Saturday, May 21, 2011

F1 news : FIA to decide on legality of Ferrari rear wing

Ferrari 20.5.11 The FIA is in talks with Ferrari about the new rear wing that has been introduced by the Italian squad for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, with Technical Delegate Charlie Whiting eager to establish the legality of its design ahead of final practice tomorrow. "No teams have complained to me at all," said Whiting. "We are aware of the development on the Ferrari rear wing of course, and we are currently discussing it with Ferrari." When asked about the possibility of the device being banned, he replied: "That will depend on what we will decide tonight. It's a very clever interpretation of the rules, and we've got to decide whether we think it's a good interpretation of the rules. It will be clear tomorrow."

NEXT
Circuit de Catalunya
Barcelona, Spain
20.5 - 22.5 2011

Gambling : The biggest losers

Think you know who the world’s biggest gamblers are?

ARE you an American who lost the month’s rent in Las Vegas? A Briton whose sure thing missed at the Grand National? You are not, alas, in particularly good company among your countrymen. Vegas and the high-street bookies take in plenty of cash, but measured proportionally to population—net spending in the country’s legal forms of betting divided by the number of residents over age 16—America and Britain lag not merely Australia and Hong Kong, but also Scandinavia and Finland. Macau and Monaco, which derive nearly all of their gambling revenue from tourists, do not make the list. Seeing Singapore so near the top is surprising, but don’t get used to it. Three years ago the country had no casinos; today the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa alone nearly outgross the entire Las Vegas Strip, but outside of Macau they enjoy first-mover advantage in betting-mad Asia. Western-style hotel-casino complexes are being built in Vietnam and the Philippines. Developers salivate at the prospect of markets opening in India and Japan. Singapore has had a lucky run, but lucky runs don’t last.

by The Economist online

Hip hoop hooray! Basketball fans catapult themselves into the record books with incredible medieval-style long shot

The Legendary Shots are a group of basketball fans who go to great lengths to get the ball in the net - literally.The Alabama friends recently scored a basket from around 150 feet - potentially a new world record - but it was actually the method of the shot that pleased them more than the distance.
The nine-strong gang built a wooden catapult which they used to fire the ball across a street and through the rim.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389165/Basketball-fans-score-long-shot-homemade-catapult.html#ixzz1Myn2Zbth

Qantas flight carrying 300 passengers bound for London forced to return to Bangkok after another RR engine failure

A Qantas flight from Bangkok to London was forced to land shortly after take-off after experiencing engine trouble.It is believed one of the Rolls-Royce engines began to vibrate excessively as its temperature soared.It is yet another safety blow to the airline after a Rolls engine on another Qantas flight disintegrated in mid-air in Novemeber.
After incident, the pilots shut the engine down and landed the Boeing 747-400, which was carrying 308 passengers.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389102/Qantas-flight-carrying-300-passengers-bound-London-forced-return-Bangkok-engine-trouble.html#ixzz1Mym1UJK1

Friday, May 20, 2011

Europe considers plastic bag ban

BusinessGreen: European Commission launches consultation seeking to reduce plastic carrier bag waste
Businesses and individuals have been urged to give their views on whether the European Union should tax or altogether ban plastic carrier bags, as part of a new consultation designed to tackle rising levels of plastic waste.
The European Commission launched a public consultation this week, open until August, considering options to reduce plastic carrier bag waste and improve the way a bag is labelled to indicate how it will biodegrade.Some countries have already introduced taxes or reached voluntary agreements with the retail sector to phase out plastic bags, but no specific measures exist at EU level.Although most plastic carrier bags are theoretically recyclable, many are still sent to landfill. Moreover, because of their low weight and small size, they can easily escape the waste management process and end up in the sea or rivers where they pose a serious threat to wildlife and can contaminate waterways and soil.
It has been estimated that there are already around 250 billion floating plastic particles and 500 tonnes of plastic in the Mediterranean alone.

