News for me

Fri, Mar 12, 2010 -- Poetry Performance Competition at 7:00 PM

City Heights Performance Annex and the Friends of the City Heights Branch Library Proudly Present: THE PAYDAY SLAM - This series of events is a poetry performance competition for all ages. Bring your original 3-minute work and get ready to slam. Cash prizes will be awarded. A $3.00 donation is required, and poets and judges enter free. Poets must sign up in person by 7:00 p.m. each event day. The dates are: January 8, February 12, March 12, April 9, May 14, and June 11. Become a Facebook fan of the City Heights Branch Library to get the latest updates on the Slam.

Location: City Heights/Weingart

Posted by City Heights Performance Annex (weblibrary@sandiego.gov) on March 13, 2010 12:00 AM · permalink

Fri, Mar 12, 2010 -- Scripps Performing Arts Academy at 4:00 PM

The girls from Scripps Performing Arts Academy will be putting on a Fairy Tale themed show including Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and Snow White. There will be Ballet, Tap, Acting, and American Sign language!

Location: Clairemont

Posted by Library (ek_contact@plymouthrocket.com) on March 12, 2010 09:00 PM · permalink

Fri, Mar 12, 2010 -- Kids Chess Club at 3:00 PM

For kids 5 years and older.

Location: Carmel Mountain Ranch

Posted by Library (ek_contact@plymouthrocket.com) on March 12, 2010 08:00 PM · permalink

Fri, Mar 12, 2010 -- Central Library Book Sales at 9:30 AM

Central Library Book Sales - The Central Library's book sales are run by the Friends of the Central Library every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Hours are: Friday - 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday - 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; and, Sunday - 1 - 5 p.m. There are special book items, videos, maps, etc. Prices, unless noted on the items, are: hardbacks $1, large paperback $1, small pocketbooks $.50 or 3 for $1, records and audio cassettes $1, CDs and videos $2. Central Friends (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation) will be happy to receive your tax-deductible donations of new and used books, records, tapes, CDs, etc. to help maintain the Book Sales. Note: Donations may be taken to Central Library during the Book Sale hours only. For special arrangements to pick-up donations, contact Central Friends at 619-236-5836 (machine), or 619-463-4333, or call the Central Library at 619-236-5800. As part of its support for the San Diego Public Library, The City of San Diego has joined all of the Friends' groups in a dollar-for-dollar "Matching Fund" program, to double the amount of your donations. We are grateful for the support. For more information on all our book sales, see our Book Sales Web page.

Location: Central Library

Posted by Central Friends of the Library (ek_contact@plymouthrocket.com) on March 12, 2010 02:30 PM · permalink

The Django community aggregator

Dominik Szopa: Announcing django-moderation

django-moderation is reusable application for Django framework, that allows to moderate any model objects.

Code can be found at http://github.com/dominno/django-moderation

Possible use cases:

User creates his profile, profile is not visible on site. It will be visible on site when moderator approves it.
User change his profile, old profile data is visible on site. New data will be visible on site when moderator approves it.

Features:

configurable admin integration(data changed in admin can be visible on site when moderator approves it)
moderation queue in admin
html differences of changes between versions of objects
configurable email notifications
custom model form that allows to edit changed data of object
100% PEP8 correct code
test coverage > 80%

Requirements

python >= 2.4

django >= 1.1

Installation

Download source code from http://github.com/dominno/django-moderation and run installation script:

$> python setup.py install

Configuration

Add to your INSTALLED_APPS in your settings.py:

moderation
Run command manage.py syncdb

from django.db import models
import moderation


class YourModel(models.Model):
    pass

moderation.register(YourModel)

from django.contrib import admin
from moderation.admin import ModerationAdmin


class YourModelAdmin(ModerationAdmin):
    """Admin settings go here."""

admin.site.register(YourModel, YourModelAdmin)

If you want to disable integration of moderation in admin, add admin_intergration_enabled = False to your admin class:

class YourModelAdmin(ModerationAdmin):
    admin_intergration_enabled = False

admin.site.register(YourModel, YourModelAdmin)

How django-moderation works

When you change existing object or create new one, it will not be publicly available until moderator approves it. It will be stored in ModeratedObject model.

your_model = YourModel(description='test')
your_model.save()

YourModel.objects.get(pk=your_model.pk)
Traceback (most recent call last):
DoesNotExist: YourModel matching query does not exist.

When you will approve object, then it will be publicly available.

your_model.moderated_object.approve(moderatated_by=user,
                                   reason='Reason for approve')

YourModel.objects.get(pk=1)
<YourModel: YourModel object>

You can access changed object by calling changed_object on moderated_object:

your_model.moderated_object.changed_object
<YourModel: YourModel object>

This is deserialized version of object that was changed.

Now when you will change an object, old version of it will be available publicly, new version will be saved in moderated_object

your_model.description = 'New description'
your_model.save()

your_model = YourModel.objects.get(pk=1)
your_model.__dict__
{'id': 1, 'description': 'test'}

your_model.moderated_object.changed_object.__dict__
{'id': 1, 'description': 'New description'}

your_model.moderated_object.approve(moderatated_by=user,
                                   reason='Reason for approve')

your_model = YourModel.objects.get(pk=1)
your_model.__dict__
{'id': 1, 'description': 'New description'}

Email notifications

By default when user change object that is under moderation, e-mail notification is send to moderator. It will inform him that object was changed and need to be moderated.

When moderator approves or reject object changes then e-mail notification is send to user that changed this object. It will inform user if his changes were accepted or rejected and inform him why it was rejected or approved.

How to overwrite email notification templates

E-mail notifications use following templates:

moderation/notification_subject_moderator.txt
moderation/notification_message_moderator.txt
moderation/notification_subject_user.txt
moderation/notification_message_user.txt

Default context:

content_type - content type object of moderated object

moderated_object - ModeratedObject instance

site - current Site instance

How to pass extra context to email notification templates

If you want to pass extra context to email notification methods you new need to create new class that subclass BaseModerationNotification class.

class CustomModerationNotification(BaseModerationNotification):
    def inform_moderator(self,
                     subject_template='moderation/notification_subject_moderator.txt',
                     message_template='moderation/notification_message_moderator.txt',
                     extra_context=None):
        '''Send notification to moderator'''
        extra_context={'test':'test'}
        super(CustomModerationNotification, self).inform_moderator(subject_template,
                                                                   message_template,
                                                                   extra_context)

    def inform_user(self, user,
                    subject_template='moderation/notification_subject_user.txt',
                    message_template='moderation/notification_message_user.txt',
                    extra_context=None)
        '''Send notification to user when object is approved or rejected'''
        extra_context={'test':'test'}
        super(CustomModerationNotification, self).inform_user(user,
                                                              subject_template,
                                                              message_template,
                                                              extra_context)

Next register it with moderation as notification_class:

moderation.register(YourModel, notification_class=CustomModerationNotification)

Signals

moderation.signals.pre_moderation - signal send before object is approved or rejected

Arguments sent with this signal:

sender - The model class.

instance - Instance of model class that is moderated

status - Moderation status, 0 - rejected, 1 - approved

moderation.signals.post_moderation - signal send after object is approved or rejected

Arguments sent with this signal:

sender - The model class.

instance - Instance of model class that is moderated

status - Moderation status, 0 - rejected, 1 - approved

Forms

When creating ModelForms for models that are under moderation use BaseModeratedObjectForm class as ModelForm class. Thanks to that form will initialized with data from changed_object.

from moderation.forms import BaseModeratedObjectForm


class ModeratedObjectForm(BaseModeratedObjectForm):

    class Meta:
        model = MyModel

Any comments ? Feedback ? Feature requests ?

Posted on March 12, 2010 01:50 PM · permalink

Caktus Consulting Group: Decoupled Django Apps and the Beauty of Generic Relations

Like just about everyone else, we’ve written our own suite of tools to help with building complex content management systems in Django here at Caktus. We reviewed a number of the existing CMSes out there, but in almost every case the navigation and page structure were so tightly coupled the system broke down when [...]

Posted on March 12, 2010 01:50 PM · permalink

Andrew Tobias

Entrance . . . Entrance . . . Exit

Published on March 12, 2010 Awkward entrance. Awesome entrance. This time, Ferris Bueller really has left the building.

