Technology Slice Blog

Mark Kelly Space Shuttle Announcement Tomorrow - Astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, is expected to announce tomorrow whether he'll command the final space shuttle mission in April. But a friend who spoke with Kelly today told ABC News he expects the astronaut to be on board for the shuttle's final flight. Sen. Bill Nelson, a former astronaut, said he spoke with Kelly, who was in Washington today to attend this morning's National Prayer Breakfast. "He's going to make his announcement tomorrow. I don't know what that's going to be. It is a tough decision for him but I think it's reasonable to expect that he will go on to command this mission in April, because I think Gabby is significantly improving every day," Nelson told ABC's "Top Line." Speaking at the prayer breakfast this morning, Kelly offered no hints about his decision. He said his wife's condition had improved, though he offered no...

David Blumenthal to Step Down - Dr. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator, will step down in the spring from his position leading the federal program to drive adoption of electronic health records by the nation’s physicians and hospital. Blumenthal told his staff in a memo Feb. 3 that he will return to Harvard University, where he was a researcher before President Obama named him to head the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT in March 2009. Blumenthal had planned to stay two years when he accepted the position with ONC, he said in the memo. Blumenthal has steered the development of criteria for meaningful use of EHRs in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and public and private partnerships to nudge providers away from paper to digital records, and then to use them in a way that will help to improve the quality of health care. “We have been privileged to be at the center of a great new enterprise at an historic moment ...

Enron Son Dead - Jailed former Enron boss Jeffrey Skilling's 20-year-old son has been found dead in California, with pills next to his bed after friends reported he was feeling despondent, police said Thursday. John Taylor Skilling's body was found in his apartment in Santa Ana, California, on Tuesday night, after he failed to turn up for dinner with friends, said police spokesman Anthony Bertagna. "They were supposed to meet him for dinner, but he didn't show up. They knew he was despondent over a recent breakup so they went to his apartment," where they found the body, he told AFP. "There were some prescription pills by the individual, but we don't know if he had taken them. We don't know if it's an overdose, suicide or what," he said, adding that there was no signs of violence. Enron Son Dead

Brooke Mueller Dancing with the Stars - Will Charlie Sheen's ex Brook Mueller become a contestant on "Dancing With The Stars? " That is the latest DWTS's contestant rumor circulating today. Radaronline has reported that they have knowledge that Brooke Mueller is currently in negotiations with the popular tv show for next season. Cincinnati DWTS's fanatic Kelsey W stated " Why wouldn't DWTS want to get Brooke Mueller? Charlie Sheen is making headlines daily with his issues. It would probably be a big draw for ratings, not like they really need them. I really don't see her going far, but who knows, stranger things have happened on that show, [Kate Gosselin and Bristol Palin]. I am just wondering when Lindsay Lohan will cave and do the show?" Radar stated that their sources revealed that Brooke Mueller has yet to accept the offer, but that the talks have begun. The source also revealed that Brooke is a huge fan of the show and odds are in...

Best Indoor Exercise - There are several indoor exercises you can do to keep in shape. But which are the best? They can be split in to two categories. The first is body weight exercises, meaning you use your own body weight to provide resistance. The second is using some sort of equipment. There are pros and cons to both. The biggest advantage to doing body weight exercises is they can be done anywhere. Whether you're on holiday, travelling for work, or if you just want a quick exercises to do. There are quite a few body weight exercises that can be done. If you wish to work out your abdominal muscles, sit ups or crunches are a good one. Doing pull ups on a door frame will work out your lats and back. Squatting with just your body weight will work out your thighs and calves. There are also indoor exercise machines by the hundreds. There's the traditional treadmill and exercise bikes which can be used indoors. Resistance bands and free-weights are also good ones for indoo...

Amanpour Mubarak Interview - In an exclusive interview with ABC’s Christiane Amanpour, Egypt’s beleaguered President Hosni Mubarak said he wished he could step down immediately, but that doing so would plunge the country into further chaos. Mubarak has addressed the nation twice during the last 10 days of protests, most recently on Tuesday when he announced he would not run in the upcoming September elections, but this has been his first interview since the protests began. His son Gamal, once considered to be his potential successor, was present during the interview. Mubarak expressed fear that the Muslim Brotherhood would fill any political vacuum he left behind, and related a fear he had previously expressed to President Obama: “you don’t understand the Egyptian culture and what would happen if I step down now.” He denied that his government was behind the violence brought upon peaceful protestors in Tahrir square by pro-Mubarak ‘supporters,’ despite evidence that had ties to the ...

Verizon iPhone Shipping - Pre-orders for the Verizon iPhone finally kicked off this morning at 3AM EST, and although the handset isn't supposed to actually launch until February 10th, some customers are reporting that their handsets have already shipped. Reports of shipped Verizon iPhones have been pouring in, and our own Aaron Baker noticed that his iPhone is on its way, too. It's pretty awesome that the VeriPhones are already shipping, but I would be pretty surprised if they actually end up arriving before the 10th. We've seen new iPhones ship early in the past, and Apple was pretty good about keeping the devices sitting and waiting at shipping centers until they were actually supposed to be delivered. I'd love to be proven wrong, though! Have any of you that pre-ordered the Verizon iPhone today had your order shipped already? Verizon iPhone Shipping

Kenneth Cole Apologizes - Outspoken designer Kenneth Cole apologized Thursday to his Twitter fans after joking that the "uproar in Cairo" was caused by the buzz surrounding his Spring collection. "Millions are in uproar in Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online...." Cole, 58, tweeted to his more than 9,000 followers on the micro-blogging website. He was later slammed for his insensitivity, with one Twitter user responding, "You should be ashamed of yourselves @KennethCole ! How tasteless and insensitive! People are dying there!" Less than an hour after writing his initial post, Cole tweeted an apology, "We weren't intending to make light of a serious situation. We understand the sensitivity of this historic moment -KC." The designer is known for making controversial references in his brand's socially conscious advertisements, often hitting on social taboos and political issues. Kenneth Cole...

Greg Palkot Hospitalized - The attacks against journalists in Egypt—which began as violent supporters of President Hosni Mubarak hit the streets Wednesday—show no sign of slowing down. CBS chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan and her crew were detained today by Egyptian police outside the Israeli embassy, according to Time magazine. Just yesterday, Logan spoke about her crew being confronted by soldiers and Mubarak's police and marched at gunpoint to their hotel. ABC correspondent Brian Hartman, his cameraman Akram Abi-hanna and two other ABC News employees were carjacked while heading to Cairo's airport today. At one point, Hartman recalled, "a man in police uniform came up to me and said, 'So help me God. ... I am going to cut off your head.'" Another man called for cutting their necks. The crew was saved when Abi-hanna made an appeal to one of the group's elders, telling him that Hartman is his guest and that "Egyptian people are...

Mona Lisa Model a Man - An expert has claimed to have unravelled the mystery behind the world-famous Mona Lisa painting - saying the model was a man and Leonardo da Vinci's lover. Artist da Vinci has proved an endless talking point for conspiracy theorists looking for hidden meanings in his works. The Mona Lisa's real identity remains shrouded in mystery with a silk merchant's wife, Lisa Gheradini, being seen as the most likely model for the painting. That was until Silvano Vincetti, chairman of the Italian national committee for cultural heritage, made his startling revelation. He said the identity of one of the world's most iconic paintings was a young man called Gian Giacomo Caprotti, also known as Salai. Salai and da Vinci worked together for 25 years and is believed to be the inspiration behind several of the Renaissance artist's works. Mr Vincetti said the artist and his effeminate apprentice had an "ambiguous" relationship. The expert ...

Cooper Attacked Again - In upsetting video footage released by CNN, above, Cooper can be heard declaring he was hit "like 10 times in the mouth" as he attempted to usher various members of his crew, one of them female, through the mob. "Calm down," he can be heard saying to the assailants. Afterward, Cooper sent out an update via Twitter. "Thanks for tweets of concern," he said. "I'm sore and head hurts but fine. Neil and mary anne are bruised but ok too. Thanks" The silver fox is no stranger to violence overseas -- a little more than a year ago in Haiti after the devastating earthquake, Cooper was captured on video carrying to safety a child who was left bloody by looters who'd started throwing rocks and chunks of concrete. "To me, the story today is not me being attacked, it's the melee that continues," Cooper told Show Tracker. "This is a stunning development, and it's not clear what kind of impact it...

Frederic Prinz Von Anhalt Hospitalized - Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband of 25 years, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, has been hospitalized after he collapsed in an elevator at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Tuesday, reports Star Tribune. Frederic Prinz, 67, was at the hospital with his wife, Zsa Zsa, who was receiving care for an infection that occurred after her leg amputation, when he collapsed. He will stay at the hospital to recuperate until Wednesday, while his wife will remain there indefinitely. The two are not staying in the same hospital quarters. Gabor, a Hungarian-American actress who is known for her sex symbol status in the 1950s and 1960s, had her leg amputated after being infected by gangrene. She was released from the hospital January 22 but was back Tuesday when she experienced a high fever, fluid in her lungs and an infection. She also had hip replacement surgery in July (before her amputation), which caused her to be hospitalized several times afterward for swelling and...