Why Google Would Defend The Pirate Bay

So important is the principle of free speech to Google, that the search giant is ready to stand up for sites like the Pirate Bay as European governments prepare to launch new laws to block them.
“Hopefully, the French or any other country won’t pass laws that are so foolish they force Google not to be able to operate in those countries,” Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt was quoted by The Guardian as saying at the company’s Big Tent event in Britain, after his keynote address.
The British government recently held talks with music rights holders and local internet service providers like BT, over a new voluntary code of practice for the web that would include blocking bittorent sites like the Pirate Bay.
France currently gives people who download from filesharing sites three official warnings, before they are reported to a judge for punishments including a potential block from the Internet.
Schmidt said that if the British government rolled out new laws in the “wrong way,” it could set a “disastrous precedent” for censorship and freedom of information.
“I would be very, very careful if I were a government about arbitrarily [implementing] simple solutions to complex problems,” he said. A government might find taking down a domain name server (DNS) an appealing solution, “but it sets a very bad precedent because now another country will say ‘I don’t like free speech so I’ll whack off all those DNSs’ – that country would be China.”
Such rhetoric will not stop politicians from going ahead with their plans, though. Minister Jeremy Hunt also said at the event that Britain’s plans to block certain file-sharing sites were on schedule, according to The Guardian.

London 2012: One million bid for Olympics 100m tickets

London 2012 organisers have received more than one million requests for tickets for the Olympic men's 100 metres final.
The session, at the Olympic Stadium on 5 August next year, is one of the most sought after of the London Games.Some 40,000 seats are available after the stadium capacity was halved through sponsors, VIPs and the media.
Applicants will find out by 24 June whether they have got any of the 6.6 million Olympics tickets available.
Some 1.8 million people applied, with a total of 20 million ticket applications.Competition to see the 100 metres final - likely to feature Jamaican sprinter and reigning Olympic champion Usain Bolt - was always going to be fierce.Such was the level of demand in the recent ballot for tickets that the Olympic Stadium in east London could have been sold out at least 20 times over.
BBC sports editor David Bond says those who have applied for Olympics tickets will be watching their bank accounts for a clue to what tickets they have been allocated.But with other big events likely to be just as over subscribed as the 100 metres final, millions of people could be left disappointed.
The price of Olympics tickets ranges from £20 to £725 for the showpiece 100 metres final, and reaches £2,012 for the opening ceremony on 27 July.

Obama administration grants $737 million for a 24/7 solar power plant

The Obama administration on Thursday offered Santa Monica solar startup SolarReserve a $737 million loan guarantee to build a 110-megawatt solar thermal power plant in Nevada that can generate electricity 24 hours a day.
That’s the holy grail for intermittent sources of carbon-free energy such as solar and wind and the SolarReserve loan guarantee is a sign that the United States Department of Energy is willing to gamble on a technology untested on a commercial scale.
The Nevada project, called the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, will be built on federal land in Tonopah, Nev., about 220 miles northwest of Las Vegas. SolarReserve said the molten salt can extend Crescent Dunes’ daily operation by 10 to 12 hours and the project can power 75,000 homes at peak output.
“Today’s announcement is about one thing: creating good paying clean energy jobs right here in Nevada,” Harry Reid, the Nevada senator and Senate majority leader, said in a statement that noted Crescent Dunes will create 600 construction jobs and 45 permanent positions.

Apple’s Next Multi-Billion-Dollar Business: Connected Televisions

For more than a year now, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has been insisting that Apple (AAPL) is plotting a move into the television business – and soon. He thinks the company will start selling TV as soon as the end of calendar year 2012.
Munster estimates that the flat panel TV market will be 220 million units in 2012, and that 48% of those, or about 106 million, will be Internet connected. He thinks Apple could sell 1.4 million units, adding $2.5 billion in revenue, growing to $4 billion in calendar 2013, and $6 billion in 2014.
Concludes Munster: “Recent developments in Apple’s strategy, including the component deal we believe could secure up to 50″ LCD displays, bolster our confidence that the company remains serious about the connected living room.”

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn to be released on $1 million bail

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid, will be freed, probably Friday, on $1 million in bail and a $5 million bond. He will be under house arrest, with a 24-hour guard and electronic monitoring.

