Technology Slice Blog

Pomplamoose Helps Schools - The online success of a Marin County musical duo on YouTube is translating into thousands of needed book donations for school students in Richmond. Book donors, in turn, get to download the Christmas album by Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn, known to their fans as the act Pomplamoose. Pomplamoose sold some 100,000 songs online last year, and the YouTube video channel PomplamooseMusic has almost 210,000 subscribers who track releases by the duo. Tyler Hester, a ninth-grade English teacher at the Leadership Public Schools charter high school in Richmond, has been close friends since college with Conte and Dawn and suggested leveraging the group's online popularity to bring books to low-income students. Pomplamoose Helps Schools The result is the website www.richmondbookdrive.com, which outlines its mission "to put compelling, relevant books into the hands of young people throughout the city. We aim to provide students -- be they reluctant or vor...

Giuliana Rancic Doing IVF To Get Pregnant - Giuliana Rancic is doing whatever it takes to get pregnant – even if it involves enduring 63 IVF shots in one month. Despite previously suffering a miscarriage, the E! News host revealed to UsMagazine.com that she and husband Bill Rancic are trying again for a baby via IVF. "Sometimes I have to get [injections] 21 days in a row, three times a day," Giuliana told the mag. "It's a lot. But you've got to do it." Though the treatments can take a toll on a person, Giuliana, 36, remains optimistic about her chances of conceiving again. "The good news is that IVF did work as we did get pregnant," she said, referring to her miscarriage eight weeks into her first pregnancy in October. Giuliana Rancic Doing IVF To Get Pregnant

Nat And Kat Amazing Race - After 16 seasons, "The Amazing Race" finally has a two-woman team winner. Doctors Nat and Kat crossed the finish line first to win the race on Sunday, December 12 broadcast, thus making a history as the first woman-woman team to ever win the U.S. version. The odds actually were tipping to this possibility for the final consisted of another woman-woman team. Home Shopping hosts Brook and Claire came second in the race, followed by dating couple Jill and Thomas. During the final hours of their 32,000 miles journey, the three teams went back from South Korea to Los Angeles, California where they had to do a bungee jump off a giant crane in Port of Long Beach, decorate a float for the Tournament of Roses parade and play a trivia contest with Bob Eubanks. Nat And Kat Amazing Race After four continents and 30 cities, the race ended in Beverly Hills' Greystone Mansion. Nat gave a phone interview to AP, saying "It still feels unreal. Havin...

Oprah Sydney Show - Oprah Winfrey has announced which celebrities will be appearing at her incredible Sydney shows! Some of Australia's biggest stars will be joining Oprah on the steps of the Opera House for her live Australian shows. Oprah Sydney A-List Hollywood actors Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman will be in attendance, as well as child superstar Bindi Irwin, country singer Keith Urban and Australia's sweetheart Olivia Newton-John. Bon Jovi are currently touring Australia, and they will stop by for a special performance, as will hip hop star Jay-Z. Kanye West, Beyonce and U2 are also currently in Sydney, so we're hoping that they might also be making surprise appearances. Oprah Sydney Show

Ford Raptor Supercab - The 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor has been awarded Pickup Truck of the Year by Four Wheeler magazine. This is the 10th award for the off-road performance truck that has been a huge hit since its debut last year. “Ford’s Special Vehicle Team is immensely proud of this coveted award and is excited to bring the 2011 F-150 Raptor SuperCrew to market,” said Jost Capito, director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsports Business Development. Vehicles were judged during a rigorous weeklong 1,000-mile competition in Southern California. Testing included environments such as mountain trails, desert sand dunes, stream crossings and Interstates. Terrain varied in elevation from sea level to mountains in excess of 8,000 feet. Ford Raptor “Raptor is every four-wheel-drive enthusiast’s dream of what a factory pickup truck should be,” said Douglas McColloch, Four Wheeler editor. “Straight off the showroom floor, Raptor comes equipped with all manner of premium perfo...

