Thursday, October 14, 2010
Skype 5.0 For Windows Debuts With Facebook Integration, Call Recovery And More
A brand new version of Skype for Windows, which will help bring you and your friends, family and co-workers together like never before.
Eric Schmidt speaks at IFA
Eric Schmidt speaks at IFA 2010 on September 7, 2010 in Berlin. The talk includes demos of mobile features by Product Management Director Hugo Barra and of Google TV by Product Marketing Manager Brittany Bohnet.
Posterous iPhone App Will Make You Finally Get A Posterous
At least it did me. Touted by co-founder Sachin Agarwal as a one stop shop for all your sharing needs, the Posterous app (now available in the App store) is extremely intuitive to use, and you don’t even need a Posterous to use it to start uploading photos, video and text, which, if you’ve enabled the Posterous “Autopost” feature will also post to your Facebook, Twitter as well as 26 other social sites including Flickr, YouTube, WordPress, Vimeo and Tumblr.
While you might be experiencing iPhone share fatigue (Instagram, Twitter, Tumblrette, WordPress and many others allow you to upload content directly from your phone) Posterous has always modeled itself on providing its pretty fanatical userbase with ease of use, the original idea of the service being that you could send an email to post@posterous.com and get a blog back, to which you the could send any other subsequent posts to post@sitename.posterous.com.
The Posterous mobile app takes off on this basic “no need to log in” philosophy, but supports geolocational tags, category tags and various levels of editing and privacy. And despite being buggy at points (one of my test posts posted twice, which was confusing), it’s pretty impressive how much you can actually do from the app (for example I set up my whole Posterous account) as opposed to WordPress, which has the effect of making you feel immobilized when blogging on the go because it does not allow you to upload media other than photos and lacks social sharing functions.
Winning “Keep It Simple Stupid” product strategy aside, it’s really hard not to root for the YC-backed Posterous; Their recent skuffle with Twitpic solidified them as champions of user portability which is always a crowd pleaser. Their user traffic has also risen accordingly boasting a 40% increase since June.
Currently funded at $5.14 million, Posterous’ future plans for the iPhone app include building the ability to directly edit posts from the app, landscape post viewing, multiple photo selection and showing attachments as actual thumbnails.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The 33 Questions | Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
Jeffrey Tucker interviews bestselling author and Mises Institute Senior Fellow, Dr. Thomas E. Woods, Jr. They discuss his recent blockbuster "33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask."
Edning FR - The Great Awakening
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
BMW GINA Light Visionary Model: Premiere
With the development of the BMW GINA Light Visionary Model the BMW Group presents trendsetting solutions. Chris Bangle gives us a first impression of the ideas behind the process of sculpturing an experimental study. This is the story behind this innovation!
The GINA Light Visionary Model is a fabric-skinned shape-shifting sports car concept built by BMW. GINA stands for "Geometry and functions In 'N' Adaptations".[1][2][3] It was designed by a team led by BMW’s head of design, Chris Bangle, who says GINA allowed his team to "challenge existing principles and conventional processes.