The Spanish Revolution grows and spreads

Protestors have decided to keep up their camp in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid after voting in the local and regional elections on Sunday
There are now thousands of people concentrated in the Puerta del Sol in the centre of Madrid, ever more convinced that Sunday, the day of the local and regional elections, will not be the last day of their protest
Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_30572.shtml#ixzz1MpxxX6Iy

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Apple to launch new MacBook Air in June-July

The Taiwan-based supply chain for Apple products will begin shipments of new 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch MacBook Air models featuring Sandy Bridge platform and Thunderbolt interface in late May for launch in June or July, according to makers in the supply chain. While Apple's PR representatives in Taiwan have neither confirmed nor responded to the report, it has long been understood that Apple always keeps silent about its new products not yet launched, the sources emphasized.
Main supply chain makers for the new models remain about the same as for the existing MacBook Air, with Quanta Computer solely responsible for assembly, Catcher Technology supplying casings, Auras Technology a main supplier of thermal modules, Shin Zu Shing supplying hinges, and Simplo Technology and Dynapack supplying batteries, the sources pointed out. However, none of the makers have confirmed their participation in making new MacBook Airs.

Hats off to Princess Beatrice: Her bizarre Royal Wedding bonnet sells for a staggering £81,000

A lucky buyer is £81,000 down tonight after snapping up Princess Beatrice's now infamous wedding hat following a bidding war on eBay.
Around 40 bidders competed in the auction to get hold of the Philip Treacy headpiece, which sparked controversy among fashionistas following Kate and William's big day last month.
The leading bid on the auction website yesterday stood at £75,110 but the head-piece went for £81,100,01 earlier this evening.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389394/Princess-Beatrices-Royal-Wedding-hat-sells-staggering-81-000.html#ixzz1NATpmiIf

one of most romantic views

History of the biggest News Days on the Web

Everyone gets their news online these days--but here are the topics that really made people log on.

Wimbledon and World Cup
Date: June 24, 2010
Peak views per minute: 10,357,646
Notable event: Sports junkies were entranced on a June day in 2010 when American John Isner and France's Nicolas Mahut kept battling it  out in London to move on to the next round of Wimbledon


UEFA Champions League
Date: November 3, 2010
Peak views per minute: 6,363,725
Notable event: Soccer news claimed second place on Akamai's list as well, when London-based Chelsea took on Spartak Moscow and Zilina went up against Marseille during the UEFA Champions League.


World cup Kickoff
Date: June 11, 2010
Peak views per minute: 6,039,434
Notable event: The World Cup in South Africa officially started on this day. The United States won one game and tied two during the worldwide tournament before losing to Ghana in the round of 16.






The House of Windsor
Date: April 29, 2011

Peak views per minute: 5,398,731
Notable event: Wills and Kate were married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, and the world went wild for the big event


Mexico: 500 migrants found in trucks in Chiapas

The 513 migrants, from Latin America and Asia, were were found travelling in "inhumane" conditions, police said. Four people accused of smuggling the migrants were arrested, officials said.
The discovery, made in Mexico's southern Chiapas state, is one of the biggest cases of suspected human trafficking, police say. The migrants were discovered using X-ray equipment at a checkpoint, about to be smuggled illegally into the US, police said. They travelled for hours clinging to nets strung inside containers, according to the AP news agency.  Though there were holes for air punched in the floors of the containers, the migrants lacked air and water, they told AP. Police believe the foreigners had to pay $7,000 (£4,300) per person to the alleged traffickers to take them into the US. "It is the largest ever such operation to rescue illegal migrants travelling in inhumane conditions," a police spokesman told the AFP news agency.The trucks were stopped on a highway near the state capital of Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez.
Human rights groups say many fall into the hands of organised criminal gangs who exploit and abuse them.