Figgy Pudding - A number of requests about figs have reached my desk lately: where to find them, how to store them and how to use them. So I opened my personal recipe box and pulled my favorites. Available in large supermarkets as well as specialty produce stores in many forms – fresh, plump, purple, dried and strung or packed in jars as sweet jam – each type occupies its own special niche. The fresh ones in the produce section, usually wrapped, are often grouped with the pears. Packaged dried figs, strung in a circle, nestle among whole walnuts and almonds. Fig jam hides on the higher or lower shelves in the specialty section if not with other jams. Figgy Pudding The fresh fruit can be stored no longer than a week in the refrigerator. Don’t wash until ready to use. Dried figs have a much longer shelf life but should be stored away from sunlight. Each makes a unique addition to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Spread fig jam on bread to make a warm open-faced sandwich. Top with m...

Quixote Studios - Spanning 4 continents, 10 countries, and over 32,000 miles, three teams raced to the finish line on the 17th season finale of 'The Amazing Race' Sunday night. Doctors and friends Nat Strand and Kat Chang came from behind at the beginning of the final leg to win The Amazing Race. They beat out dating couple Jill Haney/Thomas Wolfard and home shopping hosts Brook Roberts/Claire Champlin to claim the million dollar prize. Strand and Chang are the first all-female team to win the Race. Quixote Studios The final leg began in Seoul, South Korea. Teams departed for Los Angeles on the same flight. Nat had to confront her fear of heights as each team had to complete a bungee swing from a crane at the port in Long Beach. The teams then took a helicopter ride to a mystery destination, which turned out to be the Rose Bowl stadium. There, the Road Block required one team member to complete three sections of a Rose Bowl Parade float. Nat, Thomas, and Brook took on th...

Sancho Panza Helps Win Amazing Race - Who is Sancho Panza’s master? Who won The Amazing Race? The answer to “Who is Sancho Panza’s master?” helped Nat and Kat win The Amazing Race tonight, making them the first female team in the history of the show to win The Amazing Race. Sancho Panza The answer to the question, “Who is Sancho Panza’s master?” is Don Quixote, and Don Quixote led Nat and Kat to Quixote Studios. At Quixote Studios, Nat and Kat had to play a game show challenge. Nat and Kat were on a level playing field when the season finale of The Amazing Race started, but they pulled ahead and emerged as winners! After bungee jumping, and decorating the Tour Of Roses parade float, Nat and Kat won the whole she-bang by figuring out the answer to the Sancho Panza question. Sancho Panza Helps Win Amazing Race

Shane Warne Elizabeth Hurley Affair - ELIZABETH Hurley has confirmed her marriage is over following the release of steamy images of her kissing bad-boy bowler Shane Warne. A short time ago, she used Twitter to thank her fans as a media storm blew up around the issue: "Thank you for all your very, very nice messages x". Since the allegations erupted yesterday, Warne has not tweeted anything, and has said nothing to waiting media camped outside his Brighton house today. But it appears the troubled sports star may have packed his bags, after carrying at least one suitcase from the house this morning. The actress yesterday attempted to restore her reputation over allegations she is having an affair with the Spin King, saying ties with her multi-millionaire husband Arun Nayer were cut “months ago”. Photographs and videos of Warne and Hurley kissing outside a London hotel last week were splashed across the front page of the News of the World on Sunday. Shane Warne Eliz...

Comedian Aziz Ansari - Planet Hollywood has rooms that are lightly decorated with Hollywood memorabilia. Last year, Aziz Ansari -- the comedian and co-star of "Parks and Recreation" -- came to Vegas with a friend, and they stayed in different rooms that featured different memorabilia. His friend scored the "Spaceballs" suite. "That's pretty cool," Ansari thought. "I wonder what I'll have." "And then I go in, and I have the room for 'Made in America' with Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson," Ansari says incredulously. "The white leather jacket that Whoopie Goldberg wore in that movie is in the Planet Hollywood suite. Comedian Aziz Ansari "I'm performing at the Palms this time, but I'm seeing if they can get the memorabilia from 'Made in America' and put it in my room. It's a good luck charm." Ansari, 27, has been funny for at least the past five years. That's how long I can ...

