Technology Slice Blog

Hugh Laurie Scottish - Hugh Laurie has blamed being Scottish for his miserable nature as he appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. The House star said it was because of his ancestors north of the border. He told Scots-born talk show host Craig Ferguson, 'I am very pessimistic. 'I hope you won't mind but I actually attribute this to my Scottish roots. 'Dour.' Laurie, 51, added, 'I definitely think that's where it's from.' Ferguson said, 'Scottish people are terribly pessimistic. 'The basic feeling that I got whenever I tried to do anything while I was in Scotland I always thought people were thinking, 'You think you're great but you're not'.' 'These people would be my family,' he joked. 'I think the English are quite pessimistic too.' Hugh Laurie Scottish

Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen - The self-imposed Charlie Sheen media barrage is so ever-present and so funny on its own that it almost doesn't need help from late night comedians. That hasn't stopped Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel from making cracks about Sheen and his behavior. On "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," the comedian aired a fake commercial for "Charlie Sheen Winning" cologne, with Fallon playing Sheen. In his introduction to the ad, Fallon said the cologne's scent "combines the delightful aromas of sweat, cigarettes and denial." David Letterman has been on the Charlie Sheen train for weeks. On Wednesday, he compared supercomputer Watson - who famously beat two humans in "Jeopardy!" - to Sheen. In a video called, "Watson: Where is he now?," a narrator says, "He wasn't programmed to handle the harsh glare of the spotlight. After a 36-hour cocaine binge with adult film stars, Wat...

Kendra Wilkinson Dancing with the Stars - It appears as if the professionals believe that 25-year-old Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson will waltz away with Mirror Ball Trophy at the end of "Dancing With The Stars" 2011. It didn't take the oddsmakers long to announce odds as to who they believed had the best chances to win Season 12 of the hit program. The latest cast of the popular ABC dance contest reality show was announced during the February 28 episode of "The Bachelor." The dance partners of the 2011 celebrities were announced on "Good Morning America" on March 2. Odds of who would be most likely to win of the 11 contestants were posted early March 1 on Bodog.com. Kendra Wilkinson topped the list at 3/1 odds to win it all... But Wilkinson will have competition, it seems. It is as yet unknown how well any of the contestants, among them such luminaries as actress Kirstie Alley ("Cheers," "Look Who's Talking"), actor Ralph Ma...

Beale Street Music Festival - The long awaited announcement of this year’s Beale Street Music Festival was announced earlier today. The large, outdoor music festival is scheduled for April 29 through May first, and will take place at Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee. According to the Memphis in May International Festival website, there will be some big name bands and performers at this year’s event, which has cause a heightened anticipation amongst music lovers. Scheduled to appear that the music festival this year are John Mellencamp, Stone Temple Pilots, Wilco, MGMT, Godsmack, Lucinda Williams, Ludacris, Ke$ha and the Flaming Lips. Also, Cee-Lo Green, Bettye LaVette and blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughn are expected to play at the festival. With so many big name headliners anticipated at this year’s event, early passes have already been sold out. However, if you have not purchased your tickets yet, additional passes will go on sale today for $69, through April 18th. Also, single d...

James Franco Yale Feud - A writer for the Yale University student newspaper says a perceived feud between her and actor and fellow Yale student James Franco has been blown out of proportion. Cokey Cohen tells The New Haven Register that her critical blogs of Franco's Twitter posts and pictures while he was co-hosting the Oscars were "tongue-in-cheek" and just part of her duties as a blogger on youth culture for the Yale Daily News. Her blog postings, as well as Franco's at times rude responses, were all in fun and she's surprised they drew so much attention. The 20-year-old junior and English major says she's actually a big fan of Franco. Franco is pursuing a doctorate in English at Yale. A call to Franco's California-based publicist before business hours Thursday wasn't immediately returned. James Franco Yale Feud

Trent Reznor Abraham Lincoln - Newly minted Oscar-winner (and Severus Snape look-alike) Trent Reznor is already set to continue his career as a high-profile motion picture composer by reuniting with director David Fincher for his English-language adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Now the Nine Inch Nails creator is circling another project, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, with the intention of not only scoring the film, but starring in the historical horror adventure as well. The Goth musician tried his hand at a feature-length film soundtrack last year by collaborating with Atticus Ross on the ominous electronica score for The Social Network – ultimately netting an Academy Award in the process. Reznor may not only be working on the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter adaptation behind the scenes, but in front of the camera as well. He reportedly is in line to play the vampire who kills Lincoln’s mother and inspires the future 16th U.S. president to dedicate his life to...