Pictured for the first time, the Facebook-mad parents and their newborn baby named ‘Like’

An Israeli couple who named their daughter 'Like' in homage to Facebook have been pictured for the first time.
Lior Adler, 37, and his wife Vardit, 35, from Hod Hasharon, near Tel Aviv, are both devotees of Mark Zuckerberg's social networking site and named their little girl after the well-known feature.
Site users will be well aware of the 'thumbs up' feature on the site, which allows people to acknowledge their enjoyment of a particular entry or comment without having to make a longer statement.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387760/Pictured-time-Facebook-mad-parents-newborn-baby-named-Like.html#ixzz1MgtvtfIT

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Sony S1 and S2 dual-screen Honeycomb tablets get official

 The first is the Qriocity-focused 9.4-inch S1 media tablet with both front- and rear-facing cameras and a curved wrap design that resembles a folded magazine. The S1 features a Tegra 2 SoC and customized "Quick and Smooth" touch panel UI with "Swift" web browser. It can also be used as a remote control for Sony gear thanks to integrated infrared. 
The second tablet is the dual-screen S2 clamshell with its pair of 5.5-inch 1,024 x 480 pixel displays, Tegra 2 SoC, and camera. While it sounds bulky, Kunimasa Suzuki just pulled the hinged tablet from his jacket pocket on stage. Sony takes advantage of the two screens with a custom book-style UI layout for its e-reader app, split keyboard and messaging displays for email, and split display and game controllers for PS One gaming. Both the S1 and S2 are PlayStation Certified, support DLNA, and are WiFi and 3G/4G "compatible" according to Sony. See the Sony tablets codenamed "S1" and "S2" in action after the break on their way to a global release in the fall -- possibly sooner in the US.



Pirates of The Caribbean 4

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed tale of truth, betrayal, youth and demise. When Jack crosses paths with a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz), he's not sure if it's love—or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past. 

Lady Gaga Tops Celebrity 100

The Queen Monster's $90 million in earnings and mastery of social media push her past perennial No. 1 Oprah Winfrey.

The countdown to Gaga's new album Born This Way
coming 5†23†11, continues today with "Hair"! 

Pick up the song now on iTunes!


 

T

Charlie Sheen Now Supports Ashton Kutcher For 'Two And A Half Men'

Charlie Sheen has had a change of heart and is now backing Ashton Kutcher as his replacement on TV show "Two And A Half Men."
Sheen was fired from the comedy in March following a dispute between himself and creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre, which became a very nasty public war of words.
After weeks of speculation over who would replace Sheen in the program, Kutcher was confirmed as the new star on Friday.
The announcement prompted Sheen to take aim at producers and Kutcher, insisting the sitcom would not work without him, telling TMZ.com in a statement, "Kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer... Oh wait, so am I! Enjoy the show America. Enjoy seeing a 2.0 in the demo (demographic) every Monday, WB (Warner Bros.)."
But now Sheen has reached out to the actor and admitted TV bosses have made a good choice.
In a post on Twitter.com he writes, "Winning Congrats to the cast and crew...CBS & WB..! My best to (Ashton Kutcher) !! The show must go on... You got the right guy!"
And Kutcher was pleased with the comment, replying, "Thank man. Always been a fan, always will be! BTW (by the way) you were 'born big'."

Add another big player to the list of Groupon competitors: AT&T

The telecom giant began pre-registration to consumers in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth for a service via the company’s yp.com that will send daily deals to consumers. The company is offering $10 toward the first Deal of the Day for those who sign up through May 22. The service is expected to go live in a few weeks.

Spokeswoman Dawn Benton says that initially the deals will be sent to users via email, but over time they will be broadcast to mobile phones as well. Benton says that the move is a “natural evolution” for AT&T. “Our Yellow Pages is a trusted brands that millions already turn to,” she says.

AT&T’s not the first to eye Groupon’s business, which has put the company on track for an IPO possibily in the $25 billion range. Google just got into the daily deals business itself with Google Offers and other major players, including Facebook and Groupon’s biggest pure-play rival LivingSocial. AT&T’s ShopAlert also texts information about nearby deals to consumers in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

End of an era for Sin City as The Sahara Las Vegas is to close

The owners announced on Friday that one of the last postwar hotels still standing on the Las Vegas Strip will check its last guest out on May 16.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365524/End-era-Sin-City-The-Sahara-grand-old-lady-The-Strip-announces-closing-time.html#ixzz1McS8G8SD