Technology Slice Blog

Tristan Gale Geisler Medal Stolen - The winner of the women's skeleton at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics says her gold medal has been stolen. Tristan Gale Geisler says her medal, Olympic ring, engagement ring, computers and other possessions were taken during a break-in at her Southern California home Wednesday. Police in Oceanside, Calif., confirmed Thursday that an investigation is under way. Competing under her maiden name at the time, Geisler helped American sliders sweep the skeleton golds at Salt Lake nearly nine years ago, when the sport returned to the Olympic program after a 54-year absence. If the medal is deemed to be lost, there are contingency policies in which Geisler could have her Olympic prize reissued. Tristan Gale Geisler Medal Stolen

Peter Jackson Surgery - Filming of Peter Jackson's two-part adaptation of The Hobbit has been delayed after the director was admitted to hospital in New Zealand for a perforated ulcer. Jackson, 49, was in satisfactory condition after the surgery, performed Wednesday. He had been suffering severe stomach pains. Publicist Melissa Booth said he is resting comfortably and expected to make a full recovery. In a statement Thursday, Booth said Jackson's illness is "not expected to impact on his directing commitment to The Hobbit beyond a slight delay to the start of filming." Jackson stepped in to take on the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit after original director Guillermo del Toro quit the project last year. Jackson, who directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is also producer and co-writer of the two Hobbit films. In 2003, he won the best director, best picture and best adapted screenplay Oscars for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. ...

NFL Players May Lose Millions if No Deal - NFL officials on Thursday outlined for the media the finances behind some of their proposals for a new collective bargaining agreement, expressing why they believed there should be significant urgency on both sides to complete a deal. The officials, led by general counsel Jeff Pash, the NFL's chief negotiator in talks with the NFL Players Association, also shared slides from presentations they have made to all 32 owners, as well as to the NFLPA itself, during the months of talks aimed at generating a new CBA. The current CBA is set to expire March 4, with the sides far apart on an agreement. Pash said there are no "intensive, round-the-clock negotiations" scheduled with the players at this point but stressed again that Commissioner Roger Goodell has no greater issue on his agenda. NFL Players May Lose Millions if No Deal

Jay-Z and Will Smith Film Deal - Hollywood powerhouse Will Smith has inked a deal with fellow singer/songwriter Jay-Z to produce a feature film. Jay-Z and Smith along with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith as Overbrook Productions will produce the remake of the 1982 film “Annie.” The Smiths’ daughter, Willow Smith, is slated to play the leading role in the film produced by her daddy. Overbrook also produced the couple’s son, Jaden Smith’s film, “The Karate Kid.” This will be the first starring role in a feature film for the youngest Smith. The 10-year-old Willow burst onto the music charts with her single “Whip My Hair” and hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps with an acting career as well. The family affair will most likely include remixes to the popular songs “Hard Knock Life” and “Tomorrow.” Jay-Z has already ventured down that road with his version of “Hard Knock Life” that was released on his album in 1998. Jay-Z and Will Smith Film Deal

Mike Tyson New Baby Morocco - Mike Tyson joins the new-baby club after it was announced on Wednesday (January 26) that the boxer and his wife Lakiha Spicer Tyson welcomed a son. The boxer's rep confirmed the birth to People.com sharing that, "Morocco Elijah Tyson arrived Jan. 25 in Henderson, Nev., weighing in at 8 lbs. and 13 oz., and measuring 19 inches in length." The couple announced they were expecting last September. It's the second child for the couple, who already have a daughter, Milan, 2. Tyson and his wife married in June 2009 in Las Vegas. The wedding came less than two weeks after Tyson's 4-year-old daughter Exodus died as a result of an accidental strangling when she was ensnared in a treadmill power cable at the family's home in Phoenix. "I'm just looking forward to trying to do this stuff right. Of course, you know, you — I want to do it right. I've been married — this is my third marriage. I want to do it right. I want to...