體檢台塑集團 功過如何論斷？
體檢台塑集團 功過如何論斷？
經濟貢獻大！環境傷害深！台塑vs台灣 是良緣還是悲劇？
張貼者： 公視有話好說-新聞論壇 於 星期二, 十月 12, 2010
來賓：
麥寮鄉民代表會主席 許留賓
台灣經濟研究院研究六所所長 楊家彥
紀錄片導演 柯金源
地球公民協會執行長 李根政
以福爾摩沙為名的跨國企業、台塑集團的經營規模與影響力，早就超越台灣、福爾摩這美麗之島的任何一家企業。
台塑工安有紕漏？
然而這三個月來，台塑集團連燒了三把火，讓各界不禁想問，經營之神王永慶、一手打造的石化王國，怎麼會演變成為工安事故頻傳的問題企業？台塑管理問題？王永慶過世後，七人小組各自為政，難以有效協調管理？
當年，為了要在宜蘭設六輕，總裁王永慶上新聞節目參加辯論，保證自己設廠、沒有汙染。台塑對台灣的意義與經濟貢獻？六輕從宜蘭移到雲林的原因與故事？
台塑功與過！
總裁王永慶承諾的百分之百不汙染，並沒有發生。前年底，環保署調查發現，台塑高雄仁武廠的地下水及土壤遭到二氯乙烷等化學物質汙染、超標三十萬倍。更早在十多年前，台塑有一批汞污泥，被送往柬埔寨。更別提最近三個月三場大火，燒出工安的缺失，更燒出居民的怒火。
到底台塑集團為台灣創造什麼經濟效應、又製造什麼環境災難？
與六輕為鄰？
政府為了供給台塑六輕用水，在濁水溪中游興建集集攔河堰，再用輸水專管送到麥寮六輕。目前每日供水34萬5千多公噸，相當於彰化全縣130多萬人的生活用水量。雲彰地區的民生與農業用水受到排擠，居民只好選擇地下水，結果地層下陷面積愈來愈大。六輕對地方的承諾與回饋？
至於濁水溪，水被攔之後，水流量減少，形成了下游到出海口大約25公里長的乾枯河床，每當東北季風吹襲，就形成沙塵暴，位在下風處的數萬居民，飽嚐揚塵之苦。與六輕當了十多年的鄰居，麥寮當地人如何看待六輕？
台塑王國何以崛起？
台塑王國的壯大，由誰來監督制衡？蘇治芬：地方真的無能為力！地方無能為力？中央束手無策？政府與台塑之間的關係？如何建立一個更有效的監督與共處模式？
當我們選擇了享受石化產品所帶來便利的同時，台灣的土地與人民也承擔了石化業帶來的種種罪惡。立場偏頗批判？為弱勢發聲？這部紀錄片的立場與價值觀？
Guerrilla Marketing Example - UNICEF Dirty Water Vending Machine Campaign
Check out this Guerrilla Marketing Campaign Example!
What if someone bottled the water that millions in developing countries drink every day and offered it on the streets of New York?
For just a buck, during World Water Week (March 22-29), New Yorkers in the Union Square Park area were able to enjoy the benefits of DIRTY WATER. It was available in a wide variety of choices like MALARIA, CHOLERA or even TYPHOID DIRTY WATER -- and currently has 900 million consumers. Over 4,200 children die of water related diseases every day and millions of people around the world lack access to clean water resources.
New Yorkers were startled to find YELLOW FEVER or HEPATITIS DIRTY WATER bottles. They looked at the vending machine in disgust. Though no one drank Dirty Water,many did donate to the cause. This idea of "selling" dirty water was inspired by UNICEF's promise that every dollar donated would provide safe drinking water to 40 children for a day.
This eye-opening DIRTY WATER initiative from Casanova Pendrill New York, goes beyond collecting funds for UNICEF in a unique active street effort. The goal was to shock the media and the public with this alarming issue.
The campaign is currently active since people can continue donating online at tapproject.org or via text message. Text TAP or AGUA to UNICEF (864233) to make a $5 donation.
This effort is part of a much bigger pro-bono Spanish/English campaign that Casanova Pendrill executed within UNICEF´s Tapproject.org. This is first time the campaign expands to Multicultural. Casanova has managed to secure half a million dollars in donated media and developed TV spots, Radio, Outdoor, web banners and outdoor events.
"Dirty Water© is not an actual product, but a real problem for millions of children around the world."
For more information, to see photos, and to watch the Spanish-language version of this video, visit:
http://www.Dirtywaterinfo.com
What if someone bottled the water that millions in developing countries drink every day and offered it on the streets of New York?
For just a buck, during World Water Week (March 22-29), New Yorkers in the Union Square Park area were able to enjoy the benefits of DIRTY WATER. It was available in a wide variety of choices like MALARIA, CHOLERA or even TYPHOID DIRTY WATER -- and currently has 900 million consumers. Over 4,200 children die of water related diseases every day and millions of people around the world lack access to clean water resources.