Gawker Hacked, User Accounts Stolen - On December 12, 2010, CNET News reported that the celebrity news and gossip website Gawker.com had been hacked. The site currently has a statement warning users that the database was compromised, and the users’ passwords were stolen. The site had user passwords encrypted, but simple encrypted passwords are vulnerable to brute force hack attempts to reveal the password. Gawker Hacked, User Accounts Stolen In addition to having the database of passwords compromised, Gawker’s hacked website code was also revealed. A post was made with the Gawker website source code, and a link to the source code was available from the popular torrent download website, The Pirate Bay. The source code was available for download for several hours before it was found by Gawker website administrators to take down the code and fix the hacked website. Gawker is a popular Hollywood celebrity gossip magazine that reports the latest celebrity news and reports. It is cons...

Madoff Death Ruled Suicide - The death of Mark Madoff, the son of convicted Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff, was ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner's officer on Sunday, a day after the victim's body was discovered hanging from a ceiling pipe in his SoHo apartment. Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner, said the autopsy was completed around 1 p.m. Sunday. Borakove said medical examiners will conduct toxicology and tissue tests on the body. The result, she said, will not be made public unless Madoff's next of kin asks for the case file. Madoff killed himself two years to the day after his father was arrested for swindling $50 billion from investors in the largest Ponzi-scheme in U.S. history. Madoff Death Ruled Suicide None of Madoff's immediate family members have commented on his death. However, the attorney who represents the victim's mother, Ruth, said she "is heartbroken." The attorney, Peter Chavkin, responded...

Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Mariah Carey will be appearing on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in order to help out a family in Pensacola, Florida. Mariah will be part of a holiday parade where she will be singing her hit song “Oh Santa!” The “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” episode will air from 8-9pm EST tonight (December 12) on ABC and the designers for the episode are Ty Pennington, Michael Moloney, John Littlefield and Tracy Hutson. We can’t wait to see Mariah’s performance! Will you be tuning in? Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Richard Holbrooke In Critical Condition - Veteran U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke, President Barack Obama's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, remained hospitalized on Sunday after surgery to repair torn aorta, a U.S. official said. Holbrooke, 69, fell ill at the State Department on Friday and was admitted to nearby George Washington University Hospital for treatment for this life-threatening condition. Holbrooke underwent another procedure on Sunday to improve his circulation and remains in critical condition, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in a statement. "Today, Ambassador Holbrooke underwent an additional procedure to improve circulation following yesterday's surgery," the statement said. "His family is grateful for the outpouring of support and prayers coming in from his many friends, colleagues and leaders around the world." Richard Holbrooke In Critical Condition Holbrooke's wife, Kati Marton, received calls from ...

Christmas Cupid - On Pretty Little Liars, she's haunted by the death of her best friend Alison; in Ashley Benson's upcoming movie Christmas Cupid, she's the dead one. In a twist on the holiday classic A Christmas Carol, the ABC Family made-for-TV movie follows big shot Hollywood publicist Sloane Spencer, played by Christina Milian, who is stalked by the ghost of her recently deceased client Caitlin Quinn (Benson). Caitlin takes Sloane to meet her ex-boyfriends of past, present and future, and ultimately guides her to find her true love. So where did Benson find inspiration to play a character she describes as a "movie star, wild-child, alcoholic"? Not from real-life fixtures in the tabloids, but from the films American Beauty and Legally Blonde. Taking some notes from Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods, Benson says her favorite thing about shooting the film was getting to try out her comedic chops. Check out other holiday specials in our Holiday Guide ...

