moving theshutdown buttons around withevery new version of Windows,but it seems like people are stillasking for shortcuts to shut downor restart the PC, and the goodnews is that the old tweak stillworks just fine on Windows 7.You can even assign a shortcutkey to them if you choose, justmake sure to put the shortcut onthe start menu or desktop if youwant the shortcut key to work. Create Shutdown / Restart /Lock Icons in Windows 7 or Vista Make Windows Log OnAutomatical ly When you are the only person

using your PC at home, there'sreally not much reason to requirea login every time you restart yourcomputer. Luckily there's an easyway to make sure that Windowsdoesn't ask you for a passwordwhen you log on, using thenetplwiz utility. Make Windows 7 or Vista LogOn Automatically Stop Windows Update fromAutomatically Restarting YourPC This is my personal pet peevewith Windows—you are right inthe middle of a few dozen things,with a ton of applications open onyour screen, and you come backto your computer only to find thatyour PC has restarted because ofWindows Update decided thatrebooting that instant was moreimportant than all that work youhad on your screen. If you aresitting in front of your PC, youcan always temporarily disablethe automatic reboot, but there'sanother registry hack that willprevent it from happening in thefirst place.

Prevent Windows Update fromF o r c i b l y R e b o o t i n g Y o u rC o m p u t e r Add Any Folder To YourTaskbar This tweak has worked on everyversion of Windows for a verylong time, and even with the newtaskbar in Windows 7, it stillworks perfectly. Just right-clickon the taskbar, choose Toolbars–> New Toolbar, and pick thefolder you'd like to add. You canmake them icon-only, remove thelabel, or make them use largeicons. You can even use this trickto add the Quick Launch folderback to Windows 7. Add "My Computer" to YourWindows 7 / Vista Taskbar Add "Take Ownership" to theContext Menu If you were rocking ana d m i n i s t r a t o r a c c o u n t o nWindows XP, you pretty muchhad access to do anything youwanted, but since Vista, Windowsmade it extremely difficult tochange files and folders in any ofthe system directories. To easily

solve this problem, there's asimple little registry hack that willadd a "Take Ownership" item tothe context menu, after which youcan rename, de le te , o r dowhatever you 'd l ike . Add "Take Ownership" toExplorer Right-Click Menu inWin 7 or Vista Add Copy/Move to the ContextMenu Sure, there are loads of ways tocopy or move files around inWindows, but there's one simplelittle registry hack that will add a"Copy To folder" and "Move Tofolder" option to the contextmenu. Once you've added them tothe menu, you can pop up a dialogbox that lets you easily choose afolder to move or copy the itemsto—it's one of those great littlehacks that's been around forever,and still works in Windows 7. Add Copy To / Move To onWindows 7 or Vista Right-ClickMenu Disable the Caps Lock Key The Caps Lock key is by far mylea s t f avo r i t e key on t hekeyboard—at least the scroll lockkey doesn't interfere with mytyping when I hit it by accident.Thankfully it's easy enough to getrid of with a simple registry hack,or you can map any key to anykey using an easy freeware utility.If you'd rather not disable it, youcan instead use Caps Lock as akeyboard-friendly navigation toolor turn i t into a dedicatedminimize but ton. Disable Caps Lock Key inWindows 7 or Vista S t o p L o s i n g t h e

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Sleep /Shu tdown But ton toWindows Upda te So you're rushing to finish upthat TPS report so you can duckout early and avoid Lumbergasking you to work on theweekend, only to realize thatW i n d o w s h i j a c k e d y o u rSleep/Shutdown button and isnow slowly installing updates forthe next twenty minutes or so.Thankfully there's another simpleregistry hack that will preventWindows from changing out yourregular shutdown button with theinstall updates variety. Stop Windows Update fromHijacking the Sleep Button Enable Remote Desktop Remote Desktop doesn't comew i t h a l l t h e f l a v o r s o fWindows—you can only use it ifyou are running the Ultimate, Pro,or Business editions. If you areusing one of those versions andwant an excellent way to controlthe PC in the other room, RemoteDesktop is where it 's at—inWindows 7 or Vista it will evenenable Aero through the RemoteDesktop session. To enable foryourself, simply head into Systemproper t ies , choose RemoteSettings, and then change theradio button to enable it. Turn on Remote Desktop in

Windows 7 or Vista Disable Sticky / Filter KeysDialogs Have you ever been playing agame, or doing something elsethat required pressing the Shift orCtrl keys a bunch of times, andthen had the "Do you want to turnon Sticky Keys?" question pop upon your screen? It might be agreat feature for some people, butit's not useful for the rest ofus—and it's really annoying.Thankfully you can disable thekeyboard shortcuts entirely byheading into the Control Panel'sEase of Access center and lookingunder the keyboard section. Disable the Irritating Sticky /Filter Keys Popup Dialogs Disable Windows ExplorerClick Sounds Ever noticed that every time youdouble-click on anything inWindows Explorer, it makes anannoying clicking sound? If youdo a lot of file management, thissound can quickly drive you batty.Thankfully there's a really simpleway to disable it—just head intothe Sounds panel and find theitem called "Start Navigation" inthe list. Once you've disabled thatsound, you should be finally freeof the irritation. Turn Off Windows Explorer

Click Sounds in Windows 7 orVista Disable User Account Control'sAnnoying Prompts UAC has noble intentions, butfor power users who know whatthey ' re doing, they can beextremely annoying. Windows 7makes it so much easier to get ridof those annoying prompts thanVista—you can simply head intoControl Panel, find the UACsettings panel, and then drag theslider to fit the level of annoyanceyou feel like dealing with. If you'drather keep UAC enabled butwant to prevent the prompts for aparticular application, you canalways create shortcuts thatbypass the UAC prompts with asimple task scheduler trick. Disable User Account Control(UAC) the Easy Way on Win 7 orVista These are just a few of themany Windows tweaks that stillwork in Windows 7. Do you havea can't-live-without tweak thatyou want to still use in Windows7? Tell us in the comments. The 20 Best Windows Tweaksthat Still Work in Windows7[How-To Geek]

Windows 7 Recovery DiscsGets Your System Out ofTight Spots [Downloads]By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)Submitted at 10/19/2009 4:30:00 AM

Windows 7: If you run into aboot-up error with Windows 7and don't have a recovery dischandy, you're usually in for somemanic fiddling, or you're just outof luck. NeoSmart's recoverydiscs, however, can set thingsright. Download NeoSmart's recoverydiscs for 32- and 64-bit systems,burn them to CD, and pop theminto any system that claims it'sunable to find the files needed toboot or is otherwise corrupted.These discs contain the samesystem recovery tools as a fullWindows 7 disc, which are alsog i v e n o u t b y n i c e P Cmakers—and sold as an expensiveaccessory by skimpy Windows

pre-installers. Boot your system fromNeoSmart's CD, and you'll get astripped-down Windows systemwith a window offering startupfile repair, Restore Point returns,recovery from a whole-clothimage, memory testing, and acommand prompt for those diremoments when only franticallyGoogle-d terminal instructionscan save you. These Windows 7 SystemRecovery Discs are a f reedownload via BitTorrent fromNeoSmart; alternately, hit theCyberNet link to grab a copy fromdirectly from file-hosting siteMediaFire. Download Windows 7S y s t e m R e c o v e r yDiscs[NeoSmart via CyberNet]

Citigroup might lose Mexican subsidiary(Financial Times - UShomepage)Submitted at 10/18/2009 4:42:21 PM

Mexico’s Supreme Court is thisweek set to probe a case thatcould potentially force Citigroup,the troubled US bank, to sell itsprofitable and highly prizedMexican subsidiary. A group of opposition senators

has pointed out that the USgovernment bail-out of Citi lasty e a r p l a c e d i t s M e x i c a nsubsidiary, Banamex, in breach ofnational law, which bans foreigngovernments from owning a stakein domestic banks. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Tech Tips/ Economy/


Android 2.0 Features Combined Inbox,"Car Home" [Android]By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:00:00 AM

The Boy Genius Report got itshands on the upcoming AndroidVerizon phone, "Droid," andtoured i ts early-release 2.0firmware. The blog finds a fewkeen features to be released,including a unified inbox andvoice-controlled car accessibility. The screens come fromMotorola's phone, now heavilyadvertised over the weekend as adirect competitor to the iPhone,but the Android 2.0 features willpresumably make their way toAndroid phones of all stripes(eventually). The neatest stuffi n s i d e , f r o m a u s a b i l i t ystandpoint, includes a "CarHome" that presents big buttonsand voice-controlled instructions,like saying "map of wendys" andgetting a Google Map filled with

the popular square-burger-pattychain. A "combined inbox" loadsyour work email messages, SMS,Facebook pings, important blogupdates, and other messages intoone screen (though Gmail remainsseparate), and settings offeringslike haptic feedback (subtlevibrat ion) for vir tual keys,selective account syncing, and

other offerings. What's still missing fromAndroid 2.0 from a softwarestandpoint? Tell us your take onthe presumed future of Google'sopen source phone system in thec o m m e n t s . A n d r o i d 2 . 0screenshot walkthrough[BoyGenius Report]

LastPass Adds Auto-Fill Password Management toGoogle Chrome [Downloads]By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:00:00 AM

Google Chrome (on Windows):Password saving and managementwebapp LastPass offers a singlespace to drop your web sitepasswords and quickly use themon any browser—now includingChrome, through an extensionavailable to development channelusers. LastPass works on Chromesimilarly to how it does on

Firefox and Internet Explorer, andit's a bit more convenient andfunctional than its bookmarkletform filler. The concept remainsthe same: you only have toremember your LastPass login,and LastPass remembers all yourother passwords and, if you want,credit card and form data, too.Before you ask, here's howLastPass justifies its safety andencryption. The extension and its featuresworked a s p romised on a

development channel version ofGoogle Chrome on Windows.Testing it out on a daily build of

extension-supporting Chromiumon Ubuntu, however, led toconsistent crashes, and I'd expectthe same out of Mac OS X builds,at least until those platformsmature or LastPass gets around toaddressing them. LastPass' Chrome extension is afree download, works whereverChrome does, and requires aLastPass account to use. LastPass- Downloads[via MakeUseOf]

Three Rivers: Good Intentions -open threadBy Bob Sassone (TV Squad)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:33:00 PM

I hate when football runs over. Iwant to watch 60 Minutes but twoteams insist on ending the fourthquarter in a tie and have to go toovertime. Even when it's not OTthe game often runs over, and forsome reason CBS then goes toanother game instead of startingthe prime time shows right away.Last night they went to anothergame and fans of Cold Case wereleft in the dark because CBSdidn't have enough time to showthe episode. But Three Rivers fans got to seeAlex O'Loughlin and his friendstry to save lives. What did youthink of the episode? [Watch episodes and clips ofThree Rivers and other shows at

SlashControl.] Filed under: Other DramaShows, Watercooler Talk, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this | |Comments

Wall Street digestsmixed earningsresults(Financial Times - UShomepage)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:45:33 AM

US equities were mixed, withS&P 500 modestly higher, earlyMonday as a slate of earningsreports damped some pre-marketop t imism abou t the l a t e s tqua r t e r ly r e su l t s . BB&T said its quarterly profitfell 58 per cent as the financialcompany cont inued to sor tthrough credit issues lingeringfrom the financial crisis. Its shareswere down 4.7 per cent at $26.91. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Tech Tips/ TV/ Economy/


Make a Rolling Tool Chest From a DiscardedDresser [DIY]By sarahrae (Lifehacker)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:30:00 AM

A roll ing tool chest is afunctional way to store your tools,but it 's not always the mostattractive option for your home ifit needs to inhabit a space whereit's always on display. A rollingdresser addresses this problemnicely. Monica Ewing of the homedecor weblog Craftynest was in

need of tool storage inside her SanFrancisco apartment. Like anygood crafter with a repurposingmind, she found a starting pointfor just $10—a dresser that haddefinitely seen better days.Although, it was in a sad state ofaffairs before, a little paint,primer, and hardware can go along way, and she's created afunctional place to keep her toolsin order. Ewing also used some simple

drawer organizers and hardwarefrom IKEA, plus casters thatallow the unit to roll from place toplace. She did some basic repairto the piece before beginning,which will help it hold up to theweight of her tools overtime. Hit up Craftynest to read the fulltutorial and list of materialsneeded to recreate this project athome. Old Dresser = Rolling ToolCabinet[Crafty Nest]

Apple Pulls EyeTV AppOver 3G StreamingBy Charles Jade(TheAppleBlog)Submitted at 10/19/2009 5:00:26 AM

Although El Gato’s EyeTV apphas been able to stream contentover AT&T’s seemingly fragile3G network since last month, itwasn’t until this past weekendthat people were talking about it.That talk, at Gizmodo, wasfollowed by swift and decisiveaction by Apple. EyeTV is nomore at the App Store. For those who don’t know, theEyeTV app accesses content froman EyeTV, the company’stelevision recording device,attached to a Mac, and sends it toan iPhone. As the picturedwarning from the app clearlystates, a Wi-Fi connection isrequired. However, tapping thewarning text instead of the “OK”button enables streaming over acellular connection. Unfortunately, that’s a violation

of AT&T’s terms of service in theU . S . a n d A p p l e ’ s p o l i c yeverywhere else. Just last month,another video streaming app,SlingPlayer, was released inEurope, still shackled to Wi-Fionly. Sad, but those are the rules,which makes you wonder why ElGato broke them. According toJulio Ojeda-Zapata of Your TechBlog, El Gato says “test code”was “accidentally left in theEyeTV app.” El Gato has alreadyresubmitted a version of theEyeTV app without the offendingcode. Personally, I applaud El Gatofor its user-friendly sloppiness.The real error here is allowingtelecommunication companies toregulate content on any network. As Q4 begins, online video isnow mainstream. Read the, "Connected Consumer Q3 Wrap-up."

Tech Tips/ Apple/


Rock Band Comes to the App StoreBy Liam Cassidy(TheAppleBlog)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:22:51 AM

It had to happen sooner or later.EA Mobile’s Rock Band is nowavailable in the iTunes App Store. From the EA Mobile web site: Take your band on the road with20 legendary songs from greatbands like Smashing Pumpkins,Lynyrd Skynyrd & the BeastieBoys, all delivered with thehighest, MP3-quality sound. Rock out solo on lead bass,drums, guitar & vocals, or start aband with other rockers fromaround the world! Jump intoQu ickp l ay fo r c a sua l j amsessions, or take it on the road inTour Mode in EA Mobile’sROCK BAND! The big-brother version of RockBand (for major consoles such asthe XBOX 360 and PS3) requiresthe use of mock instruments,which lends a certain sort ofverisimilitude to the gamingexperience — that is, so long asyou can ignore the Thunderbirds-style avatars and the fact thatyou’re not actually playing aninstrument, you’re just thumbingbuttons on a plastic stick. Oh, andyou absolutely must be preparedto ignore how foolish you andyour friends look while you’redoing it. But that’s really all part

of the appeal of Rock Band. It’ssupremely silly and mountains offun. Obviously the iPhone’s3 2 0 × 4 8 0 p i x e l c a p a c i t i v etouchscreen is hardly reminiscentof a Stratocaster. Without the faux-instruments, Rock Band foriPhone offers an unavoidablyw a t e r e d - d o w n g a m e p l a yexperience. In short, it loses theoriginal feel of Rock Band.Instead, it becomes a clone of thehugely popular Tap Tap fromTapulous , which was f i r s treleased in the App Store wayback in September 2007. Rock Band for iPhone and iPodtouch launches with 20 songs(listed below), and it’s probablyonly a matter of time before moretracks are made available via in-app purchasing. If you’re a fan ofRock Band and want a completecollect ion, you’re probably

already firing up iTunes to get it.Otherwise, take a look at thebundled songs and decide whetherthere’s enough here to warranthitting that Buy App button andparting with $9.99. • Attack– 30 Seconds To Mars • Girls Not Grey– AFI • Move Along– All AmericanRejects • Sabotage– Beastie Boys • All The Small Things– Blink-182 • Hanging on the Telephone–Blondie • Learn To Fly– Foo Fighters • Everlong– Foo Fighters • Bad to The Bone– GeorgeThorogood & the Destroyers • Hymn 43– Jethro Tull • Bad Reputation– Joan Jett • Simple Man– Lynard Skynard • Ace of Spades ‘08– Motorhead • Debaser– Pixies • Ladybug– Presidents of TheUnited States of America • Give It All– Rise Against • Lazy Eye– Silversun Pick Ups • Cherub Rock– SmashingPumpkins • Take The Money and Run–Steve Miller Band • We Got The Beat– The GoGo’s In Q3, NewNet focus turns tobusiness models and search. Readthe, " NewNet Q3 Wrap-up."