New Yorkers were startled to find YELLOW FEVER or HEPATITIS DIRTY WATER bottles. They looked at the vending machine in disgust. Though no one drank Dirty Water,many did donate to the cause. This idea of "selling" dirty water was inspired by UNICEF's promise that every dollar donated would provide safe drinking water to 40 children for a day.
This eye-opening DIRTY WATER initiative from Casanova Pendrill New York, goes beyond collecting funds for UNICEF in a unique active street effort. The goal was to shock the media and the public with this alarming issue.
The campaign is currently active since people can continue donating online at tapproject.org or via text message. Text TAP or AGUA to UNICEF (864233) to make a $5 donation.
This effort is part of a much bigger pro-bono Spanish/English campaign that Casanova Pendrill executed within UNICEF´s Tapproject.org. This is first time the campaign expands to Multicultural. Casanova has managed to secure half a million dollars in donated media and developed TV spots, Radio, Outdoor, web banners and outdoor events.
"Dirty Water© is not an actual product, but a real problem for millions of children around the world."
For more information, to see photos, and to watch the Spanish-language version of this video, visit:
http://www.Dirtywaterinfo.com
RSC org
An education video on Mass Spectrometry using a magnetic sector instrument from the Royal Society of Chemistry. From the Modern Instrumental Techniques for schools and colleges DVD. For more information on the Chemistry for our Future programme please visit http://www.rsc.org/CFOF (C) Royal Society of Chemistry
http://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/faculty/reusch/VirtTxtJml/Spectrpy/MassSpec/masspec1.htm
The Mass Spectrometer
In order to measure the characteristics of individual molecules, a mass spectrometer converts them to ions so that they can be moved about and manipulated by external electric and magnetic fields. The three essential functions of a mass spectrometer, and the associated components, are:
1. A small sample is ionized, usually to cations by loss of an electron. The Ion Source
2. The ions are sorted and separated according to their mass and charge. The Mass Analyzer
3. The separated ions are then measured, and the results displayed on a chart. The Detector
Ultraviolet/Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis)
An obvious difference between certain compounds is their color. Thus, quinone is yellow; chlorophyll is green; the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives of aldehydes and ketones range in color from bright yellow to deep red, depending on double bond conjugation; and aspirin is colorless. In this respect the human eye is functioning as a spectrometer analyzing the light reflected from the surface of a solid or passing through a liquid. Although we see sunlight (or white light) as uniform or homogeneous in color, it is actually composed of a broad range of radiation wavelengths in the ultraviolet (UV), visible and infrared (IR) portions of the spectrum. As shown on the right, the component colors of the visible portion can be separated by passing sunlight through a prism, which acts to bend the light in differing degrees according to wavelength. Electromagnetic radiation such as visible light is commonly treated as a wave phenomenon, characterized by a wavelength or frequency. Wavelength is defined on the left below, as the distance between adjacent peaks (or troughs), and may be designated in meters, centimeters or nanometers (10-9 meters). Frequency is the number of wave cycles that travel past a fixed point per unit of time, and is usually given in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz). Visible wavelengths cover a range from approximately 400 to 800 nm. The longest visible wavelength is red and the shortest is violet. Other common colors of the spectrum, in order of decreasing wavelength, may be remembered by the mnemonic: ROY G BIV. The wavelengths of what we perceive as particular colors in the visible portion of the spectrum are displayed and listed below. In horizontal diagrams, such as the one on the bottom left, wavelength will increase on moving from left to right.
Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
1H NMR Intrepretation Tutorial
Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR) Spectroscopy is a powerful method used in the determination of the structure of unknown organic compounds.
During Chemistry 222 lab you will be using NMR extensively to help assign structures to two unknown organic compounds and this tutorial and exercises will hopefully help you solve your unknown.
To remind you of some things that you probably already know about the basic workings of an NMR and interpreting NMR spectra:
The 1H NMR spectrum of an organic compound provides information concerning:
the # of different types of hydrogens present in the molecule
the relative #'s of the different types of hydrogens
the electronic environment of the different types of hydrogens
the number of hydrogen "neighbor" a hydrogen has
Use the index on the left to choose which topic you want to go.
