Technology Slice Blog

Brian David Mitchell Trial - Elizabeth Smart testified that Brian David Mitchell made her take "the sacrament," forcing her to drink wine, eat some food and then later sexually assaulting her. Mitchell forced the then-14-year-old girl to drink more wine, but did not bless it. He drank an entire bottle of wine, she said. "Before this time, had you ever drank alcohol before?" federal prosecutor Felice Viti asked. "No." "How did you feel?" "Not normal. I felt everything just sort of dulled and my senses were dulled," she said. "Ms. Smart, after the first time you drank alcohol, were there other occasions where he forced you to drink?" "Yes," she said, describing how he would go into the city 3-4 times a week and return with wine, rum, vodka, gin, scotch or whiskey. "A lot." "Did he bless the gin before he forced you to drink it?" Viti asked. "No," she said, repeating it f...

Kidnapping Victim Elizabeth Smart - Kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart says she was gripped with "indescribable fear" the night her alleged attacker held a knife to her neck as she lay in bed. Ms Smart, 23, was testifying in the trial of Brian David Mitchell, the man accused of abducting her eight years ago when she was 14 and holding her captive for nine months, CNN reported. She was allegedly taken from her bedroom in the early hours of June 5, 2002, made to walk to a hillside camp, bonded to Mitchell then raped. "I was woken up. There was a strange man's voice and something cold across my neck," Smart told the federal court in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday. "I remember him saying 'I have a knife to your neck. Don't make a sound. Get out of bed and come with me or I will kill you and your family.' "I thought I was having a nightmare. It was indescribable fear." Accused .... Brian David Mitchell. Photo: Reuters Ms Smar...

Free In-Flight Wi-Fi - Google is partnering with three major U.S. airlines to offer free wireless Internet access on domestic flights this holiday season, the search engine said Monday. The free Wi-Fi will be available for travelers on AirTran (AAI), Delta and Virgin America from Nov. 20, 2010, to Jan. 2, 2011, according to a blog post by Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management at Google. Last year, Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) ran a free in-air Wi-Fi promotion on Virgin America, but it also sponsored free Internet access in dozens of airports around the U.S. The company won't be repeating that offer this year, according to a company representative. Virgin America, which was the only airline that participated last year's inaugural Google promotion, said travelers have been steadily increasing their use of in-flight Wi-Fi since the airline launched the service in 2008. "We saw a jump in the number of guests logging on after last year's free Wi-Fi gift...

Jeep Grand Cherokee - The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee could provide the donor platform for new SUVs from Alfa Romeo and Maserati, according to Fiat CEO Marchionne, who said the Grand Cherokee platform also could support the use of Ferrari powertrains. In a third-quarter conference call Monday with reporters, Marchionne said the Grand Cherokee "architecture has legs and should be extended as much as possible." The platform is being shared with the new Dodge Durango. Marchionne said, "I envision using the (Grand Cherokee) architecture for the benefit of Alfa Romeo and Maserati," adding, "the possibility of using Ferrari powertrains (with) the architecture is real." He said the Grand Cherokee architecture "is capable of handling much more powerful" engines, such as the Maserati 4.2- and 4.7-liter V8s that are built by Ferrari. "This is a unique opportunity to use all work that has gone on inside Chrysler and extend it to areas (for which) t...

Al Harris Released From Green Bay - If any Green Bay Packers fans were wondering when they’d see cornerback Al Harris back on the field, it looks like you may be rather disappointed. It appears that Harris was officially released by the team on Monday, putting a stop to his return following a serious knee injury. According to Chris Jenkins and Jon Krawczynski over at the Canadian Press, 35-year old Harris has been absent from the field for almost a year now, after suffering an injury to his left knee last November. Harris started this season, on the Packers’ physically unable to play list. However, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said that just because they’ve released him, it doesn’t mean they think Harris’ playing days are finished. In fact, McCarthy said that he thinks Harris will definitely play within the National Football League (NFL) again. “This is not a physical decision. This is a big-picture roster decision,” he said about the latest move. Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Chi...