A&P Files For Bankruptcy - A&P, the troubled grocer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday, weighed down by a crushing debt load and competition from low-price rivals. The Montvale, N.J.-based grocery-store chain—formally called the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.—listed total debts of more than $3.2 billion and assets of about $2.5 billion in a bankruptcy petition filed in White Plains, N.Y., bankruptcy court. The grocery chain secured $800 million in so-called debtor-in-possession financing from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. to keep it afloat during bankruptcy proceedings. A&P A&P has been bleeding red ink and most recently posted a $153.7 million loss in the quarter ending Sept. 11. The chain has been through four chief executives in a little more than a year. Aside from its namesake A&P chain, the company owns Waldbaum's, Food Emporium, Super Fresh, Food Basics and Pathmark. A person familiar with the situation said A&P's ...

Jerry Jones 60 Minutes Interview - Jerry Jones will be the subject of a 60 Minutes interview Sunday night. But it will be a much different interview than what it was designed to be. The show has followed the owner from the start of the season. It was supposed to be a triumphant story of an owner on his way to hosting a Super Bowl at his stadium with his Cowboys on the marquee. With the 2011 Super Bowl set in Dallas and the Cowboys preseason front-runners to represent the NFC in the big game, it was a no-brainer story. But then the wheels came off. The Cowboys failed to compete and fell to 1-7 before Jerry Jones was forced to relieve head coach Wade Phillips of his duties. Jerry Jones 60 Minutes Interview The fact that interim head coach Jason Garrett has the team back to winning comes as little solace for Jones. He told 60 Minutes reporter Scott Pelley, "Before this year started, we were recognized as probably or certainly one of two that were favored to win the Super Bow...

School Closings Michigan - As of early evening, Fort Wayne's snowfall was about two inches, but the worst of the snows will be along the Michigan-Indiana state line, and nearest to Lake Michigan. There, snowfall amounts will likely total into the double digits. Another two inches can be expected overnight and into tomorrow i Allen County, with slightly more in Dekalb, Noble and Steuben Counties. This means widespread delays and some cancellations, so parents should watch INCToday beginning at 5 A.M. and check www.invnow.tv Monday morning for information about school delays or closings. School Closings Michigan

Al Golden Accepts Miami Position - Miami (Fla.) is ready to start a new Golden era for its football team. Temple's Al Golden has accepted an offer to become the next Hurricanes football coach, according to the Miami Herald. Golden, 41, led the Owls to a 8-4 record this season, but the Owls were not invited to a bowl game. This year's success comes after Temple went 9-4 in 2009 and played in the EagleBank Bowl, the first postseason game for the school since 1979. The former Penn State player and assistant was seen as a possible successor to Joe Paterno. Golden also spent five seasons as Virginia defensive coordinator before taking the Temple job in 2006. Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman, Connecticut coach Randy Edsall and Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville were reportedly other finalists for the job. Al Golden Accepts Miami Position

Will Rielle Hunter Marry John Edwards? - Elizabeth Edwards passing: will Rielle Hunter marry John Edwards? With the sad passing of Elizabeth Edwards, San Francisco residents are wondering if Rielle Hunter, mother of John Edwards' daughter, Quinn, will move in now. According to Radar Online, John Edwards mistress is hoping that she and former Democratic presidential candidate can marry now, reports the Hollywood Gossip John and Elizabeth Edwards were no strangers to the San Francisco Bay Area when they came here during the campaign. And again, when John Edwards was trying to hide out from the press after the Rielle Hunter scandal broke, San Francisco was the base that was used. Will Rielle Hunter Marry John Edwards? San Francisco residents who are keeping up with the news are learning that a source close to Rielle Hunter is saying that Hunter has been "very patient" and that she "believes that John is her soul mate, and thinks they are going to get married...