If you feel pretty good about your knowledge of NMR, you should go directly to the exercises. If not, maybe you could visit the tutorial pages and take the included quizzes to help you remember.
Infra-Red Spectroscopy (IR)
An education video on Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectrometry from the Royal Society of Chemistry. From the Modern Instrumental Techniques for schools and colleges DVD. For more information on the Chemistry for our Future programme please visit http://www.rsc.org/CFOF (C) Royal Society of Chemistry
Monday, October 11, 2010
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage, FRS (26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871)[2] was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer[3]. Parts of his uncompleted mechanisms are on display in the London Science Museum. In 1991, a perfectly functioning difference engine was constructed from Babbage's original plans. Built to tolerances achievable in the 19th century, the success of the finished engine indicated that Babbage's machine would have worked. Nine years later, the Science Museum completed the printer Babbage had designed for the difference engine, an astonishingly complex device for the 19th century. Considered a "father of the computer",[4] Babbage is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer that eventually led to more complex designs.
Bansky Simpsons Intro
Banksy Show • Bristol City Museum • Film 2009
Banksy goes to New York
Who is Banksy?
Worth It?: Google's Gmail Calling
Worth It?: Google's Gmail Calling 10/8/2010 9:34:11 AM
WSJ's Courtney Banks tests Google's new addition to its Google Voice platform: Internet calling through Gmail, which offers free calls in the U.S. and Canada and cheap international rates. But outgoing calls can sound garbled, she reports.
Microsoft's Handset Hopes
digits: Microsoft's Handset Hopes 10/11/2010 1:24:19 PM
Microsoft unveiled a lineup of smartphones using its revamped Windows Phone 7 mobile-operating system, the software giant's boldest move to remain a player in the mobile business. Spencer Ante, Dan Gallagher and Jennifer Valentino-DeVries discuss.
Apple Readies Verizon iPhone
Walt Mossberg and Marcelo Prince discuss the possible benefits and drawbacks of having the iPhone on Verizon's wireless network, including whether it will suffer some of the same problems that have plagued AT&T. Plus, Verizon readies 4G service.
The iPhone is finally coming to the Verizon wireless network as Apple gears up to produce a CDMA version of its popular smartphone that will be available in the first quarter of next year. Marcelo Prince and Julia Angwin discuss.
Apple Readies Verizon iPhone
By YUKARI IWATANI KANE And TING-I TSAI
AT&T Inc. is about to lose its lock on the iPhone.
Apple Inc. is making a version of its iPhone that Verizon Wireless will sell early next year, according to people familiar with the matter, ending an exclusive deal with AT&T and sharpening the competition with Google Inc.-based phones.
Walt Mossberg and Marcelo Prince discuss the possible benefits and drawbacks of having the iPhone on Verizon's wireless network, including whether it will suffer some of the same problems that have plagued AT&T. Plus, Verizon readies 4G service.
While Apple is on track to sell 40 million iPhones across the globe this year, the touchscreen handset is facing pressure in the U.S. from phones running Google's Android software, which have been heavily promoted by Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. carrier by subscribers.
Apple plans to begin mass producing the new iPhone by the end of the year, and it would be released in the first quarter of 2011, these people said. The phone would resemble the iPhone 4 currently sold by AT&T, but would be based on an alternative wireless technology used by Verizon, these people said.
The new iPhone spells the end of the exclusive arrangement that AT&T has had since 2007, when Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs introduced the original iPhone. Since then, the iPhone fueled much of the AT&T's growth.
Verizon Wireless has been meeting with Apple, adding capacity and testing its networks to prepare for the heavy data load by iPhone users, according to one person familiar with the matter. The carrier is seeking to avoid the kind of public-relations hit that AT&T took when the boom in data-hungry iPhones overtaxed its network, especially in New York and San Francisco.
The iPhone is finally coming to the Verizon wireless network as Apple gears up to produce a CDMA version of its popular smartphone that will be available in the first quarter of next year. Marcelo Prince and Julia Angwin discuss.