Karina Smirnoff Engagement Ring - Diamonds are Karina Smirnoff's best friend! The Dancing With the Stars pro debuted her engagement ring from baseball player beau Brad Penny on Saturday at the fifth anniversary party for TAO in Las Vegas. According to jewelry expert Michael O'Connor, the diamond sparkler is an estimated 4.5 carat princess cut, center stone diamond set on a platinum band that includes smaller channel-set princess cut diamonds. Estimated price tag: $95,000! "All these diamonds set into platinum provide maximum shimmer that's fit for a fairytale princess, and Karina has always liked romantic style rings," O'Connor, who once worked with Smirnoff for an awards show, tells UsMagazine.com. "I was in the middle of the show and had no clue what was cooking behind my back," she told Us, adding that the proposal happened at what she thought was a business meeting. "Even after Brad got down to one knee and opened the box with the...

Petit Murders - Steven Hayes was sentenced to death by a Connecticut jury on Monday for his role in the violent 2007 home invasion, robbery and arson that killed Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters. The panel had deliberated for slightly more than three full days. Hayes, 47, sat motionless at the defense table as the recommendation was made in the courtroom. He had been found guilty of six death-penalty counts on Oct. 5. The other defendant in the case, Joshua Komisarjevsky, 30, goes to trial on the same charges next year. The two men stood accused of holding the family of Dr. William Petit hostage for hours before setting the house on fire. Dr. Petit's wife, Jennifer-Hawke-Petit, 47, was strangled to death. Their daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley, died of smoke inhalation. As the verdicts were read in the courtroom, Dr. Petit looked emotional and his eyes – which he closed when the names of his murdered family were said aloud – well up with tea...

Beaver Island Technology - Muggs Bass doesn't own a computer. She's pretty much dead set against e-mail. Anyone who calls her home on Michigan's remote Beaver Island should be prepared for a busy signal, if she's on her land-line phone. She has no cell. "When you don't have it, you don't miss it. That's what I say," says the spunky 70-year-old grandmother, who's as comfortable telling jokes at the local pub as she is attending Mass each morning. Technology isn't really her thing. So, it's a small miracle when Bass drives, once a month, to her island's rural health center to sit down in front of a wide-screen television. There, she and a handful of other islanders connect by video conference with a similar group in Charlevoix, Mich., a two-hour ferry ride to the south and east. They chat. They laugh. They cry together. All of them have, or have had, cancer, Bass included. Hers started with a lump in her breast and has since m...

Zulqarnain Haider Missing - Fresh turmoil has rocked Pakistan cricket as young wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has gone missing after reportedly receiving death threats. Haider has been missing from his hotel room here since morning after the fourth one-dayer against South Africa. “Pakistani cricket team wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider went missing from hotel room in Dubai this morning,” ‘Geo News’ reported. “The wicketkeeper is missing from his hotel room since 6:00 a.m. this morning," the report added. The 24-year-old has left a cryptic message on his facebook profile, which says, “leaving pakistan cricket because get bad msg fr 1 man fr lose the match in last game.” A Geo News correspondent also received a similar message from Haider’s mobile number which said he is “leaving cricket as someone is giving him murder threats.” Haider had struck the winning runs for Pakistan in the fourth ODI against South Africa which levelled the five-match series two apiece. Zulqarn...

UAA Professor Gives Presentation - With a presidential commission slated to issue a report on the cause of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill Monday, local environmentalist Rick Steiner shared some of the key findings in his research on the spill at Alaska Pacific University Sunday. More than six months after the Deepwater Horizon spill, Alaskans are constantly reminded of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill -- and Steiner, a University of Alaska Anchorage marine conservation professor, says his work identifies similarities between the two disasters. Both government agencies and the general public are finding the spill’s effects still fresh, although it happened in April. UAA Professor Gives Presentation

Warren Harding Loses - Warren Harding lost to Glenville Academic Campus in a game last Saturday, November 6, which paved the way for the upcoming game between both ‘unbeatens’ Glenville and St. Edward next Saturday. The quarterfinal victory that Glenville scored over Harding was shown by a 41-6 final score. That, of course, means that Harding is now out of the chance of ever reaching the semis (and more especially, the finals). Shane Wynn, Marion Worthington Jr., Cardale Jones and the rest of the Tarblooders contributed to what was considered “amazing playing”. Jones, though, exited the game with a hip injury during the first half. The Tarblooders’ coach, Ted Ginn Sr., nevertheless assured everybody that he’d be ready to go up against St. Edward next Saturday. Warren Harding Loses