Posted on March 12, 2010 01:50 PM · permalink

Slashdot

ACM Awards 2009 Turing Prize To Alto Creator Charles Thacker

scumm writes "This year's Turing Prize has been awarded to Charles Thacker, whom they describe as (among other things) the 'creator of the first modern personal computer.' From the ACM's announcement: 'ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery today named Charles P. Thacker the winner of the 2009 ACM A.M. Turing Award for his pioneering design and realization of the Alto, the first modern personal computer, and the prototype for networked personal computers. Thacker's design, which he built while at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), reflected a new vision of a self-sufficient, networked computer on every desk, equipped with innovations that are standard in today's models. Thacker was also cited for his contributions to the Ethernet local area network, which enables multiple computers to communicate and share resources, as well as the first multiprocessor workstation, and the prototype for today's most used tablet PC, with its capabilities for direct user interaction.' For further reading, the Wall Street Journal has an article providing more background about Mr. Thacker and the Turing Prize. In the spirit of full disclosure, the submitter feels compelled to point out that this Mr. Thacker is his uncle, and that he thinks this is really cool."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Posted by timothy on March 12, 2010 01:07 PM · permalink

Boing Boing

J.G. Ballard's Bang Wallop

<img alt="crashbangwallop.jpg" src="http://www.boingboing.net/images/crashbangwallop.jpg" width="595" height="463" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /> I'd love to read this hypothetical sequel to J.G. Ballard's Crash, since Dinos and Jake Chapman have already designed the perfect cover. <a href="http://www.ballardian.com/ambiguous-aims-a-review-of-crash-homage-to-j-g-ballard">"Ambiguous aims": a review of Crash: Homage to J.G. Ballard</a> (NSFW) [Ballardian] <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=adcef153c308a73233f0f151be949284&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=adcef153c308a73233f0f151be949284&p=1"/></a> <img alt="" height="0" width="0" border="0" style="display:none" src="http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~4/TXUg-S5dFXk" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Rob Beschizza on March 12, 2010 01:01 PM · permalink

Schneier on Security

More Hollow Coins

A hollowed-out U.S. nickel can hold a microSD card. Pound and euro coins are also available. I blogged about this about a year ago as well.

Posted by schneier on March 12, 2010 12:58 PM · permalink

Boing Boing

Richard Thompson, "For Shame of Doing Wrong" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)

Almost every Richard Thompson song could be subtitled, "Watch out!" You never know where it's going next and you always have to be wary, even when he's having fun. Thompson is as familiar with the dark end of the street as any songwriter, he's a singer of uncommon emotion, and as a character in High Fidelity, the first novel by closet rock critic Nick Hornby, notes, he's "England's finest electric guitarist." Thompson is both tasteful and wild; one of three (so far) overlapping box sets of his recordings includes a disc labelled "Epic Live Workouts" that includes precisely zero wankery. "For Shame of Doing Wrong" is one of Thompson's strongest compositions. It began life on Pour Down Like Silver, one of the '70s recordings he co-headlined with Linda Thompson, they recorded it again for the sessions they abandoned in favor of the Joe Boyd-overseen Shoot Out the Lights (a strong candidate for Greatest Album of All Time of the Day), and this version, recorded live in 1985, is Thompson at his best. The lyrics overflow with regret without turning maudlin, the band rocks, and the only thing wrong with the extended guitar solo is that it isn't long enough. Enjoy! <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/vA5Q-IUK1p0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/vA5Q-IUK1p0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=c09008ecb30c2c8c3dfaed634b3f30c4&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=c09008ecb30c2c8c3dfaed634b3f30c4&p=1"/></a> <img alt="" height="0" width="0" border="0" style="display:none" src="http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~4/cqtr2pIjs7s" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Jimmy Guterman on March 12, 2010 12:45 PM · permalink

Slashdot

Sony Begins Selling HD Movies On Its PSN

itwbennett writes "Sony on Tuesday 'rolled out the ability to buy HD movies from the PlayStation Network,' writes blogger Peter Smith. Sony claims they're the first service to offer HD titles to own from all six major movie studios. Smith runs the numbers on 'standard' pricing for titles ($19.99 for new releases; $17.99 for older movies), file sizes (ranging from 4 GB for Zombieland to 7.5 GB for 2012), and resolution (720P as far as he can tell)."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Posted by Soulskill on March 12, 2010 12:26 PM · permalink

WSJ.com: Real Time Economics

Fed’s Dudley: Governments Need Fiscal Stimulus Exit Plan

Calling government budget deficits unsustainable, a top Federal Reserve official on Thursday called on national leaders to start laying out plans that would allow a move back to more manageable spending levels. <table class="imgrgtsum" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="262" align="right"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-HP686_dud021_D_20100219121354.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="174" align="right" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="medcptnocrd">New York Fed President William Dudley (Reuters)</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> “Just as there needs to be a credible exit strategy for monetary policy to anchor inflation expectations, there also needs to be a credible exit strategy from fiscal policy stimulus to anchor expectations about the risks of sovereign debt default,” Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William Dudley said Thursday. Much like the very stimulative state of monetary policy, the “accommodative” levels of government spending have been “appropriate” and in many cases unavoidable, given the shifts in demand seen in national economies, the policy maker said. As for the U.S., “without substantial fiscal stimulus, the economy would have been even weaker and the unemployment rate considerably higher.” But even as that’s the case, governments need to start thinking about and making public plans to get their respective fiscal houses back in order, the official said. Dudley, who is also vice-chairman of the interest rate setting Federal Open Market Committee, offered his comments in <a href="http://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/speeches/2010/dud100311.htm">the text of a speech</a> prepared for delivery before the Council of Society Business Economists Annual Dinner, in London. Dudley made no comment about the outlook for the U.S. economy, or for monetary policy. But his call for forming plans to making government spending more sustainable came at a time where central bankers are also mulling how to unwind a set of policies designed to support a badly wounded economy, one that needed zero% interest rates and intensive interventions into markets. Dudley’s case for government fiscal sustainability essentially argued national leaders need to make decisions now, so that markets don’t make the call later. When it comes to things like U.S. government debt, “market participants appear to be quite tolerant of the current large fiscal imbalance.” But thinking this will continue is “a risky strategy because it fully exposes the economy to the vagaries of market sentiment and because shifts in such sentiment can have important consequences for both the deficit path and the economy,” Dudley warned. To be sure, the central banker said he was not calling for some imminent shift in government spending patterns. “The economic recovery is still very fragile” and “premature fiscal retrenchment could jeopardize the recovery and push a convalescent economy into a double-dip recession,” he said. The official added any plan should be phased in slowly. Much of the rest of the official’s speech centered on issues of financial regulatory overhaul and the need to rebalance world economies. Dudley noted “the international consensus to harmonize standards globally appears fragile.” He added, “If each country acts to strengthen its financial system in an uncoordinated way, we will be left with a balkanized system, riddled with gaps that encourage regulatory arbitrage.” As many Fed officials have done, Dudley also argued against efforts to strip the central bank of its bank oversight powers. “The Federal Reserve is particularly well suited to this role,” one with the added benefits of aiding the central bank in its lender-of-last-resort role, and in its job of making monetary policy, Dudley said. The official also said the longer-run growth outlook would be better if consumption patterns were higher in emerging economies, and lower in the U.S. over a long run period. He warned that current patterns, which see a massive outflow of dollars to nations like China, are problematic, saying “a number of countries have surely reached a point at which further reserve accumulation comes with more costs than benefits.” Dudley also argued for more transparency across the financial system, particularly in things like the trading of derivative securities. “If regulators had ready access to current OTC derivatives transaction information in trade repositories, I suspect that this would serve as a brake on the use of OTC derivatives that are used for more questionable purposes,” Dudley said. <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/SIt15Szw9b_K5ksP5aOyGXaS7ZY/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/SIt15Szw9b_K5ksP5aOyGXaS7ZY/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/SIt15Szw9b_K5ksP5aOyGXaS7ZY/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/SIt15Szw9b_K5ksP5aOyGXaS7ZY/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/economics/feed?a=SNB7EdDMVTM:LLtjz8J1OHM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/economics/feed?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/economics/feed?a=SNB7EdDMVTM:LLtjz8J1OHM:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/economics/feed?i=SNB7EdDMVTM:LLtjz8J1OHM:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/economics/feed?a=SNB7EdDMVTM:LLtjz8J1OHM:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/economics/feed?i=SNB7EdDMVTM:LLtjz8J1OHM:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/economics/feed?a=SNB7EdDMVTM:LLtjz8J1OHM:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/economics/feed?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wsj/economics/feed/~4/SNB7EdDMVTM" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted on March 12, 2010 12:18 PM · permalink

Get Rich Slowly

Ask the Readers: How Do You Figure the Calculus of Kids?