What's On Tonight:Accidentally on Purpose, LittlePeople, Big World, Gossip GirlBy Bob Sassone (TV Squad)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:15:00 PM

• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hourDancing with the Stars, then anew Castle. • CBS has a new How I MetYour Mother at 8, followed bynew episodes of Accidentally onPurpose, Two and a Half Men,Big Bang Theory, and CSI:Miami. • NBC has new episodes ofHeroes, Trauma, and The JayLeno Show. • FOX has a new House, then anew Lie To Me. • The CW has a new One TreeHill at 8, followed by a newGossip Girl. • ABC Family has a new LincolnHeights at 8, then a new Greek. • TLC has two new episodes ofLittle People, Big World at 8,followed by a new Jon & KatePlus 8. • Also at 8: Food Network has anew Good Eats. • At 8:30, ESPN has MondayNight Football, the Broncos vs.the Chargers. • At 9, USA has a new MondayNight RAW. • Food Network has a newUnwrapped at 9. • At 10, Food Network has anew Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

• TLC has a new Ultimate Cake-Off at 10. • Bravo has a new Million DollarListing at 10. Check your local TV listings formore. After the jump, the late nighttalk shows. Continue reading What's OnTonight: Accidentally on Purpose,Little People, Big World, GossipGirl Filed under: Late Night,Programming, Celebrities, TalkShow, What To Watch Tonight,Reality-Free Permalink| Email this | |Comments

TLC's Heavy Haulers looks like funBy Jane Boursaw (TV Squad)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:34:00 AM

Following the season sixpremiere of American Chopper onThursday at 9 PM (I sure hope

those squabbling Teutuls canwork th ings ou t ) , TLC i spremiering a new pilot titledHeavy Haulers at 10 PM. Thatpicture sort of says it all, doesn'tit? In addition to the logistics of

moving such a huge piece of

machinery, I'm wondering howyou even get into the thing onceyou get where you're going. Continue reading TLC's HeavyHaulers looks like fun Filed under: Other Reality

Shows, Programming Permalink| Email this | |Comments

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WolframAlpha iPhone: Why the $50Asking Price?By Darrell Etherington(TheAppleBlog)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:36:26 AM

WolframAlpha Web App When it was first released,WolframAlpha generated a lot ofbuzz surrounding the impressivecomputational power the newsearch engine- type serv iceo f f e r e d . S p e c i f i c a l l y f o rmathematical and statisticalqueries, it goes quite beyond whatGoogle is able to offer. But doesall that power justify a $50 pricetag on the site’s iPhone apptreatment? Wolfram Alpha LLC seems tothink so, since it’s asking $49.99for the just-released app, the firstdeveloped using Wolfram Alpha’snew API. Mashable also seems toagree, but I’m not so sure, and I’lltell you why. Mashable’s Christina Warren isquick to point out that the iPhoneversion “is much more than just amobile version of the website,” aclaim which I definitely agreewould justify at least some kind ofextra expenditure, but then Icompared my results on the web-based version running in Safari tothe ones she showed from the appitself. Guess what? The results areidentical. In the app, things aresl ight ly more readable andoptimized for the iPhone’s screen,but the data is exactly the same,and the web interface is far fromclunky itself. Things like Source Informationdo seem to work a lot better in theapp than in the web interface,because they weren’t specifically

designed for mobile touchscreenplatforms, but if you’re like me,you don’t go around dropping $50t o r e s o l v e e v e r y m i n o rinconvenience that comes yourway. The Mashable piece also rolls inthe value of the Wolfram app as agraphing calculator, which wouldbe useful for students, it goes onto suggest. Putting aside the factthat you get the same graphs usingthe web app as you do with theapp, students would never be ableto use this app in a test situation,when cheating is an issue, and adevice that requires networkconnectivity to work is involved.Professionals that might use itwould benefit just as much fromusing the web app, so I don’t buythis argument either. So is the price of WolframAlphafor iPhone an example of absurdhub r i s on t he pa r t o f i t s

developers? I don’t think so. Ithink they’ve just made a highlypolished, non-browser basedve r s ion o f t he i r awesomecomputational engine targeted atprofessionals and businessmenwho look at a $50 application as ajustifiable expense for somethingthey use many times daily. Don’t,however, try to tell me that theprice is justified by added featuresor functionality, or that anyoneother than an elite class of nicheusers would find enough value tomerit the cost. The price willcome down if Wolfram decides itwants to sell the app, so myadvice is to just be patient ifyou’re anxious to get your mobilestats analysis on. What was the big news thathappened in your sector in Q3?Catch up with GigaOM Pro's, "Quarterly Wrap-ups."

Ann Coulter has the mostannoying voice everBy Jane Boursaw (TV Squad)Submitted at 10/19/2009 10:33:00 AM

I don't fit neatly into any onepolitical category. There arethings I like about the Republicanparty and things I like about theDemocratic party. I watch FoxNews and CNN equally, and thereare ta lk ing heads on bo thnetworks that I like and don't like. I will say this, though: AnnCoulter has one of the mostannoying voices on TV right now.It's hard to listen to what she'ssaying, because her whiny voiceis so distracting. Sometimes whenI'm just listening to her but notwatching her, I almost expect tolook over at the TV and see acartoon character droning onabout ... whatever. I don't watch Saturday NightLive regu la r ly , bu t sure lysomeone must have spoofed herby now. With her nasal voice, hairfixation, and political opinions,

she's like a skit waiting to happen. Aside from their political views,what other commentators just bugthe heck out of you? (Yes, Irealize I'm going to be in the eyeof the storm here; keep it as cleanas possible!) Filed under: News, OpEd,Celebrities, Talk Show Permalink| Email this | |Comments

MediaDailyNews: CNBC LaunchesFree Real-Time App(MediaPost | Media News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:31:53 AM

CNBC has launched the CNBCReal-Time App on the AppStoreSM. Users can access livestreaming, real-time stock quotes,before, during and after markethours, directly from both theNYSE and NASDAQ. The appalso provides breaking news alertsand analysis and the ability totrack stocks live, in real-time.

Plus, users will have access toCNBC business videos andmarket updates via CNBC videoon demand. The CNBC Real-Time App is available for freefrom the App StoreSM oniPhoneTM and iPod touch or atwww.itunes.com/apps/CNBCReal-Time. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Apple/ TV/ Media/


Apple Acknowledges BatteryOverheating in First-Generation iPodNanoBy Darrell Etherington(TheAppleBlog)Submitted at 10/19/2009 6:53:32 AM

If you have a first-generationiPod nano (the one that looks likea slimmed-down version of theiPod video and comes in onlyblack and white), you may be ableto get a replacement or a fix fromApple, depending on what kind ofs y m p t o m s y o u r d e v i c e i se x h i b i t i n g . S p e c i f i c a l l y , A p p l eacknowledged via a knowledgebase article that the early nanoshave a tendency to display batteryoverheating problems, an issuethat it seems like every one of itsproduction mobile devices isaccused of at one time or another.The article posted by Apple doesadmit to the problem in the 1Gnanos, but it sure goes out of itsway to downplay its significance,as is evident from the followingpassage: Apple has determined that invery rare cases, batteries in theiPod nano (1st generation) soldbetween September 2005 andDecember 2006, may overheatand prevent the iPod nano fromworking and deform it. Apple has received very fewreports of such incidents (less

than 0.001 percent) and the issuehas been traced to a single batterysupplier. There have been noreports of serious injuries orproperty damage. Additionally,there have been no reports of suchincidents with any other iPodnano model. Discoloration, overheating, andcase deformity near the batteryare all symptoms of the problem,so it should be fairly easy to tell ify o u r m o d e l i s a f f e c t e d .Remember, though, that there’soverheating and then there’s justplain heating, which is somethingall Apple devices do even when infine working order. Interestingly, if you do a quickand dirty Google search for nanooverheating woes, you find no

shortage of pages like this thatseem to indicate that Apple userswere well aware of the tendency afull four years before Appledecided to acknowledge them. Ifyou bought your device in 2006and you paid extra for extendedAppleCare service, you may stillbe covered, but it’s unclearwhether devices not underwarranty will be eligible forreplacement. If I was the suspicious type, I’dthink it highly unusual that Applew o u l d w a i t t h i s l o n g t oacknowledge a problem thats e e m s t o b e f a i r l y w e l l -documented in the past. Even if itis providing replacements forthose without AppleCare, whichseems to me unlikely without anofficial announcement of anextension of eligibility, the timingmeans that many nano ownerswill already have ponied up for anewer model, or an iPhone. If you have an affected modeliPod nano, do us a favor andcontact AppleCare and let usknow how Apple responds. What was the big news thathappened in your sector in Q3?Catch up with GigaOM Pro's, "Quarterly Wrap-ups."

I'm psyched about CrystalChappell's return to Days ofOur LivesBy Allison Waldman (TVSquad)Submitted at 10/19/2009 10:03:00 AM

I'm still not really over the endof Guiding LIght, but if there'sone thing soap fans know, youhave to move on. You get over theend of Santa Barbara, mourn theloss of Another World, rememberforever that before vampires werein vogue in prime time, BarnabusCollins ruled daytime, despiterickety sets and off-the-rackcostumes. That said, even while people aresaying that soaps are dead -- ordying -- I'm excited about CrystalChappell returning to Days of OurLives. You want to know how excited?I'm going to watch. After DeidreHall and Drake Hogestyn wereunceremoniously dumped by thesoap, I drifted away. But I'mwilling to give Days another try,especially because my curiosityhas been piqued about Crystal's

return. Continue reading I'm psychedabout Crystal Chappell's return toDays of Our Lives Filed under: OpEd, Daytime,Video, Casting, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this | |Comments

Berlin Festival of LightsBy Kevin Collins (Flickr Blog)Submitted at 10/18/2009 11:26:18 AM

The Flickr Blog has really beenlit up the past week, with Diwali,and Asuka Lighting Festival.

Now, as suggested in FlickrCentral by phoenixesrose, wepresent you with something fromthe 2009 Berlin Festival of Lightswhich is going on through 25October.

Photos by d3us,| p | a | t | p | i | x| , chris grabert , tomkpunkt,

mr172, Ole Begemann and ksfoto.To enjoy more, there are somelovely pools to look at, or you cantry a search or two. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Apple/ TV/ Picture/


Verizon Attacks iPhone With“Droid”By Charles Jade(TheAppleBlog)Submitted at 10/18/2009 6:23:43 PM

Over the weekend, Verizonlaunched its second attack againstthe iPhone, a condescendingteaser for an upcoming Android-based phone, Droid. However,un l ike the f i r s t ad , whichrightfully at tacked AT&T’sanemic network coverage anddependability, the Droid ad goesafter the iPhone. According to Verizon, theiPhone doesn’t: • have a real keyboard • run simultaneous apps • take 5-megapixel pictures • customize • run widgets • allow open development • take pictures in the dark • have interchangeable batteries That’s it? It’s like this ad isf rom 2007, what wi th thekeyboard and battery complaints.People don’t care . In fact ,touchscreen is now a desiredfeature on smartphones accordingto research. Besides those tired

bromides, Verizon nitpicks thecamera and appeals to nerds overmulti-tasking and philosophicald i f f e r e n c e s c o n c e r n i n gd e v e l o p m e n t . The latter is especially hilarious,because until the success ofApple’s App Store, Verizon notonly told developers what theycould sell, but how much theycould charge. The company iscurrently planning a new storethat , whi le not technical lyexcluding competitors, aggregatescontent under its own store. Howopen of them, but what about theDroid itself? Besides the fact that it’s anAndroid 2.0 phone to be releasedsometime in November, we don’tknow much. The ad cuts from the“iDon’t” list accompanied bycheery background music to static- laden cut scenes poss ib lysuggesting some kind of techno-future in which “droids” rule theiWorld. Beyond that, there are a

few vague adjectives like hi-res,hi-speed, video, tunes. As forconcrete features, how aboutspeech recognition and 10,000plus apps. It’s actually kind of sadto see Verizon forced to advertisethe comparative dearth of Androidapps to the Apple App Storebecause the latter simply cannotbe ignored when advertisingsmartphones anymore. In fact, the whole “iDon’t”concept reminds me of an ad fromthe console wars during the lastmillennium. Back then, Segal a u n c h e d a “ N i n t e n d o n ’ t ! ”campaign highlighting the manyperceived failures of the SuperNES when compared to theGenesis. We all know how thatturned out. Whether you call it aniPhone clone or a droid, I don’texpect th is war to be anydif ferent . In Q3, NewNet focus turns tobusiness models and search. Readthe, " NewNet Q3 Wrap-up."

Does loving Glee make me abad feminist?By Hemal Jhaveri (TV Squad)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:03:00 AM

There are plenty of ill-conceivedfemale characters all over prime-time TV (just pick any show onthe CW for starters) but is it fairto dump Glee into that category?While Glee undoubtedly has someof the most egregious, misshapenteen girls around, I don't think it'sthis fall's worst offender. Sadie over at Jezebel makessome very salient points in hergender-critique of Glee, but shemisses the mark when she callst h e s h o w " c h e a p a n dd i s ingenuous . " Yes , s tockportrayals of female characterscan reinforce harmful stereotypes,but I don't think that's what'shappening on Glee. As an avid fan, I think you canappreciate the show withoutdismissing it because it doesn'tportray women in a positive light.

This is a Ryan Murphy show. Andno one comes out looking good ina Ryan Murphy show. Continue reading Does lovingGlee make me a bad feminist? Filed under: OpEd, Reality-Free, Glee Permalink| Email this | |Comments

Review: Bored to Death - The Case of the Lonely White DoveBy Jonathan Toomey (TVSquad)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:28:00 AM

( S01E05)"Is vodka really madefrom potatoes?" - Jonathan Bored to Death isn't boring me,but after last night's extremelyslow episode, it 's close. The

premise of the show coupled witha really great cast speaks to thepotential Bored to Death has, butsave for last week's episode(theone with Parker Posey and stillthe best so far), there haven't beenmany high points. Last night'sinstallment had some of thosemoments, but for the most part, I

didn't give a crap about the whitedove or why she was lonely.

Continue reading Review:Bored to Death - The Case of theLonely White Dove Filed under: Other ComedyShows, OpEd, Episode Reviews,Reality-Free Permalink| Email this | |Comments

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NFL Diary: Saints 48, Giants 27(WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)Submitted at 10/18/2009 8:17:49 AM

The Journal provides minute-by-minute analysis of the NewOrleans Saints’ 48-27 victory overthe New York Giants at theSuperdome in New Orleans.Guest blogger Steve Kornackioffers commentary on the gameand the Fox telecast. Getty Images The Saints’Roman Harper forces a fumble byGiants quarterback Eli Manning. Before kickoff, I wonderedabout the Giants’ soft schedulecoming in to this game. Were theya “real” 5-0 team, or had they justmimicked your typical college-football powerhouse and loadedup on cream puffs? Three-and-a-half hours later, it looks like thelatter. The Giants had barelyblinked before finding themselvesdown 14-0 today, and they neverfigured out how to disrupt DrewBrees — who finished 23 for 30f o r 3 6 9 y a r d s a n d f o u rtouchdowns. (And it could havebeen far worse than that; theSaints got conservative once theypulled three touchdowns ahead.)Even after getting suckerpunchedat the start of the game, the Giantshad opportunities to climb backin. But they failed, time andagain, to slow the New Orleansa t t ack . They were s imp lyove rwhe lmed today . Of course, there’s always adanger of reading too much intoone game. Maybe the Giants camein believing too much of theirown hype, as the cliche goes, andneeded an atrocity like this tos h a k e t h e m s e l v e s o u t o fcomplacency. Perhaps the Giantsteam we all expected to see todaywill show up in the Meadowlandsnext Sunday night, when New