More
Digits: A Verizon iPhone: How Many Would Switch?
Verizon to Launch 4G in 38 Cities This Year
Motorola Sues Apple Over Patents
The move would give consumers more choice in terms of networks and perhaps pricing. Verizon's network is untested in terms of whether it can withstand millions of iPhone users, but studies by Consumer Reports and others have concluded Verizon has a better network than AT&T. Verizon also still offers unlimited Internet data plans.
Apple is facing increasing pressure to find new avenues of growth in the U.S. market as most AT&T customers who wanted the iPhone have now bought them. Meanwhile, phones running Google's software—built by Motorola Inc., HTC Corp. and others—have surged this year.
Android smartphone subscribers in the U.S. reached 10.9 million as of August, from 866,000 a year earlier, according to comScore Inc., a market research firm. In comparison, there were 13.5 million iPhone subscribers at the end of August, up from 7.8 million last year, comScore says.
Separately, Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the phone. One person familiar said the fifth-generation iPhone would be a different form factor than those that are currently available, said one person familiar with the new iPhone plan. It was unclear how soon that version would be available to Verizon or other carriers.
At a press conference Wednesday, Verizon Communications Inc. President Lowell McAdam declined to comment on whether his company would soon sell an iPhone. "At some point our business interests are going to align," he said, referring to Apple. "I fully expect it, but I don't have anything to say."
A spokeswoman for Apple declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal in March reported on Apple's plans to build an iPhone that works on code division multiple access, or CDMA, technology used by carriers like Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp.
Toni Sacconaghi, a Sanford Bernstein analyst, estimates Verizon could add more than 10 million U.S. iPhone customers, adding it could help stem the rapid adoption of devices that run Android.
It was unclear whether Sprint Nextel and CDMA operators in countries such as South Korea, Japan and Latin America would get the CDMA iPhone as well.
Many Verizon customers have been clamoring for the iPhone for years. "This is the longest running tease in the history of consumer products," said Garret Bedrin, a 31-year-old Apple fan in Glen Rock, N.J., who plans to buy a Verizon iPhone as soon as it's available. "As loyal as I am to Apple, I won't leave Verizon," he said.
John Donovan, AT&T's chief technology officer, wouldn't comment on whether AT&T is losing exclusivity next year but said iPhone buyers would have reason to chose his network over Verizon's. AT&T's network lets users browse the Web while making calls, while Verizon's can't, he said.
"It's not like we sit around and don't prepare for the future," Mr. Donovan said in an interview Wednesday, noting AT&T also has compelling offerings in Android phones, as well as Research In Motion Ltd.'s new BlackBerry Torch.
EXPERIENCE WSJ PROFESSIONALEditors' Deep Dive: Carriers Vie for Mobile-Phone Plans
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AT&T has been taking steps all year to answer concerns about a loss of exclusivity, adding new phones to its lineup. It has also said more than four-fifths of its contract subscribers are on family or business plans, which make switching to a new carrier more burdensome.
Apple's CDMA iPhone is being made by Pegatron Technology Corp., the contract manufacturing subsidiary of Taiwan's Asustek Computer Inc., said the people briefed on the matter. A spokesman for Pegatron declined to comment.
Apple originally decided against developing a phone for Verizon to focus on a version based on GSM, a more prevalent mobile technology used by AT&T and most mobile operators in the world, people familiar with the decisions have said.
Verizon, in those earlier discussions, balked at Apple's requirement that Verizon not allow its retail partners to sell the phone, people familiar with the discussion said at the time. Verizon also declined to give up its ability to sell content like music and videos through its proprietary service, these people said.
This time around, Apple considered a dual-mode phone that would let users roam on GSM-based networks, one of the people briefed said. But the company ultimately went with a device that would only work on a CDMA network. Qualcomm Inc. is providing a key chip set for the new iPhone, according to a person familiar with the matter. A spokeswoman for Qualcomm declined to comment.
—Roger Cheng and Spencer E. Ante contributed to this article.
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