The Amazing Race Finale - History could be made on "The Amazing Race." For the first time in the show's nine years, a female pairing could win the $1 million prize. The odds are in the women's favor: Two of the three final teams are females. The season finale airs 8 p.m. EST Sunday on CBS. The final three teams consist of Jill Haney and Thomas Wolford, who are dating; Brook Roberts and Claire Champlin, best friends and shopping-network hosts; and Nat Strand and Kat Chang, longtime friends and doctors. Many fans are favoring Strand and Chang to win. They have emerged as front-runners for being resilient, athletic, intelligent and, most of all, respectful -- not exactly the descriptions applied to most "Race" contestants. Most of the time, people on the show love to bicker with each other and yell at foreign taxi drivers. Roberts and Champlin have endeared themselves for being spunky -- though they've had some image problems to overcome. In the s...

Akron Wins NCAA Soccer Title - It's better late than never. A 79th minute goal by Scott Caldwell was decisive as the University of Akron won its first NCAA College Cup men's soccer title, 1-0 over Louisville, on Sunday. The national championship is the first for Akron in any sport. The Zips finish 22-1-2. They lost last season's national title game to Virginia, 3-2 on penalty kicks. A defensive first half saw few opportunities for both Akron and Louisville. In the final two minutes of play, the Cardinals were awarded a free kick. Paolo DelPiccolo blasted the shot toward goal. Zips sophomore goalkeeper David Meves grabbed it for the save. Less than a minute later, Akron had the same opportunity. Anthony Ampaipitakwong bent a perfect kick into the box. Louisville goalkeeper Andre Boudreaux made the save. Louisville outshot Akron in the first half, 5-4. Meves had three saves, while Boudreaux had two. In the second half, Akron started some sustained attacks. Darlington ...

Honolulu Marathon Results 2010 - Nicholas Chelimo of Kenya was first across the finish line this year at the 2010 Honolulu Marathon on the island of Oahu. After 20 miles of running the pack he slowly began to distance himself from the other runners. As Chelimo surged the other runners, Kenyans, dropped one by one. He would finish the course in 2:15:18. 27 year-old Chelimo was all alone after the 22 mile mark with Richard Limo also of Kenya, being his biggest competition and closest competitor. Limo came in with a time of 2:17:18 while Solomon Bushendich was third with a time of 2:19:54, and Gibert Kirwa was fourth with a time of 2:20:58. Honolulu Marathon Results 2010 Jimmy Muindi came in fifth with a time of 2:22:34. Muindi is a seven time winner of the Honolulu Marathon with his last win coming in 2007 in a time that would have still put him 3rd overall this year. Marty Muchow of Mililani was the first local finisher in a time of 2:49:15. For the women, it was a late en...

Walgreens Customer Email Hacked - A Walgreens customer e-mail list has been hacked, the country’s second largest drugstore said. “We want to assure you that the only information that was obtained was your e-mail address,” Walgreens told customers in an apologetic e-mail. “Your prescription information, account and any other personally identifiable information were not at risk because such data is not contained in the e-mail system, and no access was gained to Walgreens consumer data systems.” Walgreens Customer Email Hacked A Walgreens spokesman said the company became aware of the hacking incident about a week ago and began notifying subscribers Friday, Dec. 10. “Only e-mail addresses were obtained,” the spokesman told the Chicago Tribune. The spokesman said no other personal information, such as prescription details, was available to the hacker or hackers. He declined to provide the number of e-mails accessed or to name the source of the unauthorized access. Walgreens ...