York hosts Atlanta. Or maybethey were exposed this week andan ug ly me l tdown i s j u s tbeginning. One thing is for sure: itwon’t be fun being around TomCoughlin for the next week. The Saints, meanwhile, lookedflawless. It wasn’t just Brees. Hisreceivers, most notably MarquesColston (who finished with 8catches for 166 yards), madesome terrific catches, and theT h o m a s / B e l l / B u s h t r o i k aaccounted for 133 yards and threetouchdowns on the ground. This isa dangerous, multidimensionaloffense. Seven different playersaccounted for the Saints seventouchdowns. Just as notable was the pressurethat the Saints’ defense was ableto apply against Manning. Theyonly sacked him twice, but thepressure forced several badthrows, including a key thirdquarter interception that snuffedout what remained of the Giants’chances. New York managed nocomparable pressure on Manning.New Or leans looks l ike afrighteningly complete team. 4:30: It’s a final. 48-27. Saintsare 5-0 for the first time since1993. Maybe that’s a bad omen,though: that year’s team crasheddown the stretch and missed theplayoffs. But anyone who justwatched this game isn’t expectingthat to happen this time. 4:29: Carr and the Giants arejust running out the final minutenow. This one looks like it willend 48-27. You can’t say enoughabout how well the Saints — andBrees in particular — playedtoday. They made a case todaythat they could be the best team inthe league. 4:26: Nice to see Brunell outthere t rying to tutor Brees,

showing him what it’s like to takea sack. 4:21: By the way: TouchdownGiants! Ex-Texas Houstan (or is itHouston Texan?) David Carr hitsNicks for 37 yards. 48-27 now,approaching the two-minutewarning. 4:18: More mail! This fromMichael in Japan, who writes: “Hi Steve - Im a New Orleanianreading your awesome blog inJapan since 2:00 am here. Insteadof saying that the Saints mayfinally be one of the elite teams inthe NFL, the analysts are sayingthat the GIANTS didnt play anygood teams before today. Weret i red of be ing the RodneyDangerfield of sports. Who do wehave to beat to get some respect!” I hear your frustration, Michael,and you’re right. Unfortunately,that’s the way the media works: Ifit has “New York” in it, the wholeworld revolves around it. So myadvice is simple: Make like theAngels in baseball and renameyour franchise the New YorkSaints of New Orleans. Thenyou’ll get some respect. 4:16: Fun fact: The Giantshaven’t given up this many yardsin a game since the Carteradministrat ion. 4:15: I tell you, Mark Brunellmay be 39, but he hands the balloff like he’s 29. 4:12: Fourth and 8 for theGiants now. Coughlin elects topunt. Saints get it back with 5:57

left. Looks like Brees has beenpulled. Say hello to old MarkBrunell, hero of the Jaguarsinspiring 1996 playoff run. 4:09: Jeremy Shockey issmiling, laughing and slappingbacks on the sidelines. Butsure, like he said, this gamedoesn’t mean anything special tohim… 4:06: Oh, hey, look: the Saintsscored a touchdown. How novel.This time, it’s fullback HeathEvans, who Fox tells us is theseventh Saint to make it to the endzone today. 48-20 Saints, 7:04 leftin the game. 4:05: To paraphrase WarnerWolf: If you have the Giants and27 1/2 points, you’re on the edgeof your seat right now! 4:00: A friend just reminds methat I advised him yesterday tostart Eli Manning instead of JoeFlacco for his fantasy team today.My reasoning, I think, was thatManning would be ready for a biggame in his hometown, whileFlacco would hand the ball off toom u c h . C u r r e n t s t a t l i n e s :Manning– 13 of 28, 176 yards, 1TD, 1 INT; Flacco - 24 of 35, 347yards, 2 TD’s. Whoops. 3:58: You knew it was coming:With just over eight minutes lefti n t h e g a m e , o n e o f t h eannounce r s — Aikman —mentions Mike Ditka’s 1999decision to trade the entire Saintsdraft for Ricky Williams. Whichgives me an excuse to run a linkto this picture. 3:56: New Orleans’ three-headed running attack is payingoff here. Everyone’s legs arefresher. After Thomas’ carry, Belltakes it for eight yards. Then aGiant penalty gives the Saints afirst down. 3:53: The Saints are easing up

and looking to burn clock here, soit’s time for hand-offs to PierreThomas. But the Giants dothemselves no favor and allowThomas to break free to nearmidf ie ld . Approach ing tenminutes to p lay . 3:48: Fourth and goal from the10. Manning scrambles and findsBrandon Jacobs in the end zone.But….we have flaggage. Notsurprisingly, it’s holding on theGiants. Now it’s fourth and goalfrom the 20. A field goal doesn’tget you much here. But Coughlinsends Tynes out anyway and hemakes it: 41-20 Saints with 12:09to go. I guess now at least theGiants don’t need to go for twowhen they get those threetouchdowns. 3:45: Manning hits Hixon. Justenough for a first down. Thedream is still alive! (If “thedream” means “the possibility ofscoring more than 20 points inthis game.”) 3:43: Fourth and 8 from the 20.Giants will go for it. Eli takes atimeout. Big play coming up. Iguess. 3:40: Manning finds HakeemNicks, who takes it all the waydown near the Saint 20. I guessit’s technically a three-possessiongame right now: three TD’s andthree two-point conversionswould tie it up for the Giants.Which is kind of l ike BobUecker’s famous line that, despitetrailing 8-0, “a couple of grandslams and the Brewers are rightback in this thing.” 3:37: Sampling of Giant-relatedcomments from Facebook friends:“ Why does it seem like theGiants are playing with 5 guys ondefense?”; “XXX XXXXX thinks

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that with Giants having a byetoday, they will show up healthyand alert for next week’s game!”;“XXX XXXXX notices that tomcoughlin is always yelling atsomeone on the sidelines andusually it’s one of the refs.” FOURTH QUARTER 3:34: It’s way too late, butfinally the Giants manage somep r e s s u r e — a n d B r e e sunderthrows Devery Henderson,w h o o t h e r w i s e w o u l d b ecelebrating a touchdown rightnow. The quarter is over. TheSaints lead 41-17. Will they crack50? Stay tuned! 3:32: The onslaught won’t stop.Brees hits Colston, who has nowhas 164 receiving yards, again,and the Saints are in New Yorkterritory. Inside of a minute left inthe third. 3:30: If you have Drew Breeson your fantasy-league roster,you’re probably having a veryenjoyable Sunday. 3:28: My cousin, the Giantlunatic, texts that “Despite theloss, the Giants by the end of theseason will be the team to beat inthe NFC.” Ah, New York sportsfans. Always humble in defeat. 3:26: Play action. Brees to —who else? — Colston in the endzone. That’s four TD’s for thePurdue man, if you’re keepingtrack at home. 41-17 Saints now,with 4:10 left in the third. Gen.Coughlin is now negotiating theformal terms of the Giants’surrender. 3:23: Colston makes anacrobatic catch near the Giant 10,but it’s called back because hestepped out of bounds whilerunning downfield. Not that itmatters: Brees finds Moore in themiddle of field on third and 17.Saints had slipped out of field-goal range there, but now it’s first

and 10 at the 19. 3:19: Third and 7 for NewOrleans from the Giant 31. A firstdown here could be back-breaking. 3:17: Efficient third-and-shortcarry for Reggie Bush moves thechains, and keeps the clockticking. First down Saints at theirown 40, midway through the thirdquarter. 3:14: Chance squandered.Manning gets rid of it under thepressure and manages a beautifulpass….to Saints cornerback JabariGreer . There a re a lo t o fdifferences in this game, butpressure on the QB is one ofthem. The Saints have managed toget in Manning’s face and haveforced two Giant turnovers. Brees,meanwhile, has gone practicallyuntouched and has completedabout 90 percent of his passes. 3:13: Bradshaw takes it insidethe Saints 40 for a first down. Justunder ten minutes to play in thethird. Chance for the Giants to getsome points here. 3:09: This kind of reminds meof the 2005 game between theGiants and Brees’ Chargers,which marked Eli’s first gameagainst the team from which hedemanded a trade at the 2004draft. Brees’ stat line that night:19 for 22 for 191 yards and twotouchdowns in a 45-23 San Diegowin. 3:08: Giants manage to getsome pressure on Brees on thirdand 2, and his pass is just off themark. The rumors are true: TheSaints do have a punter! 3:06: Fox stat reminds us thatthe Saints under Payton are 0-3coming off bye weeks. I also sawearlier that since the bye weekwas instituted in 1990, the Giantsare 8-2 against teams coming offbye weeks (in games when the

Giants themselves haven’t beencoming off a bye week — if thatmakes any sense). Both of thosestats look l ike very flawedindicators r ight now. 3:02: When you’re down 17 onthe road in the second half, everydrive is big. And what do theGiants get f rom their f i rs tpossession out of the lockerroom? A three and out — twoBrandon Jacobs runs and aincomple te long ba l l . Thepractically unstoppable Saintoffensetakes over at its own 25with 13:09 left in the third. Atouchdown here would be theSaints’ sixth in seven drives —and would ice this one. THIRD QUARTER 2:46: Manning takes a knee andthe half ends. The story of the firsthalf, obviously, is Drew Brees,who goes 17 for 20 for 247 yardsand three touchdowns. Only oneSaint possession ended without atouchdown in the first half —their second-to-last drive, whichwas stuffed inside the Giant 1.Manning, by contrast, is just 7 for12 for 85 yards and a TD. Fox ismaking much of the Giants’ weakschedule before this week. 2:43: Shows what I know.Reggie Bush takes Brees’ hand-off and scampers to the corner ofthe end zone. No blocked extrapoint this time, and with nineseconds left in the half, the Saintsare up 34-17. 2:42: The prize for the firstGiant to break up a Brees passgoes to Justin Tuck, who justbatted down Brees’ first-downpass — his first incompletion in16 attempts. 2:41: The call stands. Firstdown Saints. 18 seconds. Onetimeout, but please Sean Payton,just throw the ball here. 2:40: The dispute here is

whether it will be first and goalfor New Orleans with 18 secondsleft, or if that last play ended in asafety, with Shanle’s fumblebouncing back to the end zonewhere the Giants’ Kevin Boss fellon it. 2:37: I think I can hear myGiant fan neighbors kil l ingt h e m s e l v e s . A f t e r h i t t i n gManningham for 20 yards ,Manning and the Giants (whohave no timeouts) take way toolong getting off the next play —which ends with Manning gettinghit and coughing it up. After afurious scramble, the Saints’ ScottShanle comes up with it at theNew York 7, where the play iswhistled dead. But this could bereviewed, since replays make itlook like Shanle wasn’t downwhen he in turn coughed it up. 2:33: Nope. Just a hand-off toThomas and he’s stopped short.Giants ball. Plus, New Orleans isflagged for unsportsmanlikeconduct, so New York will startnear the 15, instead of the goalline. Kind of surprised Paytondidn’t try a pass play in that goal-line series, given how Brees hasbeen playing. 2:32: Looks like Bell is stoppedon his attempt to dive into the endzone on third down. One minuteon the clock and it’s fourth andgoal from the 1. Payton doesn’teven hesitate. The Saints will gofor it. Good call. Play action? 2:29: The announcers keeptalking about the Giants D comingup with a stop on a New Orleanspossession. But they haven’t evenforced an incomplete Brees passsince early in the first quarter. 2:27: This is just unreal. Breesconnects with Marques Colstonfor 40 yards. He’s 16 for 18 nowand the Saints have it inside theGiant 30. No, wait…make that

inside the 10 — Brees just hitColston again. I can’t keep upwith this guy. We’re at the two-minute warning and New Orleansis eight yards from another TD. 2:23: Touchdown Giants!Manningham barely — just barely— grabs Manning’s 15-yard passaway from Sharper and the Giantspull within 10, 27-17. The badnews: There’s still 3:19 left in thehalf — more than enough time forBrees to return the favor. 2:21: Brees stats update: 15 for17, 187 yards, three touchdownsand no interceptions. And (Ithink) ten straight completions. 2:19: My cousin might get hiswish. Hixon returns it all the wayto the New Orleans 36. 4:53 leftin the half. Huge possession herefor Eli. Big difference between 27-10 and 27-17 at halftime. 2:16: Brees goes play action andhits a wide-open Lance Moorefrom 12 yards for six. 5:04 left inthe half and it’s now 27-10 NewOrleans. My ever-optimisticcousin Anthony, a raving Giantsmaniac, texts me that “We need toturn it into a shootout. 27-17 byhalf and get the ball first for the3rd.” 2:14: Another Saint TD is calledback by a penalty, with a holdingcall negating Mike Bell’s 6-yardrun to the end zone. 2:13: Corey Webster, who grewup 30 miles from New Orleansand played at LSU, is flagged fora ve ry ques t ionab le pass -interference call, setting up theSaints at the Giant 10. The callmay have been bad, but the timethe G-men gave Brees to throwwas inexcusable. 2:09: We’ve got mail! Tomfrom Pennsylvania is furious thatthe NFL has designated the

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northern Poconos a secondarymarket for the Eagles — eventhough “you couldn’t find anEagle fan up here unless theywere on vacation.” He wants towatch the Giants game. I knowl i t t l e a b o u t P e n n s y l v a n i ageography and demographics, butas a someone who grew up inMassachusetts rooting for a non-Massachusetts team, I can relateto Tom’s pain. 2:06: Ahmad Bradshaw runs itin on third down from the 11 tomake it 20-10 Saints with 7:41left in the half. What a swing.Without that roughing-the-passercall, i t would be 27-3 NewOrleans now. Instead, the spreadis just ten and, if the Giants cansomehow stop Brees here, they’llhave a chance to make it a one-possession game before the half.And they’ll get the ball comingout of the locker room too. 2:04: Big break for the G-men,as Manning’s pass goes right intothe hands of Sharper, who for abrief instant appears to havesnagged his sixth career Eli pick.But Jonathan Vilma is flagged forroughing the passer, giving NewYork a first down and 15 yards.They’re near the Saints 10 now. 2:01: Call stands. First down,Giants. Saints lose timeout theydon’t need. Fox gets to air a fewextra commercials. Everyonewins. 1:59: Saints challenging thespot. If it is overturned, the Giantswill almost definitely go for it onfourth and inches from midfield. 1:57: Saints get pressure onManning and force an earlythrow. Third and 10 now from theGiant 39 — Manning finds Hixonright at the marker and gets agood spot. First down, Giants. 1:55: Brees’ stats so far: 13 for15 for 170 yards, 2 TD’s, no

interceptions, no sacks. And eight-for-eight on his last two drives. 1:49: Brees takes a hit this time,but only after he gets off anothercompletion to Shockey. Then onfirst and 10 from the Giant 37, hehits Robert Meachem in the endzone. Flag, though. I’m thinkingholding. But I’m wrong! It’sillegal contact on the Giants.Penalty declined. TouchdownSaints. PAT is blocked, but it’s 20-3 Saints now, with 12:40 left inthe half. Prize to the first Giantdefender who can disrupt a Breespass. 1:47: If the Giants can’t slowthe Brees Train down on thisdrive, they might be buried. TheSaints’ QB is (I believe) 10 for 12for the game and went six-for-sixon his last drive. He’s gettinggreat field position here, and theGiants have had no luck so farputting pressure on him. SECOND QUARTER 1:44: The quarter fittingly endswith a horse-collar call against theGiants’ Travis Beckum on thekickoff, which sets the Saints upat their own 42, instead of theirown 27. 1:42: Tynes stays on the fieldand connects on what is officiallya 49-yard kick to make it 14-3with three seconds left in thequarter. Not sure what was thebest call there. I guess it’s goodpsychologically to get on theboard, but why not take a shot atthe first down when you’re nearthe other team’s 30? If you miss,you’re not giving them great fieldposition. 1:39: Manning misses SteveSmith for what would have been atouchdown on third and 5.Lawrence Tynes is on to try a 50-yard field goal with eight secondsleft in the quarter. Or is he?There ’s a t imeout . Maybe

Coughlin is thinking of going forit? 1:37: I notice that a commenteris annoyed with Troy Aikman’suse of “defense” as a verb, as in“to defense the run.” This is avery good point, although Aikmanis hardly the first or only footballanalyst to do this. It goes back atleast as far as Dick Vermeil, backwhen he was calling collegegames in the early ’90s. You’dthink that after a few yearsof doing this, these guys wouldlearn how to analyst the gamebetter…. 1:36: Hixon returns the kick tomidfield. Special teams just did itsjob. Can Eli make this a gamenow? 1:32: Play-action pass toShockey, who catches it for thetouchdown, does a little dance,and spikes the ball. Brees was six-for-six for 80 yards on that drive,and New Orleans is now up 14-0with 2:11 left in the quarter. Thisis about as bad as things couldhave started for the Giants. Maybethis is what happens when you getfat off 0-5 and 1-4 teams to startthe season. 1:31: It is overturned. First andgoal at the 1 for the Saints. 1:28: Wow. Two more passes,two more completions — thesecond one to Marques Colstonfor a touchdown. It looks likeColston was down before the ballactually made it into the end zone,so Tom Coughlin is challengingthis one. He’s probably right, buteven if he is, the Saints will stillhave driven 79 yards in five plays.Hard to imagine the Giantskeeping them out now. 1:26: And he looks just asefficient on this one: three passes,t h r e e c a t c h e s , t h r e e f i r s tdowns, 45 yards total. Saints nowhave a first down at the Giant 35.

1:24: New Orleans will start atits own 20. Brees was veryefficient on the last possession, aswas the running game. No Giantdefender has been able to get inhis face yet. 1:21: And the first Giant hand-off goes to Brandon Jacobs, whotakes if for seven yards — doublehis average this year. But itdoesn’t help much, becauseManning airs it out on third and 3but can’t complete it to DomenikHixon. Giants forced to punt, andwith that, their first-possessionscoring streak is over. 1:19: Two short completions forManning to lead off, one to SteveS m i t h a n d o n e t o M a r i oManningham (for a first down).But the Saints look like they’regoing to have more luck gettingpressure on Manning than theGiants will on Brees. 1:17: Now the pressure is on Elito answer. He’ll start at his own23. How will the locals treat him? 1:14: Payton heeds my advice,and is rewarded accordingly – atouchdown as Mike Bell takes thehandoff and dives into the endzone. Saints chew up nearly eightminutes of clock on that drive andtake a 7-0 lead. They have nowscored on their first possession inall five of their games this year. 1:13: Oooh, decision time.Thomas takes it near the 1. Lookslike the Saints will be less than ayard short of the first down (andtwo of the end zone). Come onSean Payton, go for it! 1:12: Let’s see if they can keepit going. Pierre Thomas carries itto the 4 on second down, bringingup a third and 3. 1:10: That’s three third downson this drive for the Saints, andthree conversions. This time,Brees connects with Lance Mooreat the Giant 11.