Stock Market Correction Coming in 2011 - My computer mouse pad says: "If you can't run with the Big Dogs, stay on the porch." As goofy as it may sound, the "Big Dogs" of the investment world pray that the stock market crashes from time to time. Since "crash" is a little strong, the preferred euphemism for a minor downdraft is "correction." Why is a correction a good thing? Because it lowers stock market values temporarily and offers opportunities to buy stocks and mutual fund shares at reduced values. When we take advantage of this opportunity, we are reducing the average cost of all the shares we happen to own. This is especially true if we have some shares that we bought on rising markets and at their recent peaks. If you're a 401(k) investor, automatically depositing money every pay period, you are lucky because you don't have to think. It's dangerous when investors begin to think. We are sorely tempted to try to second ...

Girls Hospitalized Pot Cookie - Two girls, ages 10 and 11, were hospitalized Monday after eating a marijuana cookie they found on a kitchen counter, according to Covina police. Authorities said the mother was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment. Police Lt. Tim Doonan said the girls found the chocolate chip cookie in a baggie when they came home from school on Monday. Doonan told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune hat the girls felt ill, complaining of numbness and pale, clammy skin, and were taken to a hospital where tests showed traces of marijuana. Their 33-year-old mother was arrested and remained jailed Wednesday on $100,000 bail. Girls Hospitalized Pot Cookie

Facebook Posts Republish Advertisers - Facebook users who check in to a store or click the "like" button for a brand may soon find those actions retransmitted on their friends' pages as a "Sponsored Story" paid for by advertisers. Currently there is no way for users to decline this feature. Facebook says this lets advertisers promote word-of-mouth recommendations that people already made on the site. They play up things people do on the site that might get lost in the mass of links, photos, status updates and other content users share on the world's largest social network. The new, promoted posts would keep the same privacy setting that the original posting had. So if you limit your check-ins to a specific group of friends, only these same friends would see the "Sponsored Story" version later. The promoted content will appear on the right side of users' home pages, not in their main news feed. That's where regular ads, friend reque...

Top Tax Saving Tips 2011 - Saving from paying tax is everyone wage owners goal. We all like to pay as little tax as possible to be able to spend our hard earned cash. Knowing the tax system is an important first step. Knowing what you can deduct is very important to reduce your taxable income. In knowing your deductions, you must also keep your receipts as proof of your purchases. Seeing a professional will also help. Professionals have an intricate knowledge of tax law and as such can help you maximize your tax return. Donating to a registered charity is always tax deductible. Make some donations to your favorite one and you might just drop down a tax bracket. Top Tax Saving Tips 2011

Breast Implants Cancer Risk - Women with breast implants may be at increased risk for a rare but serious form of lymphoma, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. The FDA says it has identified 34 cases of what’s known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) in women with silicone and saline breast implants after reviewing research published between 1997 and 2010. An aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, ALCL appears in the scar tissue that forms around breast implants. But considering that an estimated 5 million to 10 million women worldwide have implants, known cases of the condition are “too few to say conclusively that breast implants cause the disease,” the FDA says. To better understand who may be at risk, the FDA is partnering with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to create a registry of ALCL cases in women with implants. Breast Implants Cancer Risk

Padma Lakshmi Custody - Padma Lakshmi, the top Chef host, model and media personality is involved in a public custody battle which is living nightmare according to her. Adam Bell, the child’s father is seeking a greater role in this 11-month daughter, Krishna’s upbringing, as he feels that Padma Lakshmi is unable to devote much time from her busy schedule to devote to her child. "[Dell] is the parent who can be relied upon to put Krishna's needs before his own," reads the suit, according to digitalspy.com. "[Lakshmi's] career as a television personality and her commitment to celebrity status involve a hectic, irregular schedule and require frequent and distant travel," it further adds. Dell also claimed that Lakshmi has tried "to minimise, if not eliminate, [his] role in Krishna's life" by encouraging the child to view her current partner Ted Forstmann as a father figure. Naturally this is denied by Lakshmi’s spokeswoman, Christina Pap...