Top Overpaid Celebrities 2011 - These days it doesn’t seem like it takes much to be famous. A little controversy, a reality television opportunity, viral videos—modern celebrity status can come from just about anywhere. While this represents a change in the media and the breakdown of its elitism, which can be a good thing, it also has to shone a light on ridiculous celebrity salaries. The following is a list of the top overpaid celebrities. All are making millions of dollars a year, but it’s debatable whether all have truly earned their money. The Most Overpaid Celebrities The Kardashians: This celebrity family made $65 million dollars last year, more than Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock and Angelina Jolie’s incomes for 2010 combined. They’ve generated their wealth from reality TV shows, books, perfumes, etc. Other than their attractiveness and famous step-father, none of the Kardashian women have really done anything to earn their fame. Britney Spears: In 2010 Spears earned appro...

DUI Suspect Drinks Beer - Police in northern Ohio say a man who was asked during a traffic stop whether he'd been drinking took a swig from an open can of beer and told the officer, "Yes." According to Cleveland's WJW-TV, the Elyria (eh-LEER'-ee-uh) police report says 25-year-old Stephen Supers was pulled over early Wednesday because the officer had observed him speeding. The report says that after Supers took the drink in front of the officer he failed a series of field sobriety tests. Supers is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday on charges including driving under the influence, driving under suspension and possession of marijuana. A message was left at his home phone number in Elyria on Thursday. Court records do not list his attorney. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/03/police-ohio-dui-suspect-drinks-cop/#ixzz1FaDbW2Ik DUI Suspect Drinks Beer

DUI Suspect Drinks in Front of Cop - Police in northern Ohio say a man who was asked during a traffic stop whether he'd been drinking took a swig from an open can of beer and told the officer, "Yes." According to Cleveland's WJW-TV, the Elyria (eh-LEER'-ee-uh) police report says 25-year-old Stephen Supers was pulled over early Wednesday because the officer had observed him speeding. The report says that after Supers took the drink in front of the officer he failed a series of field sobriety tests. Supers is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday on charges including driving under the influence, driving under suspension and possession of marijuana. A message was left at his home phone number in Elyria on Thursday. Court records do not list his attorney. DUI Suspect Drinks in Front of Cop

Rodney King 20 Years - Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the Rodney King beating, which was coincidentally caught on tape by a voyeuristic bystander, George Holliday. Unbeknown to Holliday that night, the nine minutes of taping would change the criminal justice system forever. With new technological advancements and the Internet, anyone with a cellphone now can lend a watchful eye on the police. Today, things are far different and the tape that so tainted the LAPD has a clear legacy in how officers think about their jobs. Police now work in a YouTube world in which cellphones double as cameras, news helicopters transmit close-up footage of unfolding police pursuits, and surveillance cameras capture arrests or shootings. Police officials are increasingly recording their officers. Compared to the cops who beat King, officers these days hit the streets with a new reality ingrained in their minds: Someone is always watching. “Early on in their training, I always tell them, ‘I ...

FDA Recalls 500 Medicines - The FDA announced on Wednesday that it will remove unapproved prescription cough, cold and allergy medications from the market as part of its ongoing initiative to stop the sale of drugs that aren’t up to current standards. Over 500 prescription medications are involved in the atest round up, including Pseudo Cough Syrup, ColdMist Extended Relief tablets and Pediahist, a cold formula labeled for babies as young as one month old. You can find the complete list of products on the FDA’s website. Many doctors and health care providers unaware of the status of certain drugs have continued to prescribe them because the labels do not disclose that they lack FDA approval, according to the agency. “Removing these unapproved products from the market will reduce potential risks to consumers,” Deborah Autor, director of the Office of Compliance at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said in a written statement. Such a widespread recall begs the qu...

Jim Carrey Died - The fake celebrity death circuit has been quiet this year, but after a winter lull it’s back with a vengeance with a rumor doing the rounds that Jim Carrey has died in a snowboarding accident. One (rather dubious) news site wrote “Actor Jim Carrey is reported to have died shortly after a snowboard accident earlier today – March 3, 2011. The actor & novice snowboarder was vacationing at the Zermatt ski resort in Zermatt, Switzerland with family and friends. Witnesses indicate that Jim Carrey lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a high rate of speed. Jim Carrey was air lifted by ski patrol teams to a local hospital, however, it is believed that the actor died instantly from the impact of the crash. The actor was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and drugs and alcohol do not appear to have played any part in his death. “ We can say unequivocally though that the story is 100% fake. Jim Carrey has not died in a snowboarding accident....