Gus Malzahn Goes To Vanderbilt - The Post's Eric Prisbell has been told that Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has accepted Vanderbilt's offer to become the Commodores' next football coach. Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin was a candidate for the Vanderbilt job, and was seen as the Commodores' second choice after Malzahn. Gus Malzahn Goes To Vanderbilt

Elder Scrolls 5 - The 2010 Video Game Awards on Spike TV was filled with awkward celebrity guests, game reveals that were light on actual game play, and few surprises before the show. One game announcement caught everyone flatfooted, however, and that was the reveal of a new Elder Scrolls game. Called Skyrim, the game was announced by Bethesda Softworks Executive Producer Todd Howard and teased with a short trailer that explained some of the game's story but showed none of the in-game graphics. A tweet from Bethesda's Nick Breckon dispelled the rumor that the game will run on the recently-acquired id Software's technology. "We can now confirm that the TES V: Skyrim engine is all-new," he wrote. "And it looks fantastic." It won't be long until we get more details, but that's all there is to go on for now. The game's release date? November 11, 2011. That's right, 11-11-11. How many more ones can there be? None. None more ones. Elder ...

Peter Senior Wins Australian PGA - Australia's Peter Senior won the rain-delayed Australian PGA on Monday, beating Geoff Ogilvy with a par on the second hole of a playoff. The 51-year-old Senior birdied the 18th hole in regulation for a 1-under 71 to match Ogilvy, the Australian Open winner last week in Sydney, at 12-under 276. Ogilvy finished with a 66. Both players parred the 18th hole on the first hole of the playoff, and Ogilvy missed a par putt on the second extra hole to give Senior his third Australian PGA title. Twenty-four players finished the round Monday after heavy rain delayed play Sunday. Peter Senior Wins Australian PGA

Major Applewhite - Major Applewhite will reportedly be joining Will Muschamp in Florida as both leave the Texas Longhorns for greener pastures in the wake of Urban Meyer's decision to step down as head coach of the Gators. According to Edward Aschoff of the Gainesville Sun, sources close to the program have said that Applewhite is expected to be named the offensive coordinator after being the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Longhorns. This is another huge blow to Texas, who has just had nothing but bad news around the program all year long. Mack Brown had an awful year by his standards and now losing two of his top coaches is almost insult to injury at this point. It will be interesting to see what Brown's reaction to this latest defection will be. I'm sure he'll be friendly and complimentary in public but behind the Major Applewhite

Arun Nayar And Elizabeth Hurley Split - Supermodel Elizabeth Hurley announced via Twitter that she has called it quits with husband Arun Nayar after three years of marriage. The model-turned-actress tweeted Sunday, writing: "Not a great day. For the record, my husband Arun & I separated a few months ago. Our close family & friends were aware of this." Hurley, 45, and Arun, an Indian businessman, wed in March 2007 at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire while 300 guests looked on, People.com reported. Following the wedding, the couple threw a week-long celebration at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, India proceeded by a Hindu wedding ceremony. Prior to marrying Arun, Hurley was romantically connected to actor Hugh Grant and has an 8-year-old son, Damian, with ex Stephen Bing. Arun Nayar And Elizabeth Hurley Split

Mortal Kombat 9 Trailer - Last night’s Video Game Awards 2010 show on Spike TV had some cool game reveals and trailers. This trailer in particular reveals that Kratos from God of War will be a playable character in the next Mortal Kombat game, only on the PS3 version of course. I’m not a fan of the Mortal Kombat series but I will admit I’m interested in this character reveal. Kratos should have some awesome fatalities too. Maybe the 360 version will have Master Chief as a playable character? Mortal Kombat 9 Trailer

Mark Madoff's Suicide - The death of Mark Madoff, the son of convicted Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff, was ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner's officer on Sunday, a day after the victim's body was discovered hanging from a ceiling pipe in his SoHo apartment. Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner, said the autopsy was completed around 1 p.m. Sunday. Borakove said medical examiners will conduct toxicology and tissue tests on the body. The result, she said, will not be made public unless Madoff's next of kin asks for the case file. Madoff killed himself two year to the day after his father was arrested for swindling $50 billion from investors in the largest Ponzi-scheme in U.S. history. None of Madoff's immediate family members have commented on his death. However, the attorney who represents the victim's mother, Ruth, said she "is heartbroken." Mark Madoff's Suicide The attorney, Peter Chavkin, responded by...