1:08: Thom Brennaman notesthat both the Giants and Saintshave scored on the i r f i r s tpossession in every game thisyear (the only teams to do so).And the streak is still alive (fornow) as the Saints convert a thirdand 7 to the Giants 25. 1:07: Brees looks for Shockeyagain, but misses this time. 1:03: Out of the shotgun, Breeskeeps it on third-and-3 for a firstdown. Then he finds Shockey fora first-down catch in Giantsterritory. The crowd responds asthe ex-Giant gets the ball early. 1:02: Saints win toss and chooseto receive. You mean they didn’ttake the wind? FIRST QUARTER 12:59: A typically insightful andrevealing pre-game interview witha player. Foxs Pam Oliver gets EliManning to say that weve just gotto play our game, we cant turn theball over, and we need to avoidbad plays. And here I wasthinking the Giants were planningto turn the ball over and seek outbad plays. 12:55 p.m. ET: Were less than15 minutes from kickoff, so letstry to set the table for whats tocome. For the Giants, the road to 5-0hasnt exactly been tough, withwins over Washington (currentrecord: 2-3), Dallas (a very shaky3-2), Tampa Bay (0-5), KansasCity (0-5), and Oakland (1-4).Thats a combined opponentsrecord of 6-19. So while everyonefigures the Giants are a good,probably very good team, rightnow theyre the equivalent of acollege team that opens the yearwith a bunch of I-AA and non-BCS opponents. Today that changes. Beating an

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Cliff Lee, Philly’s One-Man Bullpen Cure(WSJ.com: The Daily Fix)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:35:35 AM

Baseball teams aren’t supposedto just swap a bunch of prospectsfor a big-name star and ride saidstar to the World Series. Baseballis complicated, after all, and oneplayer can only do so much and now, it seems, we maybe have anout l ie r on our hands . ThePhiladelphia Phill ies sent apackage of prospects to Clevelandat the trading deadline for 2008American League Cy YoungAward winner Cliff Lee. Leepitched brilliantly down thestretch and has since announcedhimself as the defining super-aceof the 2009 postseason. Lee struckout 11 in a thoroughly dominanteight-inning showing Sundaynight as the Phillies claimed an 11-0 win and a 2-1 series lead overthe Los Angeles Dodgers. ReutersWatching Cliff Lee and CCSabathia dominate this monthp r o b a b l y d o e s n ’ t c o m f o r tCleveland fans as LeBron Jamesheads into a contract year. “Cliff Lee spent 43 minutes, giveor take a few seconds, on thepitchers mound Sunday night,”Yahoo’s Jeff Passan writes. “TBSspent nearly an hour of theNational League ChampionshipSeries airing commercials. Onewas far more entertaining than theother .” In the Phi ladelphiaInquirer, Andy Martino marvels athow the locked-in Lee “impose[d]his patience on the entire game.” Lee’s brilliance — and the anti-brilliance of Dodgers starterHiroki Kuroda, who allowed sixearned runs and got just four outs— did much to conceal thec o n t i n u i n g i s s u e s w i t hP h i l a d e l p h i a ’ s r a m s h a c k l ebullpen. Both managers in the

NLCS have drawn criticism fortheir handling of pitchers thus far.Joe Torre heard about it forleaving Clayton Kershaw in toolong in Game One. CharlieManuel drew heat for pullingPedro Martinez too soon in GameTwo. In the Washington Times,Mark Zuckerman encouragesManuel to throw out his regular-season playbook. While the Dodgers are down intheir series, the New YorkYankees remain seeminglyinevitable in holding up their endof what Diane Pucin reports isAmerica’s preferred World Seriesmatch-up — Dodgers and Yanks.The Yankees’ dramatic, or at leastvery long and very cold, 13-inning win over the freezing,flubby, balaclava-clad AngelsSaturday gave them a 2-0 serieslead. In the New York Times,Jack Curry addresses the suddenlymistake-prone Angels.* * * It might be the team’s almostproud heritage of losing. It mightbe the memories of owner TomBenson’s embarrassingly stumble-intensive pseudo-second-line“boogie” from back in the day. Orit might be the fact that this year’sseemingly unstoppable Saintsfeature a fun run-and-gun offenseheaded by an astonishingly locked-in passer in Drew Brees, and thushave been given the dreaded“finesse” tag. But whatever thereason, something delayed theacknowledgement of the now-inarguable for-realness of thisyear’s very talented New Orleanst e a m . T h e S a i n t s r u d e l yd i spa t ched t he p r ev ious lyunbeaten New York GiantsSunday, 48-27. Or, in the wordsof Saints defensive end BobbyMcCray, “finesse-ively” kickedsome blue rear end.

And yet the Saints continue toresist the “finesse” label. At CBSSports, Pete Prisco argues thatthey shouldn’t. “Trust me, it isn’ta bad thing,” Prisco writes. “Whatthat word means for the Saints isthat they are a precision passingteam that is led by one of thegame’s best passers, who has hisplays called by the NFL’s bestplay-caller. If that makes them afinesse team, so be it.” The outcome was never in doubtin Sunday’s Saints win, but thatgame was a nailbiter relative tothe New England Patr io ts’whipping of the Tennessee Titans.Tom Brady passed for six scoresin New England’s merciless 59-0stomp-out of the winless Titans,which brought back memories ofthe remorselessly, seethinglydominant Patriots of a coupleyears ago. “If this were smooth-sailing 2007, youd say it wasbusiness as usual,” The PatriotLedger’s Eric McHugh writes.“Since this is up-and-down/hard-to-figure 2009, youre not surewhat to make of Patriots 59,Titans/Oilers/Human White Flags0 . Maybe i t s the s t a r t o fsometh ing g rea t . ” For the flailing Titans, whowound up passing for minus-7yards in the snowy conditions, itwas more of the same. “You feltlike you were watching a Maddengame between someone who hadbeen playing for two decades anda novice gamer,” FanHouse’s

Clay Travis writes. The BostonGlobe’s Bob Ryan found thestunningly lopsided game — NewEngland’s 45-0 halftime lead setan NFL record — hard to believe. The Baltimore Ravens nearlypulled off a hard-to-believe resultof their own by charging backfrom three scores down in thefourth quarter in MinnesotaSunday. The Vikings held on towin thanks to some late-gameheroics from Brett Favre andreceiver Sidney Rice, but stillcould’ve lost had Ravens kickerSteve Hauschka made a 44-yardfield goal with seconds left on theclock. He didn’t, and the Vikingshave their first 6-0 start since2003. In the St. Paul PioneerPress, John Shipley discusses thekicker fellowship that led Vikingskicker Ryan Longwell to seek outHauschka after the game.* * * Both the University of Texasand University of Florida haveso l id chances a t t he BCSChampionship this season. Youprobably already know this. Butthose who watched both teamspull out none-too-inspir ingvictories Saturday might need areminder. Texas beat Oklahoma,16-13, as Longhorns quarterbackColt McCoy led the team tovictory despite playing with abroken thumb. FanHouse’s GregCouch does some pre-emptivedef la t ion on the dominantnarrative of the latest Red RiverRivalry game. “[When you] hear the fairy taleof McCoy, keep this in mind: Hewasn’t any good,” Couch writes.“ A n d T e x a s ? W o r s e . T h eLonghorns are a long, long wayfrom being a legit nationalchampionship team. Sure, the funand pageantry of the rivalry weregreat, as always. But the game?

Bad. Texas? Worse.” Sports Illustrated’s StewartMandel wasn’t impressed witheither the ‘Horns or the Gators,who pulled out a 23-20 win overArkansas on a late field goal.F l o r i d a ’ s u n i n s p i r e d a n duninspiring effort led voters tomove undefeated Alabama intothe top spot in the BCS rankingso n S u n d a y . “ T e c h n i c a l l yspeaking, it’s all a formality,”Mandel writes. “All three stillcontrol their own BCS destinies,since the two SEC powers wouldultimately face one another in aconference-title elimination gameshould they win their precedinggames. The question is, do youstill believe Florida and Texaswi l l make i t to Decemberundefea ted?”* * * Dan Snyder, a forward for theAtlanta Thrashers, was killed in acar accident a little over six yearsago. On Sunday, his formerteammates visited the small DanSnyder Memorial Arena inElmira, Ontario, for an openpractice. Teams seldom practiceafter back-to-back games, but asESPN’s Pierre LeBrun writes, thiswas much more emotional than anordinary practice, both for theThrashers and the 1,500 mostlyyoung fans who came out towatch them.* * * It’s hard to know what to makeof the United Football League,which has quietly kicked off itsinaugural season. The league’sprogenitors — from the doomedmeatheadism of the XFL to thefun-but-bankrupt USFL — don’ts u g g e s t m u c h r e a s o n f o roptimism. But the UFL has somebig-name coaches to its credit,many semi-notable football names

Sports/

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undefeated Saints team in theSuperdome would be a verypowerful statement for the Giants,whose schedule includes Arizona,Philadelphia, San Diego andAtlanta in the weeks ahead. One key for the Giants will befinding a way to put pressure onDrew Brees, who has been sackedjust four times in 129 passingattempts this year. Last weekagainst Oakland, the G-menrecorded six sacks. But Brees is amaster of getting rid of the ballfast. Also worth keeping an eye on:Will Brandon Jacobs snap out ofhis funk? The Giants runningback is averaging just 3.6 yardsper carry and is more than a 100yards off his 2008 pace. AhmadBradshaw, whos averaging morethan s ix yards a car ry , i sthreatening to eclipse Jacobs asthe Giants premier back — andJacobs began voicing frustrationthis week. Who will get the mostcarries today? The Saints, meanwhile, haveproven more in the early-goingthis year, with a convincing win atPhiladelphia in week 2 and a solidvictory over the Jets two weeksago. Sean Payton took NewOrleans to the NFC title game inhis first year at the helm, but theSaints have fallen short of the post-season in the two years since.Win today and we can talkseriously about this team going

deep into the playoffs. Losedecisively, though, and that 4-0start may begin to look like amirage. The most interesting Saint towatch today will probably beJeremy Shockey, the old Gianttight end getting his first crack atrevenge. Shockey, who leads theS a i n t s i n r e c e p t i o n s , h a sadamantly maintained this weekthat he harbors no hard feelingsfor the way things ended in NewYork. Yeah, right. Also, pay attention to oldDarren Sharper, the Saints safetywho has had Eli Manningsnumber these past few years.Sharper has picked off Manningfive times in his career. Pregame: New Jersey and NewOrleans, two dens of Catholicism,political corruption and socialvice, have long been kindredspirits separated by a thousandm i l e s o f b o r i n g n e s s . T h esimilarity is what prompted AConfederacy of Dunces authorJohn Kennedy Toole to label theCrescent City that Hoboken in theGulf of Mexico. And yet theres no reason tobelieve that Eli Manning, a NewOrleans native who now lives inHoboken, and his fellow EastRutherford Giants will feel athome when they play the Saints inthe Superdome today. There have been plenty of yearswhen Mannings return to his

hometown — and, actually, hisfirst game in the Superdome —would be the main attraction forthe locals. But the days of RickVenturi, Billy Joe Hobert andgiving up entire drafts for RickyWilliams are over. These Saints,with one of the leagues topoffenses (and a much-improveddefense), are now 4-0. There wontbe any empty seats or paper bagsin sight and the decibel level willbe soaring — so much that theGiants are ready to go with asilent count, if need be. That frenzied atmosphere, atleast on paper, looms as thepotent ia l d i f ference maker ,because theres not much else toseparate these undefeated teams. The Giants come in with theleagues second-ranked offense,averaging 417 yards a game —just three more than the Saints,who rank third. Through fivegames, Manning has thrown for1,212 yards and 10 touchdowns,against just two interceptions.Through four games, Drew Breeshas gone for 1,031 yards and nineTDs, with just two picks. And this year, the Saints havediscovered balance on offense.Instead of just relying on Breesarm, theyve established a three-headed rushing attack with MikeBell, Pierre Thomas, and ReggieBush, and their ground game nowranks second in the league. (Lastyear it was 28th.) The Giants,

behind Ahmad Bradshaw andBrandon Jacobs, rank fourth. Statistically, the Giants boastthe NFLs best defense. But NewO r l e a n s , u n d e r f i r s t y e a rcoordinator Gregg Williams, hasstepped its up dramatically and isranked sixth. There are only three match-upsthis week between teams withwinning records, and this is theo n l y o n e f e a t u r i n g t w oundefeateds. Vegas lists the Saintsas a three-point favorite, which isanother way of saying its a pickem game that happens to be inNew Orleans. If NBC could move games toprime-time this early in the year,youd have to think theyd bite onthis one. Instead, its relegated tothe 1 p.m. slot on Fox, whichwont even send its top announcer,Joe Buck, whos busy with theb a s e b a l l p l a y o f f s . ( H i sreplacement: Thom Brennaman.) But that doesnt matter. Thegame promises to be high-scoring,c lose , and jus t p la in fun especially if Jeremy Shockey, setto meet his old team for the firsttime, manages to wake up and getto the stadium on time. Ill bekeeping tabs on the action frommy living room, which is a lotcloser to Hoboken than it is toNew Orleans, and no matterwhere you are, I hope youll stopby.

LeBron James sayscancer scare in Januarywas 'nerve-racking'By ESPN.com news services(ESPN.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:36:01 AM

CLEVELAND -- ClevelandCavaliers superstar LeBron Jamestells a newspaper that a cancerscare earlier this year was "nerve-racking" and had him on edge fora few days. James had to wait for biopsyresults in January after doctors atthe Cleveland Clinic found agrowth in the right side of his jaw.He tells The Plain Dealer thatdoctors didn't think it was cancerbut had to make sure. "I was working with some goodprofessionals," James said. "Theywere telling me they didn't think itwas cancer, but we had to be sure,of course." He says his family was nervous,too. James says he was glad theseason was under way, so hecould focus on basketball. It turned out the growth wasbenign. James had surgery toremove it in June, a few days afterthe Cavaliers' season ended. "I wasn't scared," James said,"but it wasn't something I wascomfortable with." He says the week of bed restfollowing the operation was someof the best sleep he's ever had. I n fo rma t ion f rom TheAssociated Press was used in thisreport. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

CLIFFcontinued from page 45

and novelty in its favor. In the Washington Post, LesCarpenter tells the story ofanother notable UFL name. PaulPelosi, owner of the CaliforniaRedwoods, is a wildly successfulNorthern California investor and

husband of Speaker of the HouseNancy Pelosi. — Tip of the Fix cap to readerDon Hartline and fellow FixerGarey Ris. Found a good column from theworld of sports? Don’t keep it to

yourse l f — wri te to us a [email protected] and we’llconsider your find for inclusion inthe Daily Fix. You can emailDavid at [email protected].

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Police search for suspects in slaying of UConnHuskies cornerback Jasper HowardBy Associated Press(ESPN.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:55:53 AM

UConn Community MournsH o w a r d ' s D e a t h U C o n nCommunity Mourns Howard'sDeath There a re a t leas t twoConnecticut players who havebeen so strongly affect by thestabbing death of cornerbackJasper Howard that they may notplay Saturday at West Virginia,coach Randy Edsall said. Edsall declined to identify themMonday, calling it a privatematter, but said one player hadheld Howard in his arms after thestabbing, while another tried toaddress the wound and wascovered with blood. "I've talked toboth of them each day," Edsallsaid. "If they don't feel like they'rementally ready to play, that's theirdecis ion, and I wi l l honorwhatever decision they want tomake." Edsall said there was noreal thought about postponing thisweek's game in Morgantown. "I know Jasper wouldn't want usto do that," he said. "That's thereal reason. He was a competitor,a guy who loved the game, thespi r t of the game and the

competition of the game. His wantand his will would be for us to goout and play." An autopsy showed Howardwas killed by a single stab woundto his abdomen, and the statemedical examiner's office ruledhis death a homicide. Forsberg: Butler carries on Patriots cornerback DariusButler tries to focus on footballafter learning of the death offormer teammate Jasper Howard,E S P N B o s t o n . c o m ' s C h r i sF o r s b e r g w r i t e s . B l o g The medical examiner's officereleased its findings Monday. Jasper Howard and anothermale student were stabbed outsidethe UConn Student Union earlySunday morning, after a pulledfire alarm forced an evacuationduring a university-sponsoreddance. The other student, who hasnot been identified, has beenreleased from a local hospital. UConn police Maj. RonaldBlicher said Monday that noarrests have been made andauthorities have no suspects. Blicher says the stabbingsstemmed from a dispute betweentwo groups of people, includingsome who were not students. Edsall said it will be good for

his team to return to the practicefield on Tuesday and "get back toa little bit of normalcy." There has been nothing normalabout the last 48 hours for theHuskies. Howard's death hasshaken the UConn communityand put Edsall in situations henever thought he'd have to dealwith. Edsall said he will pick upHoward's family at the airport thisafternoon, drive them to see thedoctor that attended to him andthen take them to see Howard'sbody. Edsall tried to find othercoaches who had been through asimilar situation, losing a starplayer to tragedy in the middle ofthe season, but he couldn't findany other examples. He said hetalked to someone who lost ateammate in the offseason. "You've got to be yourself in thissituation," Edsall said. "As thefocal point and the leader, youhave to be strong and standstrong, be the pillar of strength forour coaches, my players and eventhe players' families, and that'swhat I'm trying to do." UConn will honor Howard bywearing "JH" stickers on thebacks of their helmets. They will

also take either Howard's jersey orhis helmet with him to all theirremaining games this season. West Virginia plans to honorHoward in some way as well onSaturday, head coach Bill Stewartsaid. He will announce specificson Tuesday. Stewart addressedthe tragedy with his team at ameeting on Sunday afternoon. "I opened up with the story,"Stewart said. "Our youngstersfrom the Miami area that knewhim took it very, very hard. Ourguys were quite shaken, as theyshould be. They really, reallyliked that young man." Edsall said he had heard fromevery head coach in the Big Eastin the past 24 hours and that hewas grateful for the outpouring ofsupport. "It's times like these when aclose conference like the Big Eastneeds to come together," Rutgerscoach Greg Schiano said. Brian Bennett covers Big Eastf o o t b a l l f o r E S P N . c o m .Information from The AssociatedPress was used in this report. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Jeff Reed cited for public intoxicationBy Associated Press(ESPN.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 5:50:30 AM