I keep intending to retain “ask the readers” as a regular Friday feature — and I keep failing. You folks send me tons of great questions, and I’d love to share more of them. This week, for example, Lisa wrote with the following. “Having kids has made spending choices much more emotional and complex,” she says. “You can’t always calculate a return on investment.” Here’s her predicament: <blockquote> My husband and I are looking to purchase a home in our new city, but we’re having trouble deciding where our values, finances, and priorities intersect. We have young children, one who will start public school this year. We’re considering buying a home in a modest neighborhood so we could have a house/car replacement fund available, rather than taking all of the down payment money and putting it in a “better” house. The schools in the neighborhood are solid, but not the best in the district. If we buy in this smaller, less fancy area, we can choose a 15-year mortgage, minimize our overall house expenses, and have more money for all of life’s priorities. But, it feels like we’re “cheaping out” on the kids. To compound our “analysis paralysis”, we lost a fair amount of equity when we had to sell our house to transfer out of state, so we’re feeling less than enamored with the idea of putting money that is currently liquid into a building that isn’t guaranteed to hold its value, much less appreciate. (We have no car/consumer debt, and we have a comfortable emergency fund.) I think our family might feel more comfortable in a more modest neighborhood with more coupon-clipping parents and kids who don’t have the latest and greatest, but I also want my children to have a great education. Have other parents faced this battle, doing what’s best for the overall budget vs. doing what’s expected for our kids? We’d love to hear how it worked out for you. </blockquote> I love questions like this. They’re a clear demonstration that personal finance isn’t only about the numbers; it involves a complex calculus of math, emotions, and dreams. Most of the time, I can offer suggestions when people ask these sorts of questions. But when it comes to kids, I’m at a loss. Kris and I have chosen to remain childless, and as a result, I’ve never had to wrestle with these sorts of sticky issues. From a non-parent perspective, I admit that the obsession over which school a kid will attend seems…well, I don’t know how to put it in words that won’t make people angry. But I’ve watched friends and family go through mental and financial gyrations to get their kids into the right pre-schools, which boggles my mind. I’m a firm believer that education is more about the child than it is about the school. If a kid has been taught to love and value learning, she can thrive almost anywhere. In other words, I’d urge Lisa to make her decision based on finances and not the school district. This may mean she needs to take a more active role in fostering her children’s intellectual curiosity, but that’s a good thing all the way around. But what do I know? As I say, I don’t have kids, and I don’t know what it’s like to actually face this decision. It’s one thing to say it and another to live it. So, what do you parents say? How do you judge the trade-off between expenses and education? Is it worth paying more to live in a good school district? How does one make this sort of decision? --- Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:<ul><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/07/09/workshop-for-kids/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Workshop for Kids">Workshop for Kids</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/04/06/links-for-2007-04-06/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: links for 2007-04-06">links for 2007-04-06</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/03/26/links-for-2007-03-26/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: links for 2007-03-26">links for 2007-03-26</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/03/31/links-for-2007-03-31/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: links for 2007-03-31">links for 2007-03-31</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/11/08/how-do-you-teach-kids-the-value-of-money/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: How Do You Teach Kids the Value of Money?">How Do You Teach Kids the Value of Money?</a></ul> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/kQ3N_h79QxGwe80aFXcZNHAhssU/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/kQ3N_h79QxGwe80aFXcZNHAhssU/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/kQ3N_h79QxGwe80aFXcZNHAhssU/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/kQ3N_h79QxGwe80aFXcZNHAhssU/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?a=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?a=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?i=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?a=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:69LSlcDtVW8"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?d=69LSlcDtVW8" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?a=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?i=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?a=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?i=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?a=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?i=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?a=c12nh54XXWs:DUYMc9c38gQ:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/getrichslowly?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> </div>

Posted by J.D. Roth on March 12, 2010 12:00 PM · permalink

Planet Python

Rene Dudfield: Memory usage of processes from python?

Is there a way to find the memory usage of python processes? Trying to find some portable way of doing this. However, so far I think a new module might be needed... I've got linux mostly covered, but maybe you know how with freebsd, OSX, windows(9x-7)? So is there something built into python already? Is there a X-platform third party module already? Or a module just for one platform available? <img id="renef0o" src="http://rene.f0o.com/renef0o.gif" height="24" width="32" border="0" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width="1" height="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10678074-7981061079612882083?l=renesd.blogspot.com" alt="" /></div>

Posted on March 12, 2010 11:48 AM · permalink

Slashdot

UK Gov't Wants Facebook To Feature Child Safety Button

judgecorp writes "Harriet Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, has said that UK government ministers are 'taking action' to get Facebook to add a British child protection button (called CEOP) to its site. The move comes after the UK's Daily Mail withdrew allegations that teenagers on Facebook are continually pestered — though Facebook is still considering suing the paper. The campaign apparently ignores Facebook's assertion that it already has better child protection in place and the CEOP button would be limited to the UK."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Posted by timothy on March 12, 2010 11:40 AM · permalink

O'Reilly Radar - Insight, analysis, and research about emerging

Four short links: 12 March 2010

<ol> <li><a href="http://hint.fm/projects/flickr/">Flickr Flow</a> -- a "season wheel", showing the relative popularity of colours in Flickr photos at different times of the year. Beautiful. (via <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/03/flickrs-season-wheel.html">gurneyjourney</a>)</li> <li><A href="http://ctovision.com/2010/03/more-on-light-peak-very-high-data-rate-from-the-grid-to-your-computer/">Light Peak</a> -- optical peripheral cabling and motherboard connections. (via <a href="http://twitter.com/timoreilly">timoreilly on twitter</a>)</li> <li><a href="https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=ind1003&L=MCG&T=0&F=&S=&P=60254">British Museum Pilots "Wikipedian in Residence"</a> -- Liam's underlying task will be to be to build a relationship between the Museum and the Wikipedian community through a range of activities both internally and public-facing. (via <a href="http://delicious.com/straup">straup on Delicious</a>)</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.zendesk.com/forums/26810/entries/78525">Twitter's Location Policy</a> -- If you chose to tweet with a place, but not to share your exact coordinates, Twitter still needs to use your coordinates to determine your Place. In order to improve the accuracy of our geolocation systems (for example, the way we define neighborhoods and places), Twitter will temporarily store those coordinates for 6 months. Because how could anything go wrong if there's a database containing 6 months of my precise locations stored on the Internet even when I've chosen not to share my precise location? (via <a href="http://delicious.com/straup">straup on Delicious</a>)</li> </ol> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/oreilly/radar/atom?a=LdD2uSmmVJg:TMNAr8hHNCw:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/oreilly/radar/atom?i=LdD2uSmmVJg:TMNAr8hHNCw:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/oreilly/radar/atom?a=LdD2uSmmVJg:TMNAr8hHNCw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/oreilly/radar/atom?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/oreilly/radar/atom?a=LdD2uSmmVJg:TMNAr8hHNCw:JEwB19i1-c4"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/oreilly/radar/atom?i=LdD2uSmmVJg:TMNAr8hHNCw:JEwB19i1-c4" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/oreilly/radar/atom?a=LdD2uSmmVJg:TMNAr8hHNCw:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/oreilly/radar/atom?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/oreilly/radar/atom/~4/LdD2uSmmVJg" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Nat Torkington on March 12, 2010 11:00 AM · permalink

Atanu Dey on India's Development

Arun Shourie’s Interview on Rediff

In a 11 March rediff article titled “<a href="http://getahead.rediff.com/report/2010/mar/11/achievers-interview-with-arun-shourie.htm">Mediocrity has become the norm</a>“, the transcript of an interview of Arun Shourie makes interesting reading. I especially like his views on how Indian education has to change. Excerpts: <blockquote>I have been very fortunate, meaning I have not had to struggle with poverty so to say. I am the son of a very honest civil servant, a very creative one. But I struggled against authority, which would mean governments, dominant intellectual fashions etc. For instance, when everybody was a socialist, I felt that those controls, and the License Quota Raj is going to cost us a generation and everybody condemned what I wrote at that time. </blockquote> The other evening at a dinner someone defended Mr Nehru. I had said that Nehru was clueless about economics: he insisted on a socialistic centrally planned economy and that it was a disaster. The other person said that Nehru went for socialistic planning because that was the fashion those days. Yes, it may have been the fashion among ignorant retards. People who have vision and are intelligent see beyond the fashions of their time. They are leaders, not people who don’t know that they don’t know. But let me not go on a rant on Nehru. There will be world enough and time. Shourie: <blockquote> . . . much of the change is brought about by very small elites. The great masses of India [ Images ] can’t produce metal alloys that are needed for rocketry, for missiles, for the Arjun tank. So, we must respect elitism when it is based on merit and competence. Now, mediocrity has become the norm. Intimidation has become argument, and assault has become proof. Because I can assault you therefore I am right. So, I am much for elitism, which is based on opportunity or everybody, positive help for everybody. And, based entirely on performance and merit. The current, reducing elitism to be a prerogative (sic) word has come entirely from this Leftist discourse. Which is, under the guise of equality, you pull down the standards. And anyone who has achieved something, you say, damn fool, elitist.</blockquote> I am sure that Shourie must have said “pejorative” and someone not too familiar with English took it as “prerogative.” Anyway, the UPA government is doing its best to drag India back to some Gandhian state of innocence and purity where “spiritual” values fill the empty stomachs of Indians. The race to the bottom will see India at the bottom soon enough. In 1982, I learn from the interview that Mrs Indira Gandhi got on Shourie’s case and got him fired from his newspaper job. That’s how dictators behave — if they don’t like what you write, they make life miserable for you. Mrs Gandhi was a ruthless person. Her name is plastered over all sorts of schemes, roads, airports, and institutions. But Indians actually celebrate the triumphs of those who raped India — Aurangzeb is one such. Go to Delhi and drive around Mother Teresa Crescent. Another ruthless person. Moving along, here’s what Shourie feels about private entrepreneurs in education <blockquote> . . . they will come only if there is profit involved. But, they will not be able to build an institute, an institution of excellence, if they keep interfering and running it as a business. A good model is American institutions; they are all set up by millionaires. Somebody gives a million dollars, someone donates acres of land. But, after that he doesn’t interfere, he has that self-restraint to leave it to professionals, each of whom has been selected on the only criteria of their extreme dedication to education. . . . My regret is that a larger number of Indian industrialists who have done well and set up institutes of excellence in their own industries have not done the same thing in education. I am quite hopeful that the new breed of entrepreneurs are self-made men, who did not have much money to begin with but are now billionaires. If they are enabled to come into the field of education, they will bring the same spirit into education; that is my plea. If we don’t do that, the field will be open to racketeers, they will definitely come in and fill up the vacuum. That is the scene as of now, which happens in every society.</blockquote> To the question of appropriate policy framework, Shourie says <blockquote>The greater freedom to persons of worth to set up educational institutions, is one. But, at the same time strong rating agencies which are not in the hands of anybody, they are free spirits. True rating agencies, regulations but ratings that will put pressure for excellence. Some of those will be corrupted, no doubt. Racketeers will suborn those who are doing the rating. But, some will arise among them saying ‘No, our future depends, even our business future depends on being a credible rating.’ Second thing that will improve standards is surfeit of supply. Today, racketeers are prospering, because there is a shortage. That is how regulaters get corrupt.</blockquote> I have proposed that India should have an Education Regulatory Authority. See this post “<a href="http://www.deeshaa.org/2004/10/05/a-modest-proposal-part-3/">A Modest Proposal to Make India 100 percent Literate in 3 years.</a>” That post is around 6 years old. Then Shourie is asked what he would do to bring about change. <blockquote>To clean up the regulators, because that is the most accessible thing that a Minister can first do, UGC, AICTE and all. The main thing would be to encourage a large number of publications and freelancers to monitor their contributions. That would go a long way. Third, to do everything possible to turn our education system to the future. It’s not looking far enough, in terms of the syllabi, that’s very important. Probably use technology to get over the shortage of good teachers. That’s very possible today and that would be a quick way to multiply quality in India. We can use institutions which are known for excellence to do their corporate social responsibility by becoming places to upgrade teacher quality in their regions.</blockquote> I have added the emphasis in the last para quoted above. I have been working on precisely that for the last few years. Mr Shourie is good. That is why India is unlikely to have him as the prime minister. A flock of sheep will not vote to have a lion as their leader.