AFI Awards 2010 - As if there wasn't enough going on today in terms of awards announcements, the American Film Institute ( AFI) has announced their top ten American films of the year and it includes some familiar faces not to mention nine of my current ten film predicted for Oscar's Best Picture nominees. The only difference at the moment is I have The King's Speech in my top ten while the AFI includes The Kids are All Right, which is currently my #11 pick, though it has also been in my list of ten much of the year and I expect may end up in my ten before the Oscar nominations are announced in January. As for The King's Speech, it wasn't ignored outright as it was named alongside Davis Guggenheim's education doc Waiting for "Superman" in the "Special Awards" category. Check out the list below, which is ordered alphabetically, and leave your thoughts in the comments below. AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR Black Swan The Fighter Inception The...

Unemployment Extension Update 2 - The unemployment extension 2010 is still the hot topic on Fox News today, Sunday. Now that the President has agreed to changes in the 2010 unemployment extension / tax cut bill, getting the unemployment extension into place may be getting further and further away. President Obama has now opened up the unemployment extension / tax cut bill for changes. He sent word on Friday from the White House that the bill may have room for some small modifications. This came with two stipulations from the President. The first being that no major changes can be made to the unemployment extension / tax cut bill, with the second being that everyone has to sign on to the changes, so the bill passes, according to Fox News. Unemployment Extension Update 2 The changes to the unemployment extension/ tax cut bill can come in a few different forms. What this bill will most likely see will be a modification to one of the other bills that have been tacked onto this bil...

Android Phones Pick Up Pace - In the market for a high-end Android phone? Well, you're in luck – the phones are cheaper than they've ever been, and the discounts might just amount to the first shots in an overdue price war. That's bad news for Motorola and other Android manufacturers ... but chances are that Google isn't quite so heartbroken. Why Android is a profit machine … Thus far, Android has been a godsend for its three biggest phone manufacturers: Motorola, Samsung, and HTC. Not only is the mobile operating system keeping these companies from being laid to waste in the smartphone market by the juggernaut known as Apple's iPhone, but it's also doing wonders for the profit margins and average selling prices produced by their phone businesses. Last quarter, thanks to sales of the Droid X, Droid 2, and other Android models, Motorola reported a cell-phone ASP of $223, up nearly 80% from the $124 reported a year earlier. Even more importantly, booming Andro...

iPad 2 Rumors Continue - IPad 2 Rumors are all the rage this Holiday Shopping Season. Hold on though, they are just rumors. You cannot get an IPad 2 just yet. Maybe your luck will change in the Spring however. The iPad made its debut almost one year ago, and as its anniversary nears, more rumors are popping up, claiming a new Apple tablet is in the works sporting front- and rear-facing cameras Speculation about a front-facing camera for the iPad 2 has been debated since February after a Kansas-based computer repair shop discovered a camera hole in a replacement internal frame for the iPad. A front-facing camera on the iPad would enable FaceTime video chat on the tablet device similar to what is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers. A rear-facing camera on the iPad has drawn less speculation than its front-facing counterpart, but a second camera would by no means be a surprise. Apple’s other iOS handsets including the iPod Touch and iPhone have rear-facing cameras, and...

Beads Of Courage Program - The Beads of Courage program is designed to help sick children. Children in hospitals across the nation are encouraged to battle their illness and persevere through a bead necklace system. Each child in the program is given a necklace and a journal. With the journal, they can write about their experience, perhaps share it with others who read the journal, too. New beads for the necklace are acquired for different illnesses, different treatment plans, length of hospital stays and other moments deemed significant for the ill. It helps boost morale and inspire courage in kids who need it the most. Beads Of Courage Program But Beads of Courage is not the only program designed to help ill children. Take West Virgina University Children’s Hospital and their Cards of Hope program. The patients of the hospital and their brothers and sisters all take part by drawing greeting cards. The cards are then collected and those who work at the hospital vote on the ten ...