PITTSBURGH -- PittsburghSteelers kicker Jeff Reed has beencited by city police for publicintoxicat ion and disorderlyconduct outside a bar a couple of

blocks from where the team beatthe Cleveland Browns a few hoursearlier. Police say Reed was citedoutside McFadden's Bar about 9p.m. Sunday. Reed kicked two field goals inthe 27-14 victory. This is Reed's second brush

with the law this year. He paid $543 in fines andrestitution after pleading guilty todisorderly conduct and criminalmischief for damaging a papertowel dispenser in a conveniences t o r e b a t h r o o m i n N e wA l e x a n d r i a i n F e b r u a r y . Team spokesman Dave Lockett

says the team is still gatheringinformation and has no comment. Police say Reed will be mailed asummons to appear in city court. Copyright 2009 by TheAssociated Press This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Sorting the Sunday Pile,Week 6: Brett Favre, 40-Year-Old GameManagerBy Ryan Wilson (FanHouse)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

by Ryan Wilson Filed under: NFL Sorting the Sunday Pile looksback at the NFL weekend thatwas. It's also an unofficial JohnRiggins blog. We're six weeks into the 2009season and Brad Childress lookslike a bald, bearded genius. WhenBrett Favre chose to announce hisannua l un re t i r emen t p l ans(conveniently after training camphad started), Childress was theguy who picked him up at theairport. Not typically part of thejob description for a head coach,but he probably wanted to stresst h a t h i s f u t u r e w i t h t h eorganization would be directlytied to Favre's performance.Obviously the actions of a manclinging to his job. Follow Us onTwitter Friend Us on Facebook Sorting the Sunday Pile, Week6: Brett Favre, 40-Year-Old GameManager originally appeared onFanhouse Backporch on Mon, 19Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST . Pleasesee our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| LinkingBlogs| Comments

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WNBA's Detroit Shock reportedlymoving to TulsaBy Associated Press(ESPN.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:00:23 AM

The WNBA's Detroit Shock aremoving to Tulsa, Okla., a teamofficial told The Associated Press. The official spoke on thecondition of anonymity Mondaybecause he was not authorized tomake the announcement. Detroit made its debut in theleague in 1998 and won titles in2008, 2006 and 2003. The Shocklost last month to the IndianaFever in the Eastern Conferencefinals after rallying to earn aplayoff spot. Last week, a group of investorsin Tulsa said they would formallyapply to the WNBA to purchase afranchise. Lead investor Bill Cameron hassaid his group, called Tulsa ProHoops LLC, will exercise itsoption to buy a WNBA team andexpected a decision from the

league by the end of October withthe goal of having a team inOklahoma next season. Cameron and fellow investorDavid Box -- both Oklahoma Citybusinessmen -- announced lastmonth that former Tulsa andArkansas coach Nolan Richardsonwould serve as the WNBA team'scoach and general manager ifTulsa landed a franchise. The Shock had a lot of successon the court, but not in the standsin a s ta te with four majorprofessional teams along withMichigan and Michigan Stateathletics. In the 2003 WNBA Finals,Detroit did draw 22,076 fans --setting a record for the largestcrowd to watch a women'sprofessional basketball game --but most games were sparselyattended with a curtain coveringup the upper level of The Palaceof Auburn Hills. Tulsa, with about 385,000

people, would be the second-smallest city with a WNBAfranchise -- after Uncasville,Conn. The team would play at theBOK Center, which holds about18,000 and opened last year. Cameron and Box are membersof the ownership group of theTulsa Talons of arenafootball2.Cameron also is part of theownership group of the NBA'sOklahoma City Thunder. That group bought the then-Seattle SuperSonics and theWNBA's Seattle Storm in July2006, but sold the WNBAfranchise to Seattle investorsbefore moving the NBA franchiseto Oklahoma City last year. TheShock's move would give the stateof Oklahoma two professionalbasketball teams. Copyright 2009 by TheAssociated Press This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Washington Redskinshave Sherman Lewiscalling playsBy Associated Press(ESPN.com)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:21:00 AM

Schefter On Zorn: 'He Will GetFired' Schefter On Zorn: 'He WillGet Fired' VIDEO PLAYLIST • Schefter On Zorn: 'He Will GetFired' Schefter On Zorn: 'He WillGet Fired' • Schefter: NFL QB WoesSchefter: NFL QB Woes ASHBURN, Va. -- From callingBingo to calling plays, ShermanLewis is taking Jim Zorn'sfavori te duty. Mike and Mike in the Morning Hall of Famer and ESPN NFLanalyst Mike Ditka talks abouthow good the Saints are, bothoffensively and defensively. Ditkaalso talks about the decision inWashington to take away JimZorn's play-calling duties. More Podcasts » The Washington Redskins saidMonday that Lewis will take over

the play calling for an offense thatis averaging only 13.2 points pergame. The front office stripped Zorn ofthe play-calling role followingSunday's 14-6 loss to previouslywin le s s Kansas C i ty . TheRedskins are 2-4, and they havefailed to score a touchdown in twoof their home games. Two weeks ago, Lewis wasenjoying retirement in Michigan,calling Bingo games at a seniorcenter and delivering Meals onWheels. He previously spent 22years as an NFL assistant and wasoriginally hired as a consultant forthe Redskins' offense. The move is a blow for Zorn,who feels he had a knack forcalling plays. Copyright 2009 by TheAssociated Press This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Police Account of Steve McNair Death Doesn't Add UpBy Michael David Smith(FanHouse)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:58:00 AM

by Michael David Smith Filed under: Titans, NFL PoliceBlotter The law enforcementinvestigation of the deaths ofSteve McNair and his girlfriend,Sahel Kazemi, concluded thatKazemi shot and killed McNair

before committing suicide. But anew investigation from CBSNews raises serious questionsabout whether the police properlyinvestigated the incident, andwhether they may have reachedthe wrong conclusion. On Monday's Early Show,correspondent Armen Keteyianreported that his own three-monthinvestigation(video after the

jump) found errors made by thepolice, including a major one

about when Kazemi supposedlybought the murder weapon. Policeclaimed that they had pinpointedthe time when Kazemi bought themurder weapon as during a two-hour period when she was absentfrom work. But Keteyian reportedthat the police were wrong aboutthe date on which Kazemi wasgone from work for two hours,and that there are major questions

about whether she purchased thegun at all. Police Account of Steve McNairDeath Doesn't Add Up originallyappeared on Fanhouse NFL Blogon Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:58:00EST . Please see our terms for useof feeds. Permalink| Email this| LinkingBlogs| Comments

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Bobby Valentine, MannyActa, Travis Fryman NamedFinalists in ClevelandBy Pat Lackey (FanHouse)Submitted at 10/19/2009 10:29:00 AM

by Pat Lackey Filed under: Indians, ALCentral , MLB Rumors TheIndians' managerial search hasapparently whittled its way downto just three names after a roundof phone interviews last week.Paul Hoynes at the ClevelandPlain Dealer is reporting that theIndians have cal led BobbyValentine, Manny Acta, andTravis Fryman to Cleveland for asecond round of interviews andthat GM Mark Shapiro is likely toname a manager before the WorldSeries ends. Valentine's name is the big onethat's obviously going to getpeople talking. He's got over1,000 career wins and a NationalLeague pennant over his 15-yearcareer with the Rangers and theMets, plus a Japanese Series titlein 2005 with the Chiba LotteMarines. It's been rumored thathe's made it clear there are teamshe won't manage for in 2010, sopresumably the Indians are a job

he would want. Bobby Valentine, Manny Acta,Travis Fryman Named Finalists inCleveland originally appeared onFanhouse MLB Blog on Mon, 19Oct 2009 10:29:00 EST . Pleasesee our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| LinkingBlogs| Comments

Furry Furor Growing OverDavid Beckham's BeardBy Randy Kim (FanHouse)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:49:00 AM

by Randy Kim Filed under: English PremierLeague When is a beard morethan a beard? When it's attachedto the face of an international,metrosexual heartthrob who hasone of the most recognizablevisages on the globe. Yes, America, it's time to beardit like Beckham, as the Englishsoccer star is going grizzly thesedays. While this news might only archa few eyebrows on this side of thepond, in England they're goingpositively batty over the beard.The Guardian, for one, doesn'te x a c t l y g i v e B e c k h a m ' shirsuteness rave reviews: It's theway (the beard) reaches far downbeneath his chin and his neck,over his Adam's apple, toward thetop o f h i s che s t , l i ke anunstoppable hairy fungus ... It'scolonising him. That beard lookslike it leads a sinister life of its

own, after dark. Furry Furor Growing OverDavid Beckham's Beard originallyappeared on Fanhouse SoccerBlog on Mon, 19 Oct 200911:49:00 EST . Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| LinkingBlogs| Comments

FanHouse Preview: JazzBy Chris Tomasson(FanHouse)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:00:00 AM

by Chris Tomasson Filed under: Jazz FanHousepreviews all 30 NBA teams inadvance of the 2009-10 season. Carlos Boozer is still with theJazz. Well, at least he was 10 minutes

ago. Heading into the season,Boozer's status is the biggest issuesurrounding the team. He saidduring radio interviews during thesummer that he wouldn't mindending up in Chicago or Miami,and that Jazz officials told himthey were looking to trade him. The forward, though, didn't getmoved. And now he's saying that,

if the Jazz keep him throughoutthe season, impressive things can

happen in Utah. "If they keep us together, we canbe very good,'' he said. FanHouse Preview: Jazzoriginally appeared on FanhouseNBA Blog on Mon, 19 Oct 200911:00:00 EST . Please see ourterms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| LinkingBlogs| Comments

Triple ThreatPacing Philliesin OctoberBy Ed Price (FanHouse)Submitted at 10/19/2009 1:36:00 AM

by Ed Price Filed under: Dodgers, Phillies,MLB Playoffs, National LeagueC h a m p i o n s h i p S e r i e sPHILADELPHIA -- So far thispostseason, Ryan Howard has asmany triples as home runs. That's not a bad thing. "Ryan's a lot of fun to watch,"Phillies teammate Jimmy Rollinssaid after Sunday's biggestbeatdown west of Foxborough,Mass. "We don't have the power-hittingRyan Howard right now, but wehave a great hitter in RyanHoward, delivering, driving inRBIs." A lot of RBI. Game 3: Phillies11, Dodgers 0| Box Score| SeriesHome Triple Threat Pacing Phillies inOctober originally appeared onFanhouse MLB Blog on Mon, 19Oct 2009 01:36:00 EST . Pleasesee our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| LinkingBlogs| Comments

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CBS' Jim Nantz Gets EmotionalDuring Divorce TrialBy Ryan Wilson (FanHouse)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:30:00 AM

by Ryan Wilson Filed under: Sports Media Iwatched part of the Titans-Patriotsgame Sunday, a lopsided affairthat saw Tom Brady throw sixtouchdowns (five in the secondquarter), and Tennessee lose by59 points. CBS, as the networkusually does for its marquee NFLmatchups, had Jim Nantz and PhilSimms calling the action. Andaside from the on-field beatdowntaking place, nothing seemed outof the ordinary. Except that Nantz, just a fewdays before, had been in court forhis divorce trial. CBS' Jim Nantz Gets Emotional

During Divorce Trial originallyappeared on Fanhouse Backporchon Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:00EST . Please see our terms for useof feeds. Permalink| Email this| LinkingBlogs| Comments

Xbox 360 update to addMusic Games Store, newssectionBy David Hinkle (Joystiq)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:40:00 AM

Microsoft has revealed newdetails about its Fall 2009 Xbox360 Dashboard Update -- yes, thesame update set to bring Twitter,Last.fm and Facebook support.New to the list of update featuresi s a ded ica ted Xbox L ivestorefront for music games DLCand a specific area of Inside Xboxcalled "News and More." The Music Games Store willtake a big step toward dealingwith the clutter on Xbox Live,offering a one-stop shop for allRock Band, Guitar Hero and LipsDLC. Aside from the convenienceof a single destination for allmusic game DLC purchases,shoppers will also be able topreview each track from rightthere in the Dashboard.

As for the News and Moresection of Inside Xbox, it 'sdescribed as "a regularly-updateds t r e a m o f c o n t e n t f r o mMSNBC.com, MSN Autos, TheNew Yorker and Dilbert." We'retotally expecting some Akira-likemonstrosity that is equal partsballoon boy, coffee station chit-chat and political cartoons wedon't understand; though we'resure in reality the feature will beless scary and far less life-threatening. Xbox 360 update to add MusicGames Store, news sect ionoriginally appeared on Joystiq onMon, 19 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Pe rmal ink | Emai l th i s |Comments

First Assassin's Creed: Lineageepisode debuts Oct. 27By David Hinkle (Joystiq)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:04:00 AM

It's hard out there for an assassin.It was hard for Giovanni Auditoreda Firenze, anyway; father ofAssassin's Creed II protagonistEzio. As you can see in the teaserfor Assassin's Creed: Lineageabove, the dude had a lot on hisplate -- and good thing he had asharp knife, too, to handle all thatmeat carving. According toUbisoft, you'll get to see how itwent down when the first of threeLineage short films, introducingplot elements leading up toAssassin's Creed II, debuts on

YouTube on October 27. What we really want to know is:How did Giovanni manage tokeep his whites so white? With allof that blood flying around, itmust have been one helluvalaundry day for the 15th centuryassassin. Gallery: Assassin's Creed:Lineage (behind the scenes) First Assassin's Creed: Lineageepisode debuts Oct. 27 originallyappeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19Oct 2009 11:04:00 EST. Pleasesee our terms for use of feeds. Pe rmal ink | Emai l th i s |Comments

Need for SpeedNitro rushes to retailin early NovemberBy Ludwig Kietzmann (Joystiq)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:01:00 PM

Need for Speed Nitro, the graffiti-laced second entry in EA's"fresh" Need for Speed trio, haspulled out of the garage soonerthan expected. Promising amixture of " the franchise 'strademark attitude, sense of speedand addictive gameplay," thecolorful Nitro has gone gold, withboth Wii and DS versions now setto ship on November 3 in NorthAmerica and November 6 inEurope. Capitalizing on its Unique ArtStyle, the game will drape in-game vehicles with skins designedby popular "lifestyle brands,"including Upper Playground,tokidoki, and i am 8-bit. You'd beright in calling it a product ofmarketing, but it's preferable tothe alternative conjured up by theDante's Inferno promotional team:in-game vehicles draped in humanskins. Gallery: Need for Speed NITRO Need for Speed Nitro rushes tor e t a i l i n e a r l y N o v e m b e roriginally appeared on Joystiq onMon, 19 Oct 2009 12:01:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

Sports/ Game/


FIFA 10 won't relinquish topUK sales spot to Uncharted 2By Alexander Sliwinski(Joystiq)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:29:00 PM

FIFA 10 may have seen a 54percent sales drop in the UK lastweek, but it still maintained itsplace in the top sales spot for theregion. The soccer football titlehas now surpassed the millionsales mark and has done so threeweeks faster than FIFA 09 did lastyear. Last week's PS3 mega-release,Uncharted 2: Among Thieves,entered the " All Formats" chart insecond place , but was top(naughty) dog on the PS3 saleschart. The franchise wasn't inuncharted territory, though, as theoriginal also reached the top spot

on the PS3 chart during its secondweek at retail. Brütal Legend'sassault of the charts was lesssavage. The Tim Schafer creationpremiered in the seventh positionbehind -- really?!-- Mario andSonic at the Olympic WinterGames. Source-- FIFA hat trick [ChartTrack] Source-- All formats chart[Chart Track] FIFA 10 won't relinquish topUK sales spot to Uncharted 2originally appeared on Joystiq onMon, 19 Oct 2009 12:29:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

Romero's Slipgate Ironworkscuts staff, work continuesBy Alexander Sliwinski(Joystiq)Submitted at 10/19/2009 11:22:00 AM

P u b l i s h e r G a z i l l i o nEntertainment has confirmedlayoffs at John Romero's studio,Slipgate Ironworks, which iscurrently working on an unnamedMMO. Although the publisherwouldn't reveal the number let go,Kotaku reports that formerstaffers estimate around 50 peopleare looking for a new place ofwork. A statement from Gazillionobtained by Gamasutra claimsthat the company decided to"change the format" of theSlipgate Ironworks project toreach the "wides t poss ib le

audience." The game will nowlaunch with a "smaller core team."Gazillion is also publishing thedelayed Jumpgate Evolutions and2012's Marvel Universe MMO. Source-- Gazillion ConfirmsLayoffs At Romero-Led MMOD e v S l i p g a t e I r o n w o r k s[ G a m a s u t r a ] Source-- Romero's SlipgateIronworks Hammered Down,MMO Project Still On [Kotaku] Romero's Slipgate Ironworkscuts s ta f f , work cont inuesoriginally appeared on Joystiq onMon, 19 Oct 2009 11:22:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Pe rmal ink | Emai l th i s |Comments

NintendoWare Weekly: LostWinds, Shootanto, Rygar ... DomoBy JC Fletcher (Joystiq)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:51:00 AM

It's an unexpectedly packedweek for Nintendo downloaders!On WiiWare, there's a game thatshould be wonderful and anotherthat should be, uh, interesting.

There's an arcade classic onVirtual Console, and DSiWarefeatures the arrival of one of theweirdest game series to beannounced at E3: a set of fivegames based on NHK mascot andgenerally adorable monster Domo-kun.

G a l l e r y : D o m o g a m e s( D S i W a r e )

Continue reading NintendoWareWeekly: LostWinds, Shootanto,Rygar ... Domo Nin tendoWare Weekly :LostWinds, Shootanto, Rygar ...Domo originally appeared onJoystiq on Mon, 19 Oct 200909:51:00 EST. Please see our

terms for use of feeds. Pe rmal ink | Emai l th i s |Comments

Live HairstylingWindow Display atBloomie's Today!By ELLE.com (ELLE NewsBlog)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:33:18 AM

Bloomingdale’s 59th Streetf lagship s tore in NYC hasredes igned the i r cosmet icsdepartment—and one of the mostbedazzling features of the newbeauty floor is the Bb.StylingBarand Shop! Perfect for fashionistason the go, the hair destinationoffers no-wash-no-appointmentstyling services and one-on-oneconsultations with Bumble andbumble pros. The interactivestation also has touchscreenstyling and product menus, andvideo tutorials. To celebrate the partnershipw i t h B l o o m i e ’ s , B b .e x t r a o r d i n a i r e R o l a n d oBeauchamp (clients include Mary-Kate Olsen and Kim Kardashian)will be creating runway-readyhairstyles on models in a livewindow display today at thecorner of Lexington Avenue and60th Street. Swing by on yourlunch break or afternoon coffeerun to catch the action! —Emily Hebert Photo: Courtesy of Bumble andbumble

Game/ Fashion/


Full Band Hero track list,importable songs revealedBy Griffin McElroy (Joystiq)Submitted at 10/19/2009 10:34:00 AM

If you've been savoring the slowtrickle of track list announcementsfor Activision's tween-orientedrhythm title, Band Hero, yourprolonged pleasure is about tocome to a satisfying, yet abruptend. The publisher has revealedall of the songs that will beavailable on the genericallymonikered game, and we'veposted them -- along with detailsabout compatible DLC and songimporting from other Guitar Herogames -- after the jump in theleast confusing manner we could

possibly conjure. To help in thisendeavor, we've even added atable of contents! Man, we're seriously too nicefor our own good. Continue reading Full BandHero track list, importable songsrevealed Full Band Hero track list,impor tab le songs revea ledoriginally appeared on Joystiq onMon, 19 Oct 2009 10:34:00 EST.Please see our terms for use offeeds. Read| Permalink| Email this|Comments

Found: The Perfect Fall Boot forUnder $200By ELLE.com (ELLE NewsBlog)Submitted at 10/19/2009 5:36:00 AM

Remember the chunky, sexysandals Pierre Hardy designed forGap back in spring 2009? Theones spotted on chic peopleeve rywhere ( f rom b loggerCamille of Childhoodflames.comto Amanda García Santana ofYigal Azrouël). Well, the Paris-based designer is at it again, thistime creating a collection of bootsso cool, so versatile, so wearable,

it’s hard to believe they cost lessthan $200 (the shearling-linedversion is $190, while the ankleboot is $175). The styles areavailable starting today at the Gapflagship store on Fifth Avenueand 54th Street, as well as the34th Street location. Now, the bigquestion – which ones to get: themid-calf shearling-lined boot(below left) or the unlined ankleboot (below right)? —Violet Moon Gaynor

MediaDailyNews:Hallmark MovieChannel WidensDistribution, Adds'hoopsandyoyo' Special(MediaPost | Media News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:11:29 AM

Hallmark Movie Channel hassecured distribution in the top 30TV markets and is now in 25million households, an increase ofmore than 100% over a year ago.New HMC launches year-to-dateinclude Comcast systems inDetroit , South Florida, SanFrancisco, Washington State,Por t l and , Bos ton , At l an ta ,Houston and Pittsburgh; on TimeWarner in Charlotte; on Coxsystems in Phoenix and LasVegas; and, on Charter in St.Louis. Separately, the first on-airprogramming and marketing forp o p u l a r H a l l m a r k C a r d s 'characters runs Fridays Nov. 27-Dec. 25, entitled "Movie Nightwith hoops&yoyo." The newlyanimated characters began asanimated e-cards in 2004. Sincetheir debut, there have been morethan 77 million hoops&yoyo e-card senders and recipients. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Around the Net In Media: NBCU Connects Shows, Causes to Snag Ads --(MediaPost | Media News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:28:11 AM

NBC Universal is increasinglyoffering marketers the chance to

hitch their products to programspromoting a cause or health orsocial issue. The company iscreating special programs acrossits broadcast, cable and online

properties. It then packagesexisting episodes that promote aspecif ic cause, such as thee n v i r o n m e n t . T h e s e i s s u epackages are touted to marketers

as a way to better target their adsand product placements. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Game/ Fashion/ Media/


Sheriff: Balloon boy hoax may have conspirators (AP)(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:14:05 AM

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Thelawyer for the man accused ofperpetrating the balloon boy hoaxto promote a reality show saidM o n d a y t h a t h e e x p e c t sauthorities to bring chargesagainst his client in the comingdays as investigators analyze e-mails that show Richard Heeneand an associate discussing thestunt months ago. Lawyer David Lane said heexpects charges to be filed byWednesday and that Heene andhis wife Mayumi are willing toturn themselves in. Lane declinedto say direct ly whether hebelieves the incident was a hoaxbut said the Heenes are innocentunless convicted. "If they (prosecutors) can provetheir case beyond a reasonabledoubt, that's one thing. If theycan't prove their case beyond areasonable doubt, that's another,"he told The Associated Press. In addition to drawing uppossible felony charges againstt h e 4 8 - y e a r - o l d H e e n e ,investigators say they want toquestion an associate of his after e-mails surfaced showing the twohad discussed a balloon hoaxmonths ago as part of a publicrelations campaign for the realityshow. Robert Thomas of Denverclaimed Heene had told him hewas planning a media stunt topromote a proposed reality show.T h o m a s , a s e l f - d e s c r i b e dresearcher, sold his story toGawker.com and provided theWeb site with e-mail exchangesbetween him and Heene. Thomassaid the show would featureHeene as a mad scientist who

carries out various scientificexperiments. "This will be the most significantUFO-related news event to takeplace since the Roswell Crash of1947, and the result will be adramatic increase in local andnational awareness about TheHeene Family, our Reality Series,as well as the UFO Phenomenonin general," according to a copy ofthe show's proposal provided tothe site by Thomas. Gawker.com editor-in-chiefGabriel Snyder confirmed theNew York-based Web site paidThomas, but declined to say howmuch for the story billed with theheadline: "Exclusive: I HelpedRichard Heene Plan a BalloonHoax." Snyder said Thomas wasp l a n n i n g t o m e e t w i t hinvestigators, though sheriff'sofficials did not return messagesseeking confirmation. Messagesl e f t f o r T h o m a s b y T h eAssocia ted Press were notre turned. Thomas, 25, said in hisGawker.com story that the plan heknew about did not involveHeene's children. The emergence of the e-mails isthe latest twist in a story thatplayed out l ive on nationaltelevision on Thursday when asilver, helium-filled balloonfloated away from the Heenes'home with 6-year-old Falconbelieved to be aboard. But he wasnever in the balloon. Some f l ights a t DenverInternational Airport had to bechanged to a different runway, butthe airport remained open duringthe balloon's f l ight, airportspokesman Chuck Cannon saidMonday. Previous reports said theairport was temporarily shut

down. The National Guard providedtwo helicopters in an attempt torescue the child, costing severalthousand dollars. When theballoon landed without the boy,officials thought he had fallen outand began the grim search for hisbody. Larimer County Sheriff JimAlderden announced Sunday thathe's seeking charges, includingfelonies, against Richard andMayumi Heene. Alderden said thestunt two weeks in the planningwas a marketing ploy by theHeenes, who met in acting schoolin Hollywood and have twiceappeared on ABC's reality show"Wife Swap." "We certainly know that there's aconspiracy between the husbandand wife, you've probably seensome of the e-mails and some ofthe th ings on the In te rne tsuggesting that there may be otherconspirators," Alderden said. Alderden said documents showthat a media outlet has agreed topay money to the Heenes withregard to the balloon incident.Alderden didn't name the mediaoutlet but said it was a show thatb l u r s " t h e l i n e b e t w e e ne n t e r t a i n m e n t a n d n e w s . " It wasn't clear whether the dealwas signed before or after thealleged hoax, or whether themedia outlet was a possibleconspirator. "Let's call it (my statement) shortof speculation that a media outletwas in on the hoax, but let's notdiscount the possibility," he said. In an e-mail Sunday to the AP,S n y d e r s a i d e d i t o r s a tGawker.com had not contactedthe Heene family or offered themmoney for their story, referring toAlderden's reference to a deal

being struck by a media outlet. "No, that wasn't us," Snydersaid. The sheriff said he expected tor e c o m m e n d c h a r g e s o fconspiracy, contributing to thedelinquency of a minor, making afalse report to authorities andattempting to influence a publicservant. Federal charges were alsopossible. The most serious charges arefelonies and carry a maximumsentence of six years in prison anda $500,000 fine. Alderden saidthey would be seeking restitutionfor the costs, though he didn'thave an estimate. As Alderden told reportersSunday that the whole thing was ahoax, the Heenes were shoppingfor snacks at Wal-Mart, whereRichard Heene told the AP he was"seeking counsel." "This thing has become soconvoluted," Heene said, tearswelling in his eyes. He said hiswife was holding together betterthan he was. Once investigators got a goodlook at the "flying saucer" theydetermined that the thin mylarballoon covered with foil and heldtogether with duct tape would nothave been able to launch with the37-pound-boy inside, according toColorado State University physicsprofessor Brian Jones. Alderden said he didn't knowwhether the 6-year-old had beenhiding in the rafters of thefamily's garage during an intensefive-hour search, as the familyclaimed. "For all we know he may havebeen two blocks down the roadplaying on the swing in the citypark," the sheriff said. The sheriff said all three of theHeenes' sons knew of the hoax,

but likely won't face chargesbecause of their ages. The oldestson is 10. Alderden said investigators hadan "aha" moment that the storywas a hoax when Falcon turned tohis father during a CNN interviewThursday and said what soundedlike "you had said we did this fora show" when asked why he didn'tcome out of his hiding place. On Friday, Falcon got sickd u r i n g t w o s e p a r a t e T Vinterviews when asked again whyhe hid. Alderden said they didn'tquest ion the family Fr idaybecause they wanted to keep thef a m i l y ' s c o o p e r a t i o n b ymaintaining the appearance thatthey believed their story. That'sthe same day the sheriff gave apress conference in which he saidhe believed the saga was a "realevent." He said Sunday that thoseassurances were part of his effortto keep the family's trust. Records show that police haveresponded to the house at leasttwice in the past year, including apossible domest ic violenceincident in February. No chargeswere filed. Alderden said officials triedSaturday to persuade MayumiHeene, 45, to go to a safe house,but she declined. Alderden said the children werestill with the parents Sunday andthat child protective services hadbeen contacted to investigate theirwell-being. On "Wife Swap,"Heene was portrayed as erratic, atone point throwing a glass of milkon a participant on the program. "Clearly, from all indications,Mr. Heene has somewhat of atemper," Alderden said.

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Bankruptcy filing delays church sex abuse case(AP)(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:41:00 AM

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A sexabuse case against Delaware'sCatholic Diocese of Wilmingtonand a former priest will bedelayed after the diocese filed forfederal bankruptcy protection onthe eve of trial. The bankruptcy filing lateSunday delays a lawsuit that hadbeen set to start Monday in KentCounty Superior Court, the first ofeight consecutive abuse trialsscheduled in Delaware. "This is a painful decision, onethat I had hoped and prayed Iwould never have to make," theRev. W. Francis Malooly, thebishop of the diocese, said in astatement on the diocese's Website. Wilmington is the seventh U.S.Catholic diocese to seek Chapter11 bankruptcy protection since thechurch abuse scandal erupteds e v e n y e a r s a g o i n t h eA r c h d i o c e s e o f B o s t o n . The Wilmington diocese coversDelaware and the Eastern Shoreof Maryland and serves about230,000 Catholics. Thomas Neuberger, an attorneyrepresenting 88 alleged victims,described the bankruptcy filing asa "desperate effort to hide thetruth from the public and concealthe thousands of pages ofscandalous documents" frombeing made public in court. "This filing is the latest, sadchapter in the diocese's decadeslong 'cover-up' of these despicablecrimes, to maintain the secrecysurrounding its responsibility andcomplicity in the sexual abuse of

hundreds of Catholic children,"Neuberger said in a statement. Malooly said the decision wasmade "after careful considerationand after consultation with myclose advisers and counselors"and that he believed "we have noother choice." He said "filing forChapter 11 offers the besto p p o r t u n i t y , g i v e n f i n i t eresources, to provide the fairestpossible treatment of all victimsof sexual abuse by priests of ourdiocese." "Our hope is that Chapter 11proceedings will enable us tofairly compensate all victimst h r o u g h a s i n g l e p r o c e s sestablished by the BankruptcyCourt," Malooly said. Pat Arndt, 61, a bookkeeper,read about the bankruptcy filingin a newspaper Monday morningbefore attending Mass at HolyCross Church in Dover, Del. "We put full trust in our priestsand then we have this happening,"said Arndt, who believes thediocese was wrong to file forbankruptcy and that it was ana t t empt , in pa r t , to avo idrespons ib i l i ty . "They ' re jus t prolongingsomething that's not right," shesaid. David Balcerak, 70, a memberof the Knights of Columbus and aEucharistic minister who deliversCommunion to the homebound,was not aware of the bankruptcyf i l i n g b u t s a i d h e c o u l dunderstand the reasons behind it. "They may not be able to affordit," he said of the damages thatcould be awarded in c iv i llawsuits. "They probably haveinsurance, but probably not

enough to cover what it might be,b e c a u s e t h e c o u r t s a w a r da n y t h i n g . " The bankruptcy filing lists thediocese's assets as being between$50 million and $100 million butsaid its estimated debt is between$100 million and $500 million.Lawsuit plaintiffs as well as banksand pensions were listed ascreditors. Monday's case would have beenthe first to come to trial under aDelaware law that created a two-year "lookback" window thatallowed claims of abuse to bebrought regardless of whether thestatute of limitations had expired.More than 100 lawsuits were filedbefore the period ended thissummer, with four being settled. Civil liability is the onlyrecourse for victims of abuse thathappened long ago because theU.S. Supreme Court has saidstates cannot change the statute oflimitations for criminal cases. Under federal bankruptcy rules,a bankruptcy filing results in anautomatic stay or halt to alllitigation in which the filer is adefendant. The trial would bedelayed for the duration of thebank rup t cy . Howeve r , t helawsuits could move forward ifthe plaintiffs ask and the requestis approved by a judge. Attorneys negotiated throughoutSunday t ry ing t o r each ase t t l emen t , bu t cou ldn ' t . Before Wilmington, bankruptcyprotection was also sought inabuse scandals by dioceses inDavenport, Iowa; Fairbanks,Alaska; Portland, Ore.; SanDiego; Spokane, Wash.; andTucson, Ariz. The San Diego case

was dismissed. At least three bankruptcy casesended with payments for victims.In May 2008, the Davenportdiocese agreed to pay $37 millionto more than 150 people. A $50mil l ion set t lement in 2007involving about 175 lawsuitsended a bankruptcy filing by thePortland archdiocese, which setaside another $20 million forfuture claims. The Tucson dioceseemerged from Chapter 11 in 2005after creating a fund of more than$20 million for people molestedby clergy. More than 20 Delawareplaintiffs have filed lawsuitsagainst former priest FrancisDeLuca. DeLuca served for 35years but was defrocked lastsummer after having been jailedin 2007 in New York fo rr e p e a t e d l y m o l e s t i n g h i sg r a n d n e p h e w . The diocese has paid more than$6.2 million since 2002 to settlesexual abuse lawsuits. Like othersaround the country, it also haspaid settlements to alleged victimswho did not file lawsuits. ___ Associated Press writer RandallChase in Dover, Del., contributedto this report. ___ On the Net: C a t h o l i c D i o c e s e o fW i l m i n g t o n :h t t p : / / w w w . c d o w . o r g (This version CORRECTS thatdiocese, not church, filed forbankruptcy.) This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

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Lane said Alderden should "putup or shut up" about domesticviolence. "For the sheriff to put out forpublic consumption that Richardis a wife beater and not have anycharges even considered to befiled is irresponsible and isdesigned solely to turn the publiceven more against the Heenes, inparticular Richard," Lane said. Heene has a profile listed on aWeb site that helps people get castin reality shows, and the producerof "Wife Swap" said it had a showin development with the Heenesbut the deal is now off. TLC alsosaid Heene had pitched a realityshow to the network months ago,but it passed on the offer. ___ Associated Press writersCatherine Tsai, P. Solomon Bandaand AP contributor Breck Larsonin Fort Collins provided materialfor this report. (This version CORRECTS thatsheriff said some parts of Heenestory were in doubt sted definitelyuntrue. ) This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

UConn coach: 2teammates with playerwhen stabbed (AP)(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:12:53 AM

STORRS, Conn . – Oneteammate performed CPR whileanother comforted a University ofConnecticut football player whowas fatally stabbed during a fight

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outside a school-sanctioned danceover the weekend, their coach saidMonday. Coach Randy Edsall wouldn'tidentify the teammates or say howmany players witnessed the fightthat led to the death of 20-year-old Jasper Howard, a native ofMiami. "One had Jasper in his arms andthe other was pressuring wherethe wound went in and had bloodon his hands," Edsall said. "Andthose two young men are prettydeeply affected right now." The state's medical examiner'soffice said Monday that Howarddied from a single stab wound tothe abdomen. The death was ruleda homicide. Police interviewed dozens ofwitnesses on Monday but saidthere were no suspects and noarrests, although around 300people were in the area when afire alarm sounded and studentsevacuated the building. " W e ' r e p u r s u i n g a c t i v einvestigative leads," UConnpolice Maj. Ronal Blicher said."The investigation will continueinto this week." A second student was alsostabbed and was treated andreleased from a local hospital.UConn police would not identifythe student. Blicher said Howard waswounded during a fight betweentwo groups that included students

and non-students. The altercationbroke out just after a fire alarmwent off in a student center,forcing around 300 people toevacuate from the party and dancesponsored by the school's WestIndian Awareness Organization. Blicher said it was the firsthomicide at the university in themore than 30 years he has beenassociated with the school. The violence came less than 12hours af ter UConn's 38-25h o m e c o m i n g v i c t o r y o v e rLouisville. Edsall identifiedHoward's body at St. FrancisHospital and Medical Center inHartford Sunday morning. He said he doesn't know if thetwo teammates who helpedHoward will play when theHuskies visit Big East foe WestVirginia on Saturday. The teamwill wear a sticker with Howard'sinitials on their helmets for therest of the season and will carryHoward's helmet or jersey toaway games, Edsall said. "I've talked to both of them eachday," he said. "I've got to seewhere they're at today, see wherethey're at tomorrow and I will tellthem if they don't feel they arementally ready to play, that's theirdecision, and I'll honor whateverdecision they want to make. " Howard, a junior and the team'sstarting cornerback, came to theschool to get away from theviolence on the streets of his

hometown. He was the firstperson in his family to go tocollege. Blicher said officials don'tbelieve anyone else is in dangerand that the stabbing did notappear premeditated. "The university does not have anindividual walking around juststabbing people," Blicher said. Some students on Monday saidthey never considered theircampus unsafe before. Some, likefreshman Alexander Wegh ofTerryville, stayed indoors onSunday as pol ice ga theredevidence . "I kind of just stayed inside(Sunday) because they reallydidn't tell us what was going on,"he said. "I didn't come herethinking about safety, because itsnot like when you pick yourschool you're like, 'Oh, its goingto be really safe or not.' Youassume it's going to be safe." Howard's death was especiallytragic, because he was about tobecome a father, Edsall said.Neither police nor the universityp r o v i d e d a n y a d d i t i o n a linformation about the expectantmother, whom Edsall identified asHoward's girlfriend. The coach gathered his team atits training facility at 6 a.m. todeliver the news. Howard and the other studentwho was stabbed were taken toWindham Community Memorial

Hospital, where the survivingstudent was treated and released.Howard was later airlifted to St.Francis, where he died. Howard had a career-high 11tackles Saturday and madeperhaps the game's biggest play,forcing a fumble as Louisvillewas about to score with UConn up21-13 in the third quarter. "I felt my hand go on the balland I felt that I had a chance toget it out," he said after the game."I just stripped it out. It was a bigplay. We needed it." Joanglia Howard said she gotnews of her son's death about 4a.m. Sunday, and described himas a "good kid" who never gotinto trouble. "All I wanted him to do was goto school and get an education,and he was doing what I askedhim to do," she told WSVN-TV inMiami. Edsal l p lanned to meetHoward's parents at a Connecticutairport later Monday. He also hadtwo teenage sisters. Edsall said the team will notpractice until Tuesday. "It'll be good for us to be gettingback on the prac t ice f ie ldtomorrow and getting a little bit ofwhat in this tragic situation, backto a little bit of normalcy withwhat we have to do," he said. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

US offersSudan'incentives'(BBC News | Americas | WorldEdition)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:22:30 AM

US President Barack Obama hasoffered "incentives" to Sudan, if itacts to improve the situation inDarfur. However, as he unveiled a newpolicy on Khartoum, Mr Obamathreatened "increased pressure" ifSudan failed to make progresstowards achieving peace. Secretary of State HillaryClinton said the US was stillfocused on addressing the effectsof "genocide" in Darfur - a termSudan said was "unfortunate". The UN estimates that 300,000people have died in Darfur since2003. In a statement, Mr Obama said:"If the government of Sudan actsto improve the situation on theground and to advance peace,there will be incentives. "If it does not, there will beincreased pressures imposed bythe Uni ted S ta tes and thein te rna t iona l communi ty . " He said the world must act"with a sense of urgency andpurpose" on Sudan.

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Fed boss says US should cut budget deficit (AP)(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:05:18 AM

WASHINGTON – FederalReserve Chairman Ben Bernankeon Monday called for the UnitedStates to whittle down its record-high budget deficits and forcountries like China to get theirconsumers to spend more, movesthat would help combat skewedglobal trade and investment flowsthat contributed to the financialcrisis. Bernanke's remarks to a Fedconference in Santa Barbara,Calif., comes just days after thefederal government on Fridayreported a $1.42 trillion deficit for2009 budget year that ended Sept.30. The previous year's deficitwas $459 billion. The Fed chief's comments werea i m e d a t r e d u c i n g g l o b a limbalances, and echo pledgesmade by leaders of the Group of20 nations at their summit lastmonth in Pittsburgh. "As the global economy recoversand trade volumes rebound,however, global imbalances myreassert themselves," Bernankewarned. For the United States'part, "the most effective way" toboost national savings in thiscountry "is by establishing a

sustainable fiscal trajectory,anchored by a clear commitmentto substantially reduce federaldeficits over time," Bernankesaid. He didn't suggest ways to doso. Fielding questions after hisspeech, Bernanke said the UnitedStates is in a "difficult fiscalsituation" and that Congress andthe White House will need todevelop an "exit strategy." That's important to maintainconfidence in the U.S. economyand the dollar, Bernanke said. TheFed chief said he believes thosestakes are "very well understoodin Washington." Red ink from the budget deficitreflects costs of spending on warsin Iraq and Afghanstan and onfighting the financial crisis athome. It also reflects the bite ofthe recession on tax revenues,which plunged. And, for trade surplus countriesl ike China and most Asianeconomies, they need to get theirconsumers to spend more and relyless on expor t - led growth ,Bernanke sa id . "In large part, such action shouldfocus on boosting consumption,"Bernanke said. The bulk of Bernanke's remarkslargely offered a scholar ly

assessment of Asia and how itfared during the global financialcrisis, the focus of the Fed'sconference. The Fed chief didn'tdiscuss the state of the U.S.economy or the future course ofinterest rates. Bernanke and his colleagues lastmonth held a key bank lendingrate at an all-time low near zeroand pledged to hold it there for an" e x t e n d e d p e r i o d . " M a n yeconomists believe that meansthrough the rest of this year andinto next year. Deciding when to boost interestr a t e s a n d r e e l i n t h eunprecedented amount of moneyplowed into the U.S. economywil l be one of the biggestchallenges facing the Fed in thecoming months. Remove thesuppor ts too soon and therecovery could be derailed. Leavethe supports in place for too longrisks unleashing inflation. "Unwinding the stimulativepolicies introduced during thecr i s i s wi l l r equ i re ca re fu ljudgment," Bernanke said, notonly for industrialized countrieslike the United States but otherscountries as well. "Policymakerswill have to balance the risks ofwithdrawing policy support tooearly, which might cut short a

nascent recovery, against the risksof leaving expansionary policiesin place for too long, which couldoverheat the economy or worsenlonger-term fiscal imbalances," hesaid. In terms of the world economy,"Asia appears to be leading theglobal recovery," Bernanke said."Recent data from the regionsuggest that a strong rebound is,in fact, under way." Many economists predict theU.S. economy — the epicenter ofthe financial crisis — startedgrowing again in the third quarterat a pace of at least 3 percent, andis still expanding in the currentquar ter . Economic ac t iv i tycontracted in the second quarter atan annualized rate of 0.7 percent,marking a record four straightquarters of decline. Skewed trade and investmentpatterns, or global imbalances, notonly played a role in the mostrecent financial crisis but also inothers like the 1990s Asianfinancial crisis, Bernanke said.That's why guarding againstanother is so "extraordinarilyurgent," Bernanke said. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

US drone 'shot down over Somalia'(BBC News | Americas | WorldEdition)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:32:38 AM

Islamist insurgents say they haveshot down an unmanned US spydrone off the coast of southernSomalia. An al-Shabab official said thedrone had been hit by anti-aircraft

fire and had fallen into the IndianOcean near the port of Kismayo. The claims could not beindependently verified. US forces last month launched ahel icopter ra id in southernSomalia and said they had killed asenior al-Qaeda suspect who wasworking with al-Shabab. The BBC's Mohamed Olad

Hassan in Mogadishu says theincident increased Is lamistsuspicions of US activity inSomalia. He says that, if confirmed, itwould be the first time that al-Shabab fighters had shot down aUS drone. An Islamist official told theBBC: "The suspected US aircraft

had been flying in Kismayoairspace for days before beingshot down two miles north-east ofthe town on Monday morning. "It fell into the water and ourfighters are trying to locate it." Al-Shabab and other Islamistgroups control much of southernSomalia, while the UN-backedgovernment controls only a few

parts of the capital, Mogadishu. US forces have long beenwork ing aga ins t Somal ia ' sIslamist groups from their militarybase in Djibouti, north-west ofSomalia. Print Sponsor This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Adviser: Obamawaits on finishedhealth care bill (AP)(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 6:15:41 AM

WASHINGTON – The WhiteHouse is waiting for Congress tosettle on a final health care bill,even though President BarackObama has a clear preference infavor of at least one specific —the much-debated public option,advisers said. Obama, however, will notdemand that legislation include agovernment-run insurance planintended to drive down coststhrough competition with privateinsurers, they said. Instead, the White House willlet Congress work out the detailsrequired to get something passed. "There will be compromise.There will be legislation, and itwill achieve our goals: helpingpeople who have insurance getm o r e s e c u r i t y , m o r eaccountability for the insuranceindustry, helping people whodon't have insurance get insurancethey can afford, and lowering theoverall cost of the system,"pres iden t ia l adv iser David

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Balloon family 'ready for arrest'(BBC News | Americas | WorldEdition)Submitted at 10/19/2009 9:11:35 AM

The US couple accused of fakingthe disappearance of their son in aweather balloon are ready to turnthemselves in to police, theirlawyer says. David Lane said he shortlyexpected police in Colorado tobring charges against his client,Richard Heene. "These folks are absolutelywilling to turn themselves in, so Idon't want to see a 'perp walk'done for media consumption," MrLane told NBC TV. Mr Heene and wife Mayumi areaccused of planning the hoax as apublicity stunt. The disappearance of their son,s ix-year-old Falcon Heene,became a media drama, but hewas later found at home. His parents appeared on severalTV networks with Falcon and histwo brothers to talk about theincident and insist it had not beenstaged. Acting abilities Official details of any chargesthe Heenes might face have notyet been made public. However, Sheriff Jim Alderdensaid on Sunday that charges mighti n c l u d e c o n s p i r a c y a n dcontributing to the delinquency ofa minor. Some of the most seriouscharges each carry a maximumsentence of six years in prison anda $500,000 (£305,000) fine. Sheriff Alderden said that atfirst the parents' acting abilitieshad made them appear credible tothe police. But it had become clear when

the son referred to his hiding aspar t of "a show" dur ing atelevision interview that they werenot telling the truth. Sheriff Alderden said theauthorities were investigatingwhether anyone else may havebeen involved, including a mediaoutlet that may have been in onthe hoax. "We certainly know that there's aconspiracy between the husbandand wife, you've probably seensome of the e-mails and some ofthe th ings on the in te rne tsuggesting that there may be otherconspirators," he told reporters. Investigators have said theywant to question Robert Thomas,an associate of Mr Heene's fromDenver, who provided the websiteG a w k e r . c o m w i t h e - m a i lexchanges in which he and Mr

Heene talk about a possibleballoon stunt to promote aproposed real i ty TV show. Police have searched the houseof Richard and Mayumi Heene forevidence that the family washoping to use the incident toobtain a lucrative contract forsuch a show. The family has made previousappearances on a US reality show,Wife Swap. Other conspirators? US news networks devotedhours of live coverage to thedrama on Thursday after it wasreported the boy might be in abal loon f loa t ing high overColorado. Please turn on JavaScript.Media requires JavaScript to play. The sheriff accused the Heenesof staging a publicity stunt

Denver International Airportwas temporarily shut down duringthe incident. When the balloon landed infields there was no trace of him,prompting a major ground searchand further fears for his safety. The sheriff said the police mayseek compensation for the timewasted. He did not give an estimate,though the Associated Press newsagency said the cost of two policehelicopters sent out on a rescuemission was $14,500 (£8,900). The boy, his two brothers andhis parents gave numerous TVinterviews late on Thursday andearly Friday. Falcon was twicesick on camera. Print Sponsor This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

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"First, we must seek a definitiveend to conflict, gross humanrights abuses and genocide inD a r f u r . S e c o n d , t h eComprehensive Peace Agreementbetween the North and South inSudan must be implemented tocreate the possibility of long-termpeace". In his statement, Mr Obama saidhe would renew tough measuresagainst Khartoum later this week. Language 'unfortunate' Please turn on JavaScript.Media requires JavaScript to play. Hillary Clinton: "Backsliding byany party will be met by crediblepressure" The US has stressed the newapproach does not mean it willdeal directly with SudanesePresident Omar al-Bashir, saysthe BBC's Kim Ghat tas inWashington. Mr Bashir is wanted on aninternational arrest warrant forcrimes against humanity inDarfur. Mrs Clinton said the USremained intent on "reversing thedire human consequences ofgenocide" in the Darfur region byaddressing problems in refugeecamps and protecting civiliansfrom attack. She sa id Wash ing ton ' sengagement with Sudan wouldhinge on the provision of a safehaven for refugees. "We are looking to achieveresults through broad engagementand frank dialogue," she said. There had been a fierce debatein the US on how to deal withSudan - President Bashir and hisparty are regarded by many withreal distaste. The new policy seems to havesoftened previously hard edges -

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Axelrod said. The Whi t e House andlawmakers are trying to blend fiveHouse and Senate committeeversions of health care reformlegislation into a bill that will passboth houses. Near unanimousR e p u b l i c a n o p p o s i t i o n i se x p e c t e d . The bill approved last week bythe Senate Finance Committeedrew the only Republican vote yetcast with Democrats on the healthcare overhaul. Even then, Sen.Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, did notcommit to supporting the finalversion of the legislation. House Democrats are insistingon the government-run plan, orpublic option. In the Senate,Republicans and some Democratsoppose the measure, meaninginclusion of the public optionwould fail to gain the 60 votesneeded to overcome a Republicanfilibuster. Some in the Senatestrongly support inclusion of thepublic option. Obama "will obviously weigh in

when it's important to weigh in"on the possibility of a publicoption, chief of staff RahmEmanuel said. Added Obamasenior adviser Valerie Jarrett:"He's not demanding that it's inthere. He think it 's the bestpossible choice." The president promoted hishealth care initiative Saturday inhis weekly radio and onlineaddress and challenged policymakers to resist special interests.He accused the insurance industryof "filling the airwaves withdeceptive and dishonest ads" andpaying for studies "designed tomislead the American people." A study commissioned by theindus t ry repor ted tha t theDemocrats' health care effortwould drive up premiums for theinsured, a conclusion faulted fortaking a decidedly narrow view oflegislation. The industry also hasbeen running an ad that couldeasily be interpreted as assertingthat basic Medicare coverage is atrisk.

Asked if Obama would sign abill that ended the antitrustexemption for the insuranceindustry and allow caps onpremiums, Axelrod said, "We'llsee what Congress does." A 1945law lets states regulate insurerswithout federal interference. Axelrod was also noncommittalwhen pressed about whetherObama would support taxinginsurance benefits, a proposal thathas brought criticism from laborunions and others. "I think thatthis thing is going to be adjustedas we go along," he said, "so let'ssee what the final proposal saysbefore we talk about what thepresident will or won't sign." Axelrod spoke on ABC's "ThisWeek," Emanuel spoke on CNN's" State of the Union" and CBS'"Face the Nation" and Jarrettappeared on NBC's "Meet thePress." This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

OFFERScontinued from page 57

but not so much as to completelyinfuriate the anti-Khartoum lobbyin America. The word "genocide" isintensely annoying to Mr Bashir'scamp, it seems sanctions are to berenewed, and the warnings about" c r e d i b l e , m e a n i n g f u ldisincentives" if progress is notmade will not please, either. But the offer of "incentives" andengagement would not have beenm a d e b y a n A m e r i c a nadministration a few years ago. Sudan has said the new USstrategy is an improvement on the

previous US stance. "Compared to previous policiesthere are positive points, we don'tsee the ext reme ideas andsuggestions which we used to seei n t h e p a s t , " s a i d s e n i o rpres iden t ia l adv ise r Ghaz iSa laheddin "I will say it is a strategy ofengagement, not a strategy ofisolation." But he said the use of the word"genocide" to descr ibe thesituation in the Darfur region was"unfortunate" and "does notreflect the realities in Darfur".

The Obama administration willno doubt face criticism fromhuman rights group, who opposeengagement with Sudan becauseof the indictment against MrBashir, says our correspondent. It also remains unclear whatincentives the US is offering andwhat the consequences will be forSudan if the situation does notimprove, she adds. The Darfur conflict began in2003 when rebel groups attackedgovernment targets, accusingKhartoum of oppressing blackAfricans in favour of Arabs.

Pro-government militiamen hitback with brutal force, which theUS and some rights groups havelabelled genocide. Khartoum denies supporting themilitias, but the internationalcourt in The Hague issued anarrest warrant earlier this year forMr Bashir, accusing him of warcrimes. Print Sponsor This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Bankruptcy movedelays abuse case(BBC News | Americas | WorldEdition)Submitted at 10/19/2009 12:01:02 AM

A Catholic diocese based in thestate of Delaware has filed for USbankruptcy protection on the eveof a civil trial involving high-profile sex abuse. The move automatically delaysthe case, the seventh of its kind inthe US since a scandal in Bostonseven years ago. The bishop of the diocese saidthe move offered the best chancefor victims of sexual abuse to betreated fairly. But an attorney for the victimssaid the action was a desperateattempt to hide the truth from thepublic. The case, due to be heard onMonday, would have been thefirst to go to trial under a state lawcreating a two-year window

allowing claims to be broughteven if the statute of limitationshad expired. 'Cover-up' About 230,000 Catholics live inthe Wilmington diocese, whichcovers Delaware and easternMaryland. "This is a painful decision, onethat I had hoped and prayed Iwould never have to make,"Bishop W Francis Malooly said ina statement on the diocese'swebsite. He said that talks with the eightvictims bringing Monday's casehad broken down, and there werefears that too large a settlementwould leave the diocese withoutsufficient resources to compensatea n o t h e r 1 3 3 p e o p l e w i t ho u t s t a n d i n g c l a i m s . " F i l i n g f o r C h a p t e r 1 1

Jackson's ex-wife seeks$500,000(BBC News | Americas | WorldEdition)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:37:28 AM

Michael Jackson's ex-wifeDebbie Rowe is suing a womanfor nearly $500,000 (£316,000)over claims she wanted moneyrather than custody of herchi ldren.

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Rebecca White told the US TVshow Extra that Ms Rowe was notinterested in access to her twochildren with Jackson - PrinceMichael, 12, and Paris, 11. Ms Rowe sued over thecomments in July, but Ms Whitefailed to respond. Her lawyers are now seeking adefault judgment. A court hearingto dec ide t he ou t come i ss chedu l ed fo r November . In legal papers filed in LosAngeles, Ms Rowe's lawyersclaim she should be awarded$490,000 (£300,000) in generaland punitive damages. The defamation and invasion-of-privacy action is seeking torecoup any money that Ms Whitemay have been paid for heri n t e r v i e w , L a w y e r s h a v eestimated the fee to be $100,000(£61,000). They are also seeking $100,000for emotional distress, $45,000(£27,000) for medical and legal

fees and $245,000 (£150,000) inpunitive damages. In the TV interview, Ms Whiteclaimed she had exchanged e-mai ls wi th Ms Rowe af terJackson's death on 25 June. Described on the TV show as a"close friend", Ms White said MsRowe had emphatically stated shedid not want custody of Jackson'schildren. Ms Rowe denies both sending e-mails to White and that they arefriends. The 50-year-old has somevisitation rights with her childrenu n d e r a n a g r e e m e n t w i t hJackson's mother, Katherine. No money is believed to havec h a n g e d h a n d s i n t h ea r r a n g e m e n t . Print Sponsor This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

BANKRUPTCYcontinued from page 58

[bankruptcy protection] offers thebest opportunity, given finiteresources, to provide the fairestpossible treatment of all victimsof sexual abuse by priests of ourdiocese," he said. But Thomas Neuberger, alawyer representing 88 of thevictims, said the purpose of thebankruptcy filing was to conceal"thousands of pages of scandalousdocuments" and vowed to contestthe move. "This filing is the latest, sadchapter in the diocese's decades-long 'cover-up' of these despicablecrimes, to maintain the secrecysurrounding its responsibility andcomplicity in the sexual abuse ofhundreds of Catholic children," he

said in a statement, the AssociatedPress news agency reported. Wilmington is the seventhdiocese to seek bankruptcyprotection since an abuse scandalin Boston archdiocese in 2002. It has so far paid out $6.2m(£3.79m) to settle sexual abusecases and has settled with othervictims who did not go to court. The largest pay-out to date wasby the Los Angeles archdiocese,which settled 508 cases with$660m in July 2007. Print Sponsor This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

The coming days: The week ahead(The Economist: Newsanalysis)Submitted at 10/18/2009 3:45:53 AM

The coming days Oct 18th 2009 From Economist.com Microsoftl a u n c h e s a n e w W i n d o w soperating system, and other news • MICROSOFT has been tryingto create some buzz around thelaunch of its new operatingsystem, Windows 7, on ThursdayOctober 22nd. The new productshould do well. Its predecessor,Windows Vista, was a let-downso many computers still run anolder operating system, XP.

Windows 7 reflects a shift ofcomputing from PCs in homesand offices to the “cloud”: relyingon huge data centres. Because somany services can be downloadedor are available online, Windows7 is Microsoft’s first operatingsystem to come with fewerfeatures than the previous one.See article • NERVOUS Pakistanis willwonder how many more suicidebombs and other deadly assaultsthey will have to endure fromIslamist extremists after morethan 160 people have died interrorist attacks over the pastfortnight. Pakistan's army has

l a u n c h e d a l o n g - h e r a l d e do f f e n s i v e a g a i n s t T a l i b a nmilitants in the lawless tribalregion of South Waziristan on theborder with Afghanistan. Despiteat least three army offensives andpeace deals with militants, theregion has been a jihadist havensince 2001 and is where many ofthese attacks originate. See article • IRAN'S nuclear programmewill come under the spotlightagain with the resumption of talkson Monday October 19th betweenthe state and six powers intent oncurtailing its activities. Puttingpressure on Iran would proveeasier if Russia were to agree that

the country poses a serious risk.Iran has promised that it willopen, at the end of the week, toUN inspec tors a u ran ium-enrichment plant that it has keptsecret until recently. Iran has alsopledged to ship some low-enriched uranium out of thecountry to prove it is not trying tomake nuclear weapons. See article • BARACK OBAMA recentlydecided not to pursue a land-based shield in eastern Europe asa means of responding to thethreat of Iranian missiles. His vice-president, Joe Biden, will visitPoland, Romania and the CzechRepublic, beginning on Tuesday

Oc tobe r 20 th , t o r eas su reAmerica’s Eastern Europeanallies that cancelling the missilesystem has not lessened America'scommitment to defending theregion. Meanwhile, America’sdefence secretary, Robert Gates,will visit another pair of allies,Japan and South Korea. Seearticle Back to top ^^ Readers 'comments The Economist welcomes yourviews. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

Opel, GM and theEU: A spanner inthe works(The Economist: Newsanalysis)Submitted at 10/19/2009 1:18:23 AM

Opel, GM and the EU Oct 19th 2009 From Economist.com Magna’splans to acquire Opel, GM’sEuropean arm, may face aproblem AS THE week commenceswhen General Motors is set toconclude a deal to sell Opel, itsEuropean arm, the American cargiant finds that the EuropeanUnion has thrown a spanner intothe engine bay. Late on FridayOctober 16th the EuropeanU n i o n ’ s c o m p e t i t i o ncommissioner, Neelie Kroes,ten ta t ive ly sugges ted what

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everyone else saw plainly whenthe bidding process for Opelconcluded in early September: thewinner got a big push fromGermany that gave it an unfairadvantage. Mr Kroes belatedlyhas come to the conclusion thatthis might fall foul of the EU’scompetition rules. The potential area of dispute isover €4.5 billion ($6.7 billion) ofGerman state aid to Opel that wasapparently only available if GMchose Magna, a Canadian car-parts maker, and its partners,Sberbank, Russia’s largest retailbank, and GAZ, Russia’s second-largest carmaker, to take over thebusiness . Magna’s bid wasa l l u r i n g t o G e r m a n y ’ sgovernment as the Canadian firmpromised to keep open all four ofOpel’s factories in Germany withminimal job losses, regardless oftheir efficiency. This would lookappealing at any time but savingGerman jobs was a priority aselections loomed at the end ofSeptember. Without a favourabledeal for Opel Chancellor AngelaMerkel may have suffered at thepolls and thus found it trickier topul l together her favouredcoal i t ion .

Now Mrs Kroes suggests in aletter to Germany’s economymin i s te r , Kar l -Theodor zuGuttenberg, that the biddingprocess may have been a bitlopsided. Germany’s governmenthad long made it known that itf a v o u r e d t h e M a g n a - l e dconsortium. Other companies withan interest in acquiring Opeldropped out as the race went on,including Italy’s Fiat, and GMsettled on RHJ, a Belgian private-equity firm, as its preferredbidder. A deal with RHJ wouldhave allowed GM to buy backOpel if its fortunes improved. Butletting Magna take over Opel willmean that GAZ, a rival carcompany, will get its hands onG M ’ s v a l u a b l e s m a l l - c a rt e c h n o l o g y . Late in the bidding battle GMeven emerged as a potentialsaviour for Opel itself, as rumoursswirled that its improving fortunesafter emerging from bankruptcymight allow it to keep andrestructure its European arm. ButMagna had captured the hearts ofGerman politicians with theirhands on the purse str ings.Magna’s v ic to ry p romptedimmediate complaints from the

British, Belgian and Spanishgovernments, which feared thatOpel plants in their countrieswould be hit disproportionately bythe deal. Now the indignation atGermany’s manipulation of thebidding for Opel has sparkedsome action from the EU. MrsKroes has said that there are“significant indications” that thestate aid was contingent onMagna’s winning Opel and hasasked that Germany reconsiderthe bidding process. Mr zu Guttenberg insisted onS a t u r d a y t h a t a n ymisunderstanding over the stateaid would be cleared up swiftly.And indeed on Monday Germanycheerfully said that the moneywas of course available to allbidders. Confidence was no doubtbuoyed by the fact that RHJ is nolonger interested in Opel—havingfound fresh takeover targets. Fiatruled out a revival of its interest inOpel in September. Even BeijingAutomotive, an outsider in thestakes to acquire Opel, has turnedits attentions to Saab, a Europeancast-off of GM, and will beunlikely to re-enter the fray. It remains to be seen whetherthe EU’s competition watchdogs

are placated by Germany’sassurances and Magna is allowedto finalise its deal to acquire Opelthis week. Mrs Kroes rightlywants to shed light on the affairnow rather than allow a deal thatcould become bogged down in alengthy legal wrangle after theevent. But Germany’s convenientclaim should not be enough tosatisfy Mrs Kroes. Adding to intrigue, rumourshave begun to circulate that GMmay revive its attempt to hang onto Opel. This would undoubtedlyresult in far bigger job cuts thanthose planned by Magna, andGermany would not be spared.And perhaps GM will now bee l i g i b l e f o r t h e G e r m a ngovernment’s hand-out. MrsMerkel will at least be gratefulthat she managed to avoid thismess until after she was safely re-elected. Back to top ^^ Readers 'comments The Economist welcomes yourviews. This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

MediaDailyNews: Zenith Reduces U.S., Global Ad Outlook:Internet Only Medium To Gain, Albeit More Slowly(MediaPost | Media News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:00:48 AM

We're not out of the woods yet.Accord ing to a t l eas t onerespected ad industry forecaster,Publicis' ZenithOptimedia Group,the rate of global ad budgeterosion is declining, but it is stilleroding this year, and will post

only moderate growth in 2010.T h e o u t l o o k f o r t h e U . S .advertising marketplace is evenworse. According to the agency'smost recent forecast issued thismorning, domestic ad spendingwill decline 12.9% in 2009, andwill erode another 4.4% in 2010on top of that. The U.S. admarket, in fact, will not rebound

until 2011, when ZenithOptimediaprojects only a tepid 0.7% gain. "More details have emergedabout how painful the first half of2009 was for the media industry,"ZenithOptimedia explains in thenew report. "The world's largestmedia owners suffered an average13.1% drop in their mediarevenues in the first six months of

the year, and this probablyunderstates the decline sufferedby the industry as a whole. Theaverage figure does not includethe results of the US publisher andbroadcaster Tribune Company,which en te red Chap te r 11bankruptcy in December 2008. Itdoes include 4.0% growth fromGoogle, which has been the main

beneficiary of growth in internetadvertising - the only form ofadvertising that has continued togrow. Apart from Google, everyone of the top media ownersshrank in the first half of 2009." As a result, the agency revisedits global ad expenditure growth

TV Watch: WhenTo Hang Up YourTV Phone Apps(MediaPost | Media News)Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:00:46 AM

Are you a TV show without aphone app? Better not be. Betteryet -- are you a canceled TV showwith a phone app? What now? Industry estimates are there aresome 20,000 enter ta inmentiPhone applications in existence,out of some 80,000 estimatedoverall apps. (Google's Android-based phones have around 5,000;Blackberry and Nokia phoneshave around 1,000 each.) Phone apps are extra gravy forshows like "Gossip Girl," "Lost"and "The Office". But what doapps do for small TV brands?They may get a l i t t le moreawareness, possibly a few moreadvertising and/or promotionaldollars. If you are a Food Network fan,the network's phone app (FoodNetwork Nighttime) will help youfigure out what to make fordinner, with perhaps Bobby Flay

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projection to -9.9% from a moreoptimistic -8.5% released in itslast outlook in July. The internet is the only mediumwe expect to grow in 2009, by9.2%. This is slightly lower thanthe 10.1% growth we forecast inJuly, but we have downgradedinternet advertising by less thanthe market as a whole. Most ofthis growth is coming from paidsearch and innovative formats. Inthe US - where we have the mostdetailed breakdown of internetadvertising by type - we forecastpaid search will grow by 20% in2009, while internet video grows19%, social media grows 45% andmobile grows 69%. Traditionald i sp lay and c lass i f i ed a re

practically static in comparison:we forecast them to grow by 3%and 2% respectively this year.Globally, we predict internetadvertising to account for 14.9%of all ad expenditure by 2011, upfrom 10.2% in 2008. Among the major media ,ZenithOptimedia expects only theInternet to see any growth, andeven that has been tapered backsome from earlier, more robustonline ad spending forecasts. "All other media are shrinking.Most are shrinking at around them a r k e t a v e r a g e r a t e , b u tnewspapers and magazines are insteep decline," the agency reports."We forecast newspaper adexpenditure to fall 17% this year,

and magazine ad expenditure toshrink 20%. In both cases this is aparticularly severe example of alonger-term trend; these mediahave been in decline since 2007,and we expect them to remain indecline for the rest of our forecastperiod. By 2011 we forecastnewspaper ad expenditure to be25% below its 2007 peak, whilemagazine ad expenditure is 28%below its own peak. Prospects foro t h e r m e d i a a r e m o r ee n c o u r a g i n g : w e e x p e c ttelevision, cinema and outdooradvertising to return to growth in2010, followed by radio in 2011." This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

WATCH:continued from page 60

himself directing you aroundgrocery aisles. I f you a re watch ing aBloomberg TV show, its mobileapp will help you sweat overwhatever's left of your 401K.ESPN with its ESPN ScoreCenterwill show you where the Yankeesand/or Angels have gone wrongso far in their playoff series. What's the downside to a phoneapp? Very little, I'm guessing.S o f t w a r e a n d t e c h n o l o g ydevelopment costs aside, the onlyhitch might be a TV app lost in anever-bigger ocean of apps. You might ask: "Hmm... Doesthis show I 'm watching onIcelandic lifeguard-saving dogshave a phone app?" When I askedo n e e n t e r t a i n m e n t m o b i l efinancing executive about this, theanswer came back: "Whateveryou are thinking about, thereshould be an app for it."

Still, after a while, you figurethere's got to be some waste.Some TV marketers may becluttering up consumers phoneswi th lame products and/orattached advertiser messaging,which could harm the integrity oft h e i r m a i n v i d e o p r o d u c tdisseminated on traditional TVairwaves. For canceled TV shows, phoneapps can become a nuisance ofsort. Do we still need an app for"Harper's Island," CBS' limitedmystery murder series from thesummer? Well, it could return andmove to Manhattan Island. Until then, can we quietly kill( d e l e t e ) s o m e T V s h o w so u r s e l v e s ? This content has passed throughfivefilters.org.

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