Posted by Atanu Dey on March 12, 2010 10:34 AM · permalink

Seth's Blog

Wondering around

I stumbled on a great typo last night. "Staff in the lobby were wondering around..."Wandering around is an aimless waste of time.Wondering around, though, that sounds useful.Wondering why this product is the way it is, wondering how you can make the lobby more welcoming, wondering if your best customers are happily sharing your ideas with others... So many things worth wondering about, so few people actually taking the time to do it.Wondering around is the act of inquiring with generous spirit.<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?a=p_rUDVUg7Do:An8fI_k2nzY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?a=p_rUDVUg7Do:An8fI_k2nzY:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?i=p_rUDVUg7Do:An8fI_k2nzY:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?a=p_rUDVUg7Do:An8fI_k2nzY:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?i=p_rUDVUg7Do:An8fI_k2nzY:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?a=p_rUDVUg7Do:An8fI_k2nzY:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/sethsmainblog/~4/p_rUDVUg7Do" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Seth Godin on March 12, 2010 10:16 AM · permalink

Slashdot

China To Tap Combustible Ice As New Energy Source

lilbridge writes "Huge reserves of "combustible ice" — frozen methane and water — have been discovered in the tundra of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. Estimates show that there is enough combustible ice to provide 90 years worth of energy for China. Burning the combustible ice may be a far better alternative than letting it just melt, releasing tons of methane into the air."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Posted by timothy on March 12, 2010 10:00 AM · permalink

S Anand

ImportHtml doesn’t auto-refresh

A cool thing about <a href="http://docs.google.com/">Google Spreadsheets</a> is that you can scrape websites using <a href="http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=75507">external data functions</a> like importHtml. It’s really easy to use. The formula: <pre>=importHtml("http://www.imdb.com/chart/top", "table", 1)</pre> imports the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/chart/top">Internet Movie Database top 250</a> table on to Google Spreadsheets. Since you can <a href="http://www.mmmeeja.com/blog/web-development/google-spreadsheets-rss.html">publish these as RSS feeds</a>, it ought to, in theory, be a great way of generating RSS feeds out of arbitrary content. There’s just one problem: <a href="http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google%20Docs/thread?tid=46676d88b38e0c50&hl=en">it doesn’t auto update</a>. There are claims that it does <a href="http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google%20Docs/thread?tid=061199840171feea&hl=en">every</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/View?docID=dhrr6ms2_523cs7274fv&pageview=1&hgd=1">hour</a>. Maybe it does when the sheet is open. I don’t know. But it definitely does not when the sheet is closed. I wrote a simple script that logs the time at which the script was accessed, and prints the log every time it is accessed. <div class="wp_syntax"><div class="code"><pre class="python" style="font-family:monospace;">#!/usr/bin/env python   import datetime, os.path   print 'Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8' print ''   logfile = 'timenow.log' try: timelog = open(logfile).readlines() except: timelog = [] timelog.append(str(datetime.datetime.now()) + '\n') open(logfile, 'w').writelines(timelog) print ''.join(timelog)</pre></div></div> Then I importHtml’ed it into Google spreadsheets, and left it on for the night. Result: absolutely no hits when the document is closed. Pity. Guess <a href="http://developer.yahoo.com/yql/">YQL</a> is still the best option. <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/sanand/~4/nbjE7yIRKVI" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by S Anand on March 12, 2010 09:54 AM · permalink

VentureBlog

"How to Create a Personal Brand as a Venture Capitalist"

I received an email today from ExecSense Webinars advertising a course on "How to Create a Personal Brand as a Venture Capitalist." That's right, for $250, I can learn "specific ways to use speaking engagements, published articles and social media web sites as a way to establish [myself] as a thought leader." Who knew it was so easy?

VCs don't often talk about brand. Brand is a dirty word in the venture business. Yet just today I had two different conversations about VC marketing. The first conversation was with Jennifer Jones. Jennifer has been working with VCs on marketing for two decades now. And she's really good at it. I suspect that in a VC marketing death match, Jennifer would pretty handily crush ExecSense Webinars. She wouldn't talk about generic speaking engagements and social media websites. She would talk about finding "your people" (my phrase) and how to reach them in genuine, engaging and unique ways. She would know that anything you can learn in a VC marketing webinar is insufficiently differentiated to have a real impact. She would know that Venture Capital is a people business and VC marketing is about connecting with people, not giving some soulless speech at an industry event.

The second conversation I had was at lunch with a couple of friends in the VC business. We were chatting about early stage investors and got to talking about Josh Kopelman. I made the assertion that Josh was the best marketer in all of venture capital, to which one of my lunch companions replied "he's a marketing savant." Trust me, it was pure admiration. If you want to appreciate what "people marketing" is all about, ask a few entrepreneurs what they think of Josh Kopelman and First Round Capital. Josh understands how to connect with "his people" and make a splash. Remember, this is the very same guy who convinced a little town in Oregon to change its name to "Half.com" and to feel good about it.

If you want to see what successful VC marketing looks like, take a few minutes and watch the First Round Capital holiday videos. You'll see a group of entrepreneurs who like their investors so much that they are willing to do embarrassing things on their behalf (including dancing and singing). In a three minute video, you see the slew of great companies that First Round has backed, as well as the powerful relationship that the First Round team has with their entrepreneurs.

None of this is to suggest that you VCs out there should go make a dance video with your portfolio companies. Nor will I be convincing a small town in the Pacific Northwest to change its name to "August Capital, Oregon" any time soon. But it is worth thinking about how we as VCs are perceived by the entrepreneurial community and how we might better connect with those folks. The Venture business is a people business and VC marketing is all about the people. So there is no more powerful way to build a brand than to garner a well-earned reputation as a supportive, thoughtful, helpful participant in the company-building ecosystem. No number of clever videos or slogans, or even speeches on the rubber chicken circuit, can replace the power of entrepreneurs singing your praises. So forget the webinar and focus on what matters -- bringing real value to the people around you. That's what Venture Capital brand building is all about.

Posted by David Hornik on March 12, 2010 09:36 AM · permalink

Planet Python

Kiwi PyCon: Kiwi PyCon 2010 - November 20-21, Copthorne Hotel & Resort Bay of Islands

Kiwi PyCon 2010 - November 20-21, Copthorne Hotel & Resort Bay of Islands

Posted on March 12, 2010 09:16 AM · permalink

PassionForCinema

Harry Brown Movie Review

<a href="http://passionforcinema.com/harry-brown-movie-review/harry-brown/" rel="attachment wp-att-29747"><img src="http://passionforcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/Harry-Brown.jpg" alt="" title="Harry-Brown" width="500" height="373" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29747" /></a> Post contains some spoilers As the world around us is becoming smaller with each passing day, it is also becoming more dangerous and vulnerable to various kinds of threats and this thought itself is scary .Different kinds of dangerous people and elements,groups ,organisations are surrounding us from various corners and this is making us all the more vulnerable and scared. The idea of a perfect world is diminishing and getting bleaker with each passing day. Harry Brown starring Michael Caine depicts this world in a very real and chilling way. Set in present day Britain, the film focuses on a bunch of neighborhood street thugs who are making life hell for the residents . Where the thugs are creating menace with gleeful abandon and the police are nothing more than mere spectators. The storyline of the film shares certain similarities with Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino. But while Gran Torino looked at a similar issue in a rather subtle way, Harry Brown takes an uncompromising , unapologetic and a more gritty look at the issue. Michael Caine plays an ex-mariner who decides to take on the thugs by himself after his friend is killed and the cops aren’t doing much either. The storyline may be quite ordinary but what sets the film apart from other similarly themed films is the direction by Daniel Barber.And a good screenplay by Gary Young which tries to depict the things as realistically as possible. The atrocities committed by the thugs is depicted in a very disturbing and real way. The opening scene itself is a proof of this which shows a bunch of thugs consuming drugs, getting and high and in this intoxicated state kill the mother of a 5 year old child and end up getting themselves killed by a speeding truck. The scene has been shot in such a way that it resembles a footage from a mobile phone and this gives it an even more disturbing effect. The film begins on a slow note, perhaps to depict the boring lonely everyday life of a pensioner (Caine) who doesn’t have much zest for life and goes with his usual chores like having his breakfast, watching the television with least interest and whose wife is nearing her end. However the film gains momentum when his friend (David Bradley) is killed by the thugs and after not getting any justice for his friend he decides to take the law into his own hands. For quite some time in the film, the scenes involving the thugs are shot in such a way which gives Caine’s character an outsider’s perspective and not really giving us a direct insight into the misdeeds of the thugs. This makes the proceedings even more interesting for you really don’t know what the thugs are actually upto , but this depiction is enough to make the audience aware that things are not going to be easy. The film is also shot in a very dark and bleak tone, perhaps to highlight the sorry and grim state of affairs surrounding us . The transition of Caine’s character from a sad and grieving loner to an angry vigilante determined to set things straight is done in a right and effective way.Caine’s character is not at all computer savvy, uses the most basic of guns and ammo which makes his character more identifiable. <a rel="attachment wp-att-29659" href="http://passionforcinema.com/harry-brown-movie-review/harry-brown-michael-caine-02/"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-29659" src="http://passionforcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/harry-brown-michael-caine-02-200x133.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="212" /></a> The action scenes are also shot in a very realistic and logical way keeping in mind that the film centers around an aged protagonist trying to defend himself and hoping for a better tomorrow by trying to set things straight . And not someone ala Rambo or a Commando who has turned into a merciless killing machine. There is a scene in the film in which Caine goes to buy a gun from a shady dealer , but after reaching the dealer’s place he is disgusted by the filth surrounding the dealers home which involves a drugged out girl who has been captured on camera having sex by the dealer and is now in a drugged state and the dealer also offers Caine a chance to sleep with her for a meagre sum of money. This sad state of affairs angers Caine no end who decides to kill the dealer and rescue the girl before leaving. The way the entire scene has been shot is remarkable and also the way Caine’s character kills the dealer is gut wrenching. The way in which Caine and the actor playing the dealer have performed the scene is remarkable. I have never seen Michael Caine in a role this nasty or gritty ever before. Michael Caine is simply superb as the lonely widower who suddenly finds a cause to live for after his only friend dies. The way Caine has depicted the loneliness , helplessness and anger of the character is simply superb. Watch him in the scenes in which he breaks after learning about his wife and his friend’s demise . Or the scene in which he watches the video clip of his friend being killed by the thugs is also superb. The varied emotions which he displays in the scene while depicting his anger and a desire to seek revenge is simply superb. Caine shows that he can still kick ass old school style. The youngsters led by actor Ben Drew are perfect in their depiction of the thugs. They portray their characters with the right amount of nastiness and menace invoking sheer disgust for their characters. Although towards the end film becomes somewhat predictable , but for most of the times the film is a gripping watch which is complemented by Caine’s excellent performance. In a nutshell, Harry Brown is a recommended watch. <div><img src="http://passionforcinema.com/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/gfx.php?type=thumbs&value=0" /></div><div>Score: 0 (0 votes cast)</div> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZI8FoWzxj-s78U_GL-zdRTsW-PM/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZI8FoWzxj-s78U_GL-zdRTsW-PM/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZI8FoWzxj-s78U_GL-zdRTsW-PM/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZI8FoWzxj-s78U_GL-zdRTsW-PM/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=dH7m8IW4yD0:qZToGE2O2Ew:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=dH7m8IW4yD0:qZToGE2O2Ew:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=dH7m8IW4yD0:qZToGE2O2Ew:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?i=dH7m8IW4yD0:qZToGE2O2Ew:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=dH7m8IW4yD0:qZToGE2O2Ew:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?i=dH7m8IW4yD0:qZToGE2O2Ew:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=dH7m8IW4yD0:qZToGE2O2Ew:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?i=dH7m8IW4yD0:qZToGE2O2Ew:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=dH7m8IW4yD0:qZToGE2O2Ew:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/passionforcinema/~4/dH7m8IW4yD0" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Aditya Savnal on March 12, 2010 09:14 AM · permalink

ongoing

Urban Colors

Assignment for <a href="http://dailyshoot.com/assignments/116">Dailyshoot 116</a> on 2010/03/11: “"Rules" can be stifling if taken to extremes. Break the rules today with focus, composition, etc, and see what happens.” <img src="ds116.png" alt="Urban Colors"></img> This is Railspur Alley on Granville Island; the picture exhibits no fidelity whatever to the actually fairly interesting albeit soft shades of this much-patched wall.

Posted on March 12, 2010 09:05 AM · permalink

The Indian Investor's Blog

The Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Household

<a href="http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/living/jhunjhunwala-s-real-bull-run" target="_blank">A story about the (almost) billionaire</a> talks about all of the stuff beyond the trading room. His children, an 18,000 sq. ft. holiday home, how his wife had to be on total bed-rest for three months before delivering their daughter, the Mumbai blue-bloods who tried to make it difficult for the middle-class rooted tycoon buying into their society and the best part – that he has no customer, no clients except Rekha, his wife, who’s a captive customer. Very impressive, and very inspiring. <blockquote> The latest Forbes India rich list counts 49-year-old Jhunjhunwala as the 58th richest man in the country, with a fortune of $915 million (Rs 4,209 crore). “I have far less than people think, far more than I need. My wealth fluctuates by 5 per cent every week,” he says. But even an amateur guesstimate of listed and unlisted investments, private equity interests and cash holdings safely puts the former chartered accountant’s net worth at over a billion dollars. “Whatever is known publicly is underestimated,” says a source close to him. </blockquote> On a different note, This is an interview I’m sure he appreciated: <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:263d2a70-0d4a-4e7e-bbb5-2d41cd07e9d8" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><div id="20d87e33-1479-4d8c-b560-8202ae3820be" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4NnqYSwc_Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" target="_new"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_cwHfePkadc4/S5oBhAYyj-I/AAAAAAAAAlA/5ftT9j7qVsk/video4400290743aa%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('20d87e33-1479-4d8c-b560-8202ae3820be'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/E4NnqYSwc_Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/E4NnqYSwc_Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"> This post is written by <a href="http://blog.investraction.com">Deepak Shenoy</a>, at <a href="http://blog.investraction.com">Capital Mind</a>. <img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/18601284-3291379594067886117?l=blog.investraction.com' alt='' /></div> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/pTNyJro17w1HrjfFWWJPK-4qxbU/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/pTNyJro17w1HrjfFWWJPK-4qxbU/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/pTNyJro17w1HrjfFWWJPK-4qxbU/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/pTNyJro17w1HrjfFWWJPK-4qxbU/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheIndianInvestorsBlog/~4/E3n-nytlKdw" height="1" width="1"/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=qXRTWwjv4SQ:bovpXcQpxns:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=qXRTWwjv4SQ:bovpXcQpxns:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?i=qXRTWwjv4SQ:bovpXcQpxns:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=qXRTWwjv4SQ:bovpXcQpxns:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=qXRTWwjv4SQ:bovpXcQpxns:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=qXRTWwjv4SQ:bovpXcQpxns:4cEx4HpKnUU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?i=qXRTWwjv4SQ:bovpXcQpxns:4cEx4HpKnUU" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheInvestorBlog/~4/qXRTWwjv4SQ" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Deepak Shenoy (noreply@blogger.com) on March 12, 2010 08:55 AM · permalink

PassionForCinema

[Editor's Pick]: The Mary and the blast of silence

<a rel="attachment wp-att-29762" href="http://passionforcinema.com/editors-pick-the-mary-and-the-blast-of-silence/editors-pic-copy-6/"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-29762" title="editor's pic PFC" src="http://passionforcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/editors-pic-copy5-195x250.jpg" alt="" width="195" height="250" /></a>Its been a tough time for the editor’s to pick the best post. This time again we have a tie between two posts: <a href="http://passionforcinema.com/author/prasanthvijay/" target="_blank">Prasnth Vijay</a>’s post <a href="http://passionforcinema.com/the-virgin-marys-of-cinema/" target="_blank">The Virgin Mary’s of Cinema</a> and <a href="http://passionforcinema.com/author/sid/" target="_blank">Siddharth Pillai</a>’s post <a href="http://passionforcinema.com/blast-of-silence-scream-went-the-night-that-nobody-heard/" target="_blank">Blast of Silence: Scream went the Night that Nobody Heard</a> are this time’s Editor’s pick(s). Special Mention for <a href="../author/fazil/" target="_blank">Fazil</a>’s <a href="../michael-hanekes-funny-games/" target="_blank">Funny Games review</a> Congratulations to all! About Siddharth’s posts, you sometimes get confused if you are reading a book, a film script or a blog post <img src='http://passionforcinema.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> The impressive postmodern impressions that go in the post are a treat too. Fantastic writing and great analysis of cinema. Blast of Silence is such a review. <blockquote>‘Blast of Silence’, one of the first independent American productions, a contemporary of John Cassavetes’ ‘Shadows’, offers an unflinching stare that brings in the burn. Frankie Bono’s isolation and detachment is no ‘be cool’, neither can it afford to be something as a warm and righteous as a ‘code of conduct’ a la Melville. Circumstances, society, what makes the world tick- a man simply cannot afford to be anything other than a cold, calculating machine.</blockquote> Prasanth’s post brought out an interesting coincidence of two ex-wife filmmakers making it big. His analysis on both Kathryn Bigelow and Nina Palley are well thought out. <blockquote>The similarities between personal and creative courses of Kathryn and Nina seem really uncanny. Both were already established artists when their husbands left them. Both preferred to remain unmarried, caressing their pets and their creativity. In art, both took up topics which were very unlikely for them- be it the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team in Iraq or the Indian epic, Ramayana. But most remarkably, both were able to finish their works with minimum interference on their creativity.</blockquote> Special Mention: Another post that was considered heavily by the panel was Fazil’s Funny Games review. A very good write up on an important film about violence as how Haneke sees it. Good writing! <div><img src="http://passionforcinema.com/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/gfx.php?type=thumbs&value=0" /></div><div>Score: 0 (0 votes cast)</div> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/DqfnLV8Srifph_l_dYP9uEF2nsM/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/DqfnLV8Srifph_l_dYP9uEF2nsM/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/DqfnLV8Srifph_l_dYP9uEF2nsM/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/DqfnLV8Srifph_l_dYP9uEF2nsM/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=zNClnnV1o-w:3KsdrGnv_XE:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=zNClnnV1o-w:3KsdrGnv_XE:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=zNClnnV1o-w:3KsdrGnv_XE:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?i=zNClnnV1o-w:3KsdrGnv_XE:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=zNClnnV1o-w:3KsdrGnv_XE:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?i=zNClnnV1o-w:3KsdrGnv_XE:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=zNClnnV1o-w:3KsdrGnv_XE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?i=zNClnnV1o-w:3KsdrGnv_XE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?a=zNClnnV1o-w:3KsdrGnv_XE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/passionforcinema?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/passionforcinema/~4/zNClnnV1o-w" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by PFCdesktop on March 12, 2010 08:53 AM · permalink

Slashdot

A Sad Day For the New Zealand Internet

An anonymous reader writes "Another one bites the dust, as New Zealand's Internet filter stealthily goes live with two smaller ISPs, and three of the largest already rumoured to have signed up to do the same. However, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is apparently 'committed to helping people to circumvent government internet filtering,' so perhaps the USA will launch an invasion to free the poor downtrodden Kiwis from their own evil government?" Clever of one of the acquiescing ISPs to have named itself "Watchdog."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Posted by timothy on March 12, 2010 08:36 AM · permalink

ComputorEdge Online - San Diego

Worldwide News & Product Reviews: The latest in tech news and hot product reviews.

The latest in tech news and hot product reviews. Laptop Users: Turn Off Your Wi-Fi--Laptops are being stolen using Wi-Fi-detection techniques; New NVIDIA ION Netbooks--Products feature great battery life and superior performance; V-Moda Vibe II Earphones with Microphone--Perfect for when you want both great sound and the ability to carry on a phone conversation.

Posted by Charles Carr on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Wally Wang's Apple Farm: Managing Programs and Files

Managing Programs and Files Find those misplaced files on your Mac with the handy Finder, Spotlight tool, or nifty organizational features like color-coding. Also, Microsoft has chosen to promote two mobile phone systems that aren't compatible with each other; building an iPhone app quickly and easily with Runtime Revolution's revMobile; a Penguin Books' demonstration shows the interactive power of the iPad; the future is coming for Microsoft--in 2003; and a tip on clicking and Option-clicking on the volume-control icon on the menu bar to switch between headphones and speakers on your Mac.

Posted by Wally Wang on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Windows Tips and Tricks: Checking Out Libraries: Libraries in Windows 7 can help you get organized.

Libraries in Windows 7 can help you get organized. Libraries in Windows 7 are an important new file-management feature that deserves more attention.

Posted by Jack Dunning on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

ComputorEdge 03/12/2010: Protecting Our Data

Common ways we defeat the systems designed to protect our data. Plus, a look at a file-revision management program.

Posted by ComputorEdge Online - San Diego (ceedletters@computoredge.com) on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Spam of the Week: Your Amazon Order: The latest in annoying and dangerous e-mail currently making the rounds.

The latest in annoying and dangerous e-mail currently making the rounds. This week, spammers are targeting Amazon customers with fake order cancellations. Don't click that link!

Posted by ComputorEdge Staff on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Linux Lessons: Tips and Tricks from Users: Shell Scripting Continued

Shell Scripting Continued This week, we will modify our script to create a much more efficient script that handles multiple decisions and cleanly exits if our tests fail.

Posted by Pete Choppin on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Editor's Letters: Tips and Thoughts from Readers: Computer and Internet tips, plus comments on the articles and columns.

Computer and Internet tips, plus comments on the articles and columns. "Virus Removal," "Memory Stick Drives and Write Protection," "Diagnostic Tools for Solid State Drives," "Machine vs. Service"

Posted by ComputorEdge Staff on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Subversion for File-Revision Management: A way to turn back time in your file management.

A way to turn back time in your file management. Subversion is a robust solution for tracking changes to files and directories. Here's what you need to do to get started so that you could go back to an earlier version of a file or folder if needed.

Posted by Michael J. Ross on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

EdgeWord: A Caution for Bookkeepers?: Sometimes things just don't feel right.

Sometimes things just don't feel right. A suspicious e-mail and a little sleuthing raises the possibility that phishers are upping their game, going through legitimate advertising channels to snare victims.

Posted by Jack Dunning on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Digital Dave: Digital Dave answers your tech questions.

Digital Dave answers your tech questions. A reader wonders how comments are posted to Digital Dave's column so quickly; some older software won't run properly on a reader's 64-bit Windows 7 computer; a reader's Firefox toolbar has disappeared.

Posted by Digital Dave on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Oops! Where Did That File Go?: File management is rife with opportunities for self-induced errors.

File management is rife with opportunities for self-induced errors. With the invention of computing, the opportunities for making mistakes, such as accidentally deleting a file, have multiplied. We need to protect us from ourselves.

Posted by Jack Dunning on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Rob, The ComputorTutor: Web Programming: JavaScript Objects

JavaScript Objects Last week, we started to look at some practical uses of JavaScript in Web pages. This week, we'll continue learning about JavaScript tools..

Posted by Rob Spahitz on March 12, 2010 08:00 AM · permalink

Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind

Shuru Ho Gaya Mamu

Driving in from Netaji Subhash airport to South Calcutta, in between posters of Konkona advertising real-estate, my eyes were assailed by gigantic cut-outs of the great King Khan, wearing KKR’s new purple jersey (tough luck to all the suckers who spent moolah buying their black jerseys), cut out of the same lingerie cloth as their old uniform but with a kinkier color, having the suitably pithy slogan “Luck De” (which I initially read as “Lick De”). Suitably seduced, I leaned back, closed my eyes and thought to myself—-Oh to be in India now that IPL is here. Front page of newspapers replaced by a gigantic advertisement for the tournament. IPL countdown clocks on every channel.The stench of money, greed and cheap thrills. So who will win the IPL? Its futile speculating and frankly I am not interested. Okay if you really want me to stick my head out, it should be Delhi Daredevils because very simply put, they have an overwhelmingly strong team, so strong that in the interests of fairness the fight should be stopped before it begins. Sehwag, Gambhir, Dilshan, Warner, De Villiers are five of the world’s best devastators and they are ALL in one team and could potentially play together. But then again, who really cares as to who wins except those who place the bets and those who carry home the prize money? I personally only care for one thing. And that is entertainment. What kind of entertainment? Let me explain. <a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4425838959_a56ee4366f.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4425838959_a56ee4366f.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a> Now when I saw this (picture taken by <a href="http://suhelbanerjee.blogspot.com">Suhel</a>) I think I understood the ostensible theme of the ad—badass men with charger-like horns you dont mess with, even if one them bowls at 125 Kmph nowadays. But what truly entertained me was the subtext—-I am “horny”. Yes. And while the horny angle is lost on Andrew Symonds, about whom those beautiful lines were penned in Dilli 6 “Humare pyar mein yeh bandar baan baithe”, who looks as usual angry and drunk, it is RP the Role Player with the bedroom eyes and the whole “My bowling is like my love-making style—slow, gentle and very compassionate” thing he has got going which makes me all weak in the knees. This is why I give Chargers my thumbs-up and I will definitely be behind them through the season. The team I am most disappointed in is the Bangalore Royal Challengers. In 2008, they regaled us with bald-pate-glistening I-have-no-clue-about-cricket-but-watch-my-lips-move Charu Sharma as the CEO, T20 superstar Wasim Jaffer galloping like a snail, old age home escapee Sunil Joshi out for a walk in the park and a red-faced maniacal owner. Since then, they have radically firmed up their act and look a very strong and balanced cricketing side with Manish Pandey, Virat Kohli and Morgan forming a crux of next-gen stars backed up by the experience of a Dravid, Kumble, Kallis, Boucher and by mid-career players like White, Taylor and Steyn at the top of their games. Which means there will be no room for Wasim Jaffer’s pyrotechnics or of the King of Good Times blowing his top. My favorite team of course, purely on the basis of the entertainment they provide, will remain the KKR. And I will be at the Eden come Sunday to support them against the Bangalore Royal Challengers. I will raise the slogan of “Amar lokkhi roton chele” (My darling gem of a boy) in the tremulous voice of a thakuma (grandmother) as Laxmi Ratan comes in to bowl. I shall roll my tongue around “Jol-e chul taja, tel-e chun taja, bench-e Mor Taja” (sorry no translation for non-Bong readers) as I try to spy with my right eye the world’s most highly paid benchwarmer. I shall shout till I go hoarse if (I hear he is injured) UnLucky Chikna Agarkar, his ears flopping in the breeze, comes in to bowl like a Santa Claus bearing gifts for the batsman. I shall snigger at the sight of Ishant Sharma, standing mid-pitch after being struck for a six, with the expression of a man whose pocket has been picked. Twice in one day. Will all this be worth the Rs 1200 I will shell out for my ticket—-around the same price one would pay, once upton a time, to watch 5 days of Test cricket? I think you know the answer to that one. <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/greatbong/kMBB?a=sm4s1ngC170:6c4jW5Eoy-4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/greatbong/kMBB?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/greatbong/kMBB/~4/sm4s1ngC170" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by greatbong on March 12, 2010 07:40 AM · permalink

The Indian Investor's Blog

Links: Lehman, ICICI, Billionaires, IIP and Sugar

<ul> <li>WSJ: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703625304575115963009594440.html" target="_blank">Lehman Torpedoed Lehman</a> – A bankruptcy court examiner investigates and finds that senior Lehman executives fudged its balance sheet, kept the board uninformed and bumped up asset values. </li> <li>ICICI Bank stops <a href="http://www.livemint.com/2010/03/11233333/ICICI-Bank-stops-selling-lifet.html?h=A1" target="_blank">giving out free lifetime cards</a>. What’s happening in there? They recently sold their <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/banking/finance/banking/Cost-cutting-ICICI-sells-Prabhadevi-property/articleshow/5661134.cms" target="_blank">CEO’s house</a>. Insiders have started selling – two of them, including an ED, have sold between 70-100% of their holding in the last week. Building up fee income and clearing out assets? The stock has been doing amazingly well, up over 15% in the last month. </li> <li>The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data for Jan 2010 <a href="http://mospi.nic.in/t2.pdf" target="_blank">shows a 16.7% increase</a> since Jan 2009. The data is unreliable, because the revisions are huge. Example: The December release last month showed an index value of 331.7 – it has been revised to 334. Similar revisions on the downside happen all the time. Better, perhaps to look at seasonally adjusted figures, <a href="http://www.mayin.org/cycle.in/tracking.html" target="_blank">available online</a> through Ajay Shah’s blog, will probably get updated with Jan figures next week. In December the headline was over 16%, but the SAAR was 11%. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_cwHfePkadc4/S5ntzNhWORI/AAAAAAAAAk4/CnAPy3Tbqo0/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="209" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_cwHfePkadc4/S5nt0f_KfvI/AAAAAAAAAk8/nF4y-cpM9So/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="240" border="0" /></a> </li> <li>Sugar seems to be in the news, and for a change because <a href="http://www.livemint.com/2010/03/11224754/Outlook-for-sugar-industry-unc.html" target="_blank">prices are going down</a>. Perceptions of scarcity are changing, it seems, with ex-mill prices falling to Rs. 34 from Rs. 40. Sugar is a highly political industry and Maharashtra/UP are the big players. Sugar companies make money – 3-4 rupees a kg – from by-products like mollasses or co-generated power, but both have political controls like how much you can store, who gets paid for excess power etc. Global prices are also on the way down, but nowhere near the cycle lows. </li> <li>China might increase rates, from accelerating inflation, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZk7HcoeEmB4&pos=4" target="_blank">says Bloomberg</a>. Inflation in China has reached 3.5%, which to India will seem like a fantastically low figure for a country growing, er, faster than us. But the fudging in China is of gargantuan proportions – when the data is bad, the response is usually to keep data hidden, or massage it appropriately. Yes, everyone’s doing it nowadays but China is the master of the art. </li> <li>Forbes releases the list of <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/worlds-richest-people-slim-gates-buffett-billionaires-2010-intro_slide_2.html?partner=blog" target="_blank">worldwide billionaires</a>, and Marketfolly <a href="http://www.marketfolly.com/2010/03/forbes-billionaire-list-hedge-fund.html" target="_blank">highlights the “hedgies”</a> (fund managers) on the list.</li> </ul> <div class="blogger-post-footer"> This post is written by <a href="http://blog.investraction.com">Deepak Shenoy</a>, at <a href="http://blog.investraction.com">Capital Mind</a>. <img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/18601284-6491661660912992868?l=blog.investraction.com' alt='' /></div> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Et9Btrv0Cm6LEMGcuqRuu9z22b4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Et9Btrv0Cm6LEMGcuqRuu9z22b4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Et9Btrv0Cm6LEMGcuqRuu9z22b4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Et9Btrv0Cm6LEMGcuqRuu9z22b4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheIndianInvestorsBlog/~4/NQkxPjuVjhU" height="1" width="1"/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=d-fmS_c5fM0:gc5RuqrmPLg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=d-fmS_c5fM0:gc5RuqrmPLg:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?i=d-fmS_c5fM0:gc5RuqrmPLg:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=d-fmS_c5fM0:gc5RuqrmPLg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=d-fmS_c5fM0:gc5RuqrmPLg:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?a=d-fmS_c5fM0:gc5RuqrmPLg:4cEx4HpKnUU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TheInvestorBlog?i=d-fmS_c5fM0:gc5RuqrmPLg:4cEx4HpKnUU" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheInvestorBlog/~4/d-fmS_c5fM0" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Deepak Shenoy (noreply@blogger.com) on March 12, 2010 07:31 AM · permalink

Business Technology

Plastic Logic Says Que E-Reader Delayed

Plastic Logic, the maker of an e-reader targeting business users, told customers on Thursday that it would delay the delivery of its first Que readers until the summer. The company had said at the <a href="http://www.plasticlogic.com/news/pr_introque_jan072010.php">Consumer Electronics Show </a>in January that the device would be delivered in mid-April. In an e-mail to customers who pre-ordered the product, Plastic Logic’s CEO Richard Archuleta said that delay was due to an effort to “fine-tune the features and enhance the overall product experience,” he wrote. He added: “I can imagine that you want to get your QUE proReader as soon as possible. We are sorry for the delay. For your inconvenience, the shipping charges will be on us.” Betty Taylor, a spokeswoman for the company, said in an e-mail that that Plastic Logic has seen “overwhelmingly positive response” to its device since CES. “We’re confident Que is going to remain on the most wanted list of mobile business professionals – and that there’s still ample room in the nascent eReader market to compete, especially for those who are not solely focused on the crowded eBook space,” she wrote. As for the reasons for the delay, Taylor said delivering cutting-edge technology sometimes take longer than expected. The company wants “customers to have an optimal experience when Que ships,” she wrote. Plastic Logic, which expects Que models to be priced between $649 and $799, joins a crowded field of E Ink-based e-readers that are competing at one end of the market with Amazon’s dominant Kindle, and on the other end with Apple iPad, which arrives in stores in early April. <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/AdNQT4I-64Qu9yhoTZFV6cR-XUQ/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/AdNQT4I-64Qu9yhoTZFV6cR-XUQ/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/AdNQT4I-64Qu9yhoTZFV6cR-XUQ/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/AdNQT4I-64Qu9yhoTZFV6cR-XUQ/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?a=h6c8o1sg2s8:zShnxaGJNXg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?a=h6c8o1sg2s8:zShnxaGJNXg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?i=h6c8o1sg2s8:zShnxaGJNXg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?a=h6c8o1sg2s8:zShnxaGJNXg:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?i=h6c8o1sg2s8:zShnxaGJNXg:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?a=h6c8o1sg2s8:zShnxaGJNXg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wsj/biztech/feed/~4/h6c8o1sg2s8" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Geoffrey A. Fowler on March 12, 2010 07:30 AM · permalink

Chris Pirillo

Do You Have a Question for AMD?

<a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/do-you-have-a-question-for-amd/">Do You Have a Question for AMD?</a> is a post from <a href="http://chris.pirillo.com">Chris Pirillo</a><object width="325" height="264"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttEUBf7HAhQ&hl=en&fs=1&ap=%2526fmt%3D18"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttEUBf7HAhQ&hl=en&fs=1&ap=%2526fmt%3D18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="325" height="264"></embed></object> <a href="itms://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=73330048">Add to iTunes</a> | <a href="http://youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=lockergnome">Add to YouTube</a> | <a href="http://fusion.google.com/add?feedurl=http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirillo">Add to Google</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirillo">RSS Feed</a>I am here in Austin, Texas to attend the SXSW Conference, thanks to the support of AMD. As a part of my trip, I will be visiting their campus tomorrow!Here’s your chance to ask a question of the folks at AMD / ATI! If you leave a comment or question (using proper PUGS!), there’s a good change we’ll get a representative to answer it in a video!Get your questions ready, and leave them as a comment on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttEUBf7HAhQ">the YouTube video</a> that this post was created from so I’ll be sure to see it!Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code:<textarea style="width: 460px; height:60px;"><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttEUBf7HAhQ"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttEUBf7HAhQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> <a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a></textarea><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/sxsw-conference-tips/" title="SXSW Conference Tips">SXSW Conference Tips</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/are-geeks-friendly/" title="Are Geeks Friendly?">Are Geeks Friendly?</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/sxsw-news-and-reviews/" title="SXSW News and Reviews">SXSW News and Reviews</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/roll-call-not-going-to-sxsw-or-ted/" title="Roll Call: Not Going to SXSW or TED?">Roll Call: Not Going to SXSW or TED?</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/hugh-forrest-executive-director-of-sxsw/" title="Hugh Forrest Executive Director of SXSW">Hugh Forrest Executive Director of SXSW</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/austin-tips-from-texas/" title="Austin Tips from Texas">Austin Tips from Texas</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/does-free-speech-exist-on-the-internet/" title="Does Free Speech Exist on the Internet?">Does Free Speech Exist on the Internet?</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/is-it-time-for-summer-yet/" title="Is it Time for Summer Yet?">Is it Time for Summer Yet?</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/daynah-iphone-girl-geek/" title="Daynah, iPhone Girl Geek!">Daynah, iPhone Girl Geek!</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/natasha-art-girl-geek/" title="Natasha, Art Girl Geek">Natasha, Art Girl Geek</a></li></ul> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZQ6u-3CfTudyT-GOtoZt8GaO7kQ/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZQ6u-3CfTudyT-GOtoZt8GaO7kQ/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZQ6u-3CfTudyT-GOtoZt8GaO7kQ/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ZQ6u-3CfTudyT-GOtoZt8GaO7kQ/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a>

Posted by Chris on March 12, 2010 07:25 AM · permalink

Fact or Context: The Ocean That is the Internet

<a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/fact-or-context-the-ocean-that-is-the-internet/">Fact or Context: The Ocean That is the Internet</a> is a post from <a href="http://chris.pirillo.com">Chris Pirillo</a>I read an <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/chasing_real-time_raindrops_in_an_ocean_of_content.php">excellent article</a> a few moments ago. Julien Genestoux talks about how the Internet is a vast, never-evaporating ocean. All of the content that is constantly pouring into that ocean are raindrops. In the article, he states that “When you’re a search engine, you obviously have an exhaustivity requirement. You can’t really skip on indexing the Indian Ocean. Google sends its bo(a)ts all over the ocean where it’s raining to update its index. However, the ocean is growing so fast that it will eventually become harder and harder to stay exhaustive.”This has become a real problem for search engines, especially Google. They are trying to solve the problem by changing the way that they crawl and index websites in order to try and keep up with the constantly-changing websites. However, there’s going to come a point when that becomes impossible to do. Genestoux goes on to talk about how Twitter is better than Google when it comes to contextualization. When you search Google, you’re looking for facts. When you search Twitter, you want the context… you need to know what is happening (and being said about that subject) right now!What are your thoughts? Is there any possible easy answer for search engine companies to attempt to keep on top of all of the data in the ocean?<ul><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/it/2010/03/11/viral-loop-from-facebook-to-twitter-how-todays-smartest-businesses-grow-themselves/">Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today’s Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves</a></li><li><a href="http://geeks.pirillo.com/profiles/blogs/my-old-bbss">Did you visit BBS’s back in the day?</a></li><li><a href="http://help.lockergnome.com/general/error--ftopict64544.html">How do you track down random computer errors?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/theoracle/2010/03/11/fcc-gets-into-broadband-speed-testing/">The FCC is involving themselves in broadband speed testing.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/forsythe/2010/03/11/twitter-fights-phishing-and-malware/">Twitter is trying to fight Phishing.</a></li><li><a href="http://geeks.pirillo.com/profiles/blogs/americas-most-wanted-teen">Who is America’s Most Wanted teenager – and what did he do wrong?</a></li><li><a href="http://help.lockergnome.com/general/16x9-monitors--ftopict64543.html">Who could even use 16×9 monitors?!</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/leftystrat/2010/03/11/faceyspaces-isnt-the-only-place-to-avoid-for-job-applicants/">Faceyspaces isn’t the only place to avoid for job applicants.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/it/2010/03/11/are-you-breaking-the-law-with-your-pc/">Are you breaking the law with your computer?</a></li><li><a href="http://geeks.pirillo.com/forum/topics/3d-tv-do-you-think-itll-catch">Do you think 3D television will be a fad that burns out quickly? </a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/theoracle/2010/03/11/a-new-social-network/">There’s another new social network on the horizon!</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/reflections/2010/03/11/ford-the-men-and-machine-book-history-things-never-change/">The men and machines at Ford never change.</a></li><li><a href="http://geeks.pirillo.com/forum/topics/what-makes-firefox-the-best">What about your favorite browser makes it the best for you?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/usrbingeek/2010/03/11/how-to-lower-you-cable-bill/">How can you lower your cable bill?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2010/03/11/fotobabble/">Have you ever wished a picture could talk to you?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/osx/2010/03/08/valve-coming-to-the-mac/">Valve is coming to the Mac!</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2010/03/11/model-trains-for-beginners-a-step-by-step-guide-to-save-time-money/">Model Trains for beginners: a step-by-step guide to saving time and money.</a></li></ul>Don’t forget to stop by the <a href="http://download.lockergnome.com">software center</a> to see what’s new today!<ul><li style='margin-bottom:15px'><a rel='nofollow' href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0470529695/lockergnome Tips, Tricks, and Tweets</a></li><li style='margin-bottom:15px'><a rel='nofollow' href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0470569646/lockergnome Marketing: An Hour a Day</a></li><li style='margin-bottom:15px'><a rel='nofollow' href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1449552072/lockergnome Smart Parent’s Guide to Facebook: Easy Tips to Protect and Connect with Your Teen (Volume 1)</a></li></ul><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/all-search-terms-should-be-treated-equally/" title="All Search Terms Should be Treated Equally">All Search Terms Should be Treated Equally</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/are-geeks-friendly/" title="Are Geeks Friendly?">Are Geeks Friendly?</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/myspace-tom-is-not-your-friend/" title="MySpace Tom is Not Your Friend">MySpace Tom is Not Your Friend</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/the-buzz-about-google/" title="The Buzz About Google">The Buzz About Google</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/are-adult-bloggers-ruining-it-for-kids/" title="Are Adult Bloggers Ruining it for Kids?">Are Adult Bloggers Ruining it for Kids?</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/new-chrome-boasts-bookmark-sync-and-more/" title="New Chrome Boasts Bookmark Sync and More">New Chrome Boasts Bookmark Sync and More</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/free-lifestream-wordpress-options/" title="Free Lifestream WordPress Options">Free Lifestream WordPress Options</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-get-a-lifestream/" title="How to Get a Lifestream">How to Get a