No Charge At Ford Field - The Detroit Lions announced that there will be no charge for admission when Ford Field hosts the postponed game between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings at 7:20 p.m. Monday. While there is no charge, fans will need a ticket for the game. Tickets can be obtained free of charge beginning at 9 a.m. Monday at the Ford Field box office. Anyone with a ticket stub for today’s Packers-Lions game will gain admission to the game. All tickets will be general admission. The only fans who will have preferred seating will be ticket-holders for the originally scheduled game at Mall of America Field. The Giants-Vikings game was postponed today due to heavy snowfall. The move was forced to when the roof collapsed at Mall of America Field in Minneapolis. The NFL reportedly also considered moving the game to Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium and to TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota. No Charge At Ford Field It will be the first NFL game held ...

Vikings Metrodome Stadium Collapse - In nine years traveling with the Packers, there was no stadium louder than the Metrodome (and that darn horn every time the Vikings did something good). After a couple of years, I learned what seasoned visitors to the Metrodome knew: to wear earplugs when attending a game there. Now the facility has collapsed this morning (here is the stunning video of the collapse) with uncertain near-term future ahead for it. In an unfortunate manner of doing so, it has pointed out to the legislative officials of Minnesota the need for addressing the Vikings’ facility issue. The NFL and Vikings ownership – the present-day owners, the Wilfs, and the previous owner Red McCombs – have long been frustrated by the lack of attention received by the franchise on repeated attempts for public funding assistance to build a new stadium. The problem for them is not simply that funds have not been allocated to help the Vikings; it is those funds have been allocated to he...

X Factor 2010 Winner - The X-Factor 2010 drew to a close moments ago, crowning a brand new winner. Find out who takes this year’s title after the jump … {For those unfamiliar with The X Factor, the show is the UK’s version of American Idol – with a twist in that groups and over 25’s are eligible to enter. Now in it’s seventh season, the show is responsible for birthing the careers of Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, and JLS. It’s US version is set to launch in 2011}. After registering the lowest public vote of the remaining finalists, favourites One Direction finished third in the competition. X Factor 2010 Winner With Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson remaining, each took to the stage to perform their respective winning songs; Cardle singing a cover of Biffy Clyro’s ‘Many of Horror’, with Liverpudlian Ferguson following with a rendition of Duffy’s ‘Distant Dreamer’. Following a tally of the last public vote, it was announced Matt had won the much sought after prize – a £1 mill...

Amazon.de Is Down - WikiLeaks supporters have been trying to bring down several popular services including Amazon, PayPal and MasterCard for a while now. They didn’t have had any success in the last attempt and they said the attacks were only symbolic. We knew they won’t sit idle and come up with another round of attacks soon and so they did. Or at least it appears so. It definitely is causing the problem to the customers and Amazon as well. I’m not sure how many of you were stuck in the middle of something. If you did, let us know in the comments section below so that we can update the post. What do you guys think is going to be the next target of hackers? Amazon.com? Paypal.com? Or someone else? Amazon.de Is Down

Carmelo Anthony Wants To Go To New York Nicks - Carmelo Anthony has told the Denver Nuggets he will not sign the nearly $65 million contract extension he has been offered unless he is traded to the New York Knicks, a source told ESPN.com on Sunday. The source, using the most definitive language possible, confirmed what has been widely speculated around the NBA over the past two months as Anthony has been at the center of trade talks involving numerous teams. The source spoke to ESPN.com after Denver's 129-125 loss to New York on Sunday afternoon as the Knicks won their eighth straight game. Anthony was again coy in discussing his future, but he did move the needle somewhat in making a prediction that the Nuggets will not trade him to a destination that is not on his wish list. "I don't think so. I don't think that will happen," Anthony said. Asked why he would make such a definitive statement, Anthony demurred "I don't want to answer that. I do...