Mazda Recall - Mazda is recalling about 52,000 Mazda6 sedans, because yellow sac spiders like to build their nests in part of the fuel system. "A certain type of spider may weave a web in the evaporative canister vent line and this may cause a restriction of the line," Mazda said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The evaporative canister vent line runs from a charcoal-filled canister that cleans air coming out of the gas tank. Blockage of the line can prevent air from getting into the gas tank as the gasoline is used, resulting in negative air pressure inside the tank. That can lead to a crack in the gas tank and the possibility of a fire. There have been 20 reported cases of spider infestation in the Mazda6 -- all have been in cars with 4-cylinder engines, none with V6's. No actual fires are known to have been caused by the spiders, according to Mazda's letter. Mazda Recall

Charlie Sheen Twitter - Charlie Sheen may or may not be "winning," in life, but he has won a rare honor: the "Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million Followers" Guinness World Record. Guinness community manager Dan Barrett says the agency "just researched and approved" the record this morning. According to Barrett, Sheen reached that milestone in 25 hours and 17 minutes. As of this writing, Sheen's Twitter account, @CharlieSheen, has more than 1.3 million followers. Guinness did not have a previous record for that category, Barrett says. Sheen also set a Guinness record for "Highest Paid TV Actor Per Episode -- Current" at $1.25 million. Sheen joined Twitter March 1. In a matter of minutes, Sheen acquired more than 60,000 followers and a Klout score of 57 -- without even tweeting. According to a report in Advertising Age, Sheen was able to get his account verified so quickly because Internet startup Ad.ly brokered his account with Twitter. ...

UFO Files Hundreds of Sightings - British officials on Thursday released about 8,500 pages of previously classified reports that document sightings of unidentified flying objects by the military and members of the public dating back to the 1950s. The 35 large files, available via the Internet, mainly cover the period from 1997 to 2005 and include photographs, drawings and descriptions of flying saucer sightings, as well as letters that the Ministry of Defense sent eyewitnesses in response to their accounts. Policemen, a soldier, a Royal Air Force officer and members of the public report sightings of objects including a "chewy mint shaped solid craft" and aerial objects resembling a "ring," a "jellyfish" and a "silver voile spin top." In one account a man said he believed he had been "abducted" by aliens in October 1998 after seeing an unidentified craft hover over his London home and finding that he had gained an hour of time in ...

Calif. Girl Arranged Marriage - A 13-year-old Southern California girl who ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage in Pakistan has been taken into protective custody by child welfare authorities, police said on Thursday. Jessie Marie Bender, who vanished from her home in the early morning hours of February 22, was found at a motel in a nearby community, where she had hidden with the help of an uncle, San Bernardino County Sheriff's spokeswoman Roxanne Walker said. She was physically unharmed. "She ran away because she didn't want to go to Pakistan. She was afraid," Walker told Reuters. The girl was taken into protective custody, along with her three siblings, after detectives corroborated her story, Walker said. The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office was reviewing the case for possible criminal charges against members of her family. Jessie was initially reported missing from her home in the desert community of Hesperia, about 7...

Drove 3 Trillion Miles 2010 - Americans logged more miles in their cars last year than in any year since 2007, bouncing back from a steep decline in driving spurred by the recession and the 2008 run-up in gasoline prices. Americans drove three trillion miles in 2010, the third-highest total on record and an increase of 0.7% from the previous year, the U.S. Transportation Department reported Wednesday. The data marked the second straight year of increased driving and confirmed a reversal from 2008, when gasoline peaked above $4 a gallon and driving plunged 3.6% after two decades of increases. The extra time behind the wheel was a further sign of a recovering economy. But the data also underscored the nation's continued reliance on oil, a growing concern as turmoil in the Middle East threatens to further drive up gasoline prices and slow, or even reverse, the economic recovery. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, speaking at a U.S. Senate Budget Committee hearing, said he wasn...

17,000 USB Sticks Dry Cleaners - TechRadar's favourite odd press release of the year so far has suggested that there has been a 400 per cent increase in the number of USB sticks being left behind in clothes to be dry cleaned. Credant Technologies has cut through the chaff of everday news and got to the wheat of what people really care about – USB stick loss – and the statistics are, frankly, jaw-dropping. More than 500 dry cleaners and laundrettes took part in the survey and, apparently, some 17,000 USB sticks were left in 2010, that's four times the number found in 2009. "The numbers of USB sticks forgotten in trousers and shirt pockets is staggering and is a direct result of growth in 'IT consumerisation,' as consumers today carry more and more mobile devices than ever before, such as smart phones, laptops, iPads, USB sticks and other portable devices," said Sean Glynn, vice president of marketing, Credant Technologies. "Inevitably, unsuspectin...

Ahmadinejad Car Sold - A car owned by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sold for $2.5 million dollars, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports. The 1977 Peugeot 504 was used by Ahmadinejad as his personal car when he was Mayor of Tehran, prior to his election to the presidency in 2005. Images of the white sedan indicate that it has blue vinyl and cloth upholstery, a theft-proof removable-face stereo and at least 36,867 km on the odometer. In January, a website (http://www.ahmadinejad-car.com/) was established to take bids on the car under the guise of a charity auction, with the proceeds earmarked for low income housing. According to the semi-official Iranian Student’s News Agency (ISNA), over half of the visitors to the website were from America, but it was an anonymous Iranian company that placed the winning bid. Ahmadinejad Car Sold

Mississippi Mom Charged Son in Oven - A Mississippi mother has been arrested in the death of her 3-year-old son after authorities say they found the child’s burned body in an oven. Washington County Coroner Methel Johnson said Wednesday that police found Tristan Robinson’s body inside the electric oven at his mother’s apartment shortly after midnight. Johnson says the child had been burned, but an autopsy was ordered to determine if he died before or after being placed in the oven. Greenville Police Chief Freddie Cannon says 24-year-old Terrie A. Robinson has been charged with murder. The chief says she’ll be arraigned Thursday in Greenville, a city of about 35,000 residents in the Mississippi Delta. Mississippi Mom Charged Son in Oven

Woman Survives Ride on Van Hood - A California woman literally held on for her life, gripping the hood of her husband's car for 35 miles as he sped along a highway at speeds up to 100 mph. The woman tried to stop her husband Christopher Carroll, 36, from driving while he was allegedly in the middle of a drug binge, that included methamphetamines, late Friday night. In an effort to stop him from pulling out of the driveway of their Manteca, Calif., home, she jumped on the hood. As he backed up she was thrown and her foot became stuck on the vehicle's side mirror. "I was holding on literally by the tips of my fingers and basically my ankles," she told ABC affiliate KGO. "Now I know it was the stupidest thing in my life I've ever done, but I jumped on the hood of the van. He backed out quickly and when he did that it turned me and I got stuck," she said. The woman, whom ABC News has chosen not to identify because she is the victim of domestic abuse, ...

Mickey Rooney Testifies - Three-and-a-half million Americans every year in this country are victims of elder abuse, and even big-name movie stars are not immune, as we learned Wednesday in Congress. Mickey Rooney, now 90-years-old, may have played his most important role ever by getting attention to the terrible times the oldest Americans suffer. "You can be in control of your life one minute, ladies and gentleman. And the next minute, just like that, you have absolutely – believe it or not – no control of your life. Sometimes this happens quickly, but other times it's very, very gradual. You might wonder when all this truly began. In my case, I was eventually and completely stripped of the ability to make even the most basic decisions. 'Where do we go, or what do we do?'" Elder abuse comes in three forms: physical; neglect, when they don't get the help, service and treatment they pay for at their homes; and financial, which is what Rooney talked about ...

Travis Barker Recovery - Between his new solo album, Give the Drummer Some, and a Blink-182 reunion album, Travis Barker has a pretty busy year ahead of him. But, for a while, he wasn’t sure he’d ever play again. Barker was seriously injured in a 2008 small plane crash and the drummer recently told RollingStone.com that very few people knew how badly he was hurt. “For a while after my accident, I was just recovering,” he said. “No one really thought I would be able to play drums after all the surgeries and everything. That was always on my mind. Once I was in the studio, it was like, ‘I can walk now, I can play the drums still. I have to finish [the solo album].’” Barker’s recovery included 16 surgeries and he almost had one of his feet amputated. He also said his left hand was completely numb for a while. “It was sketchy, so I came a long way. And mentally I was a basket case,” he said. “It was a big amount of time to get off of 20 medications that they had me on, and then phys...

Wisconsin Prank Calls - On the heels of an embarrassing prank call made by Ian Murphy to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker two weeks ago, lawmakers from the state have introduced a bill that would make spoof calls illegal, thereby breaking the hearts of teenager girls and radio hosts across the state. State Sen. Mary Lazich and State Rep. Mark Honadel, both Republicans (as is Gov. Walker), drafted the bill, which would prohibit tricking a call recipient into believing that the person on the line is someone they are not. The legislation would make it illegal to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain information, as well as use services to transmit inaccurate caller ID, a representative of Rep. Honadel told the Badger Herald. It would also prohibit individuals from masking their voices or providing fake phone numbers to the call recipient. A person who violates the bill could be subject to a fine of $1,000 to $10,000 for each prank call. Law enforcement officials and government a...

New Bible No Booty - The word “booty” is getting the boot by the U.S. Catholic Bishops in a move to update The American Bible, which is used by millions of Catholics and other Christians. All the teenagers in Sunday School will have one less thing to laugh about now that “booty” is to be replaced by “spoils of war.” “Booty” is not the only word that is being removed. The English words “virgin”, “cereal”, and “holocaust” are also being replaced by English words because recent trends in scholarship and linguistics. Dozens of priests, scholars, and translators met for 17 years to hammer out a new and updated Bible for modern Catholics. New Bible No Booty

Top Ways to Lose Weight Fast - There are no fad diet tips below like the Atkins diet or no carbs all the tips are sensible and will help you lose weight fast be healthy and happy. So here are your proven tips. 1. Use the cabbage soup diet to start We all need motivation and want to see results quickly and this diet that lasts for just a week is an ideal way to get started. It is guaranteed to help you. Many people knock off up to half a stone and you can to. This is not a long term diet, just to get you in the mood and show some quick results. Now your started, here are your tips. Note: Eat what you want within the guidelines and you will lose weight fast. 2. Eat 5 meals a day. 3 main meals breakfast lunch and dinner and two snacks in between This will help you avoid hunger pangs. Make sure you eat breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day. Man is a grazer not a binger and we need constant nourishment throughout the day. 3. Portion Size While you can...

2011 Safest Autos - Safety is of utmost importance when purchasing a car. It is important to know your car will keep you or your loved ones safe. In the large luxury car segment the 5 series BMW is the safest followed by the Buick LaCross. The Cadillac CTS is also high up in the safety ratings. In the small sedan segment the Chevrolet Cruze comes in first. Whatever car you choose, it's important to check it's safety ratings first. Safety ratings should come before aesthetics. 2011 Safest Autos

Georgia Bill Birth Certificates - A bill signed by 94 Georgia state House members would require all presidential and vice presidential candidates to present a birth certificate to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office before they can be put on the statewide ballot. The Presidential Eligibility Assurance Act, House Bill 401, would demand of each candidate a long-form birth certificate, a sworn statement that the candidate has never been a citizen of another country and a confirmation that the candidate has lived in the U.S. for the previous 14 years. During the 2008 presidential elections, allegations were raised that then-candidate Barack Obama was not a U.S. citizen, which spurred him to release documentation from Hawaii confirming his birth in that state. Rep. Mark Hatfield, R-Waycross, the lead author on the bill, is skeptical of the documentation. The document is a certificate of live birth from the state of Hawaii, valid for use in court proceedings and is considered by...

Tax Return Errors Responsibility - In the past, the IRS' Office of the Director of Practice lacked the resources to effectively pursue potential ethical violations by some tax professionals. But the landscape has changed with the creation of the Office of Professional Responsibility, which has significant additional staffing and funding to more aggressively pursue problem practitioners. As the oversight of licensed tax practitioners increases, we need to know what is expected of us to comply with the law and retain our ability to represent taxpayers before the IRS. Our focus was Circular 230, a U.S. Treasury Department regulation administered by the Office of Professional Responsibility. Although various versions of the Circular have been in effect for a while, the Circular was significantly revised and strengthened in July 2002. Circular 230 governs practice before the IRS by CPAs, attorneys, enrolled agents and enrolled actuaries. The Office of Professional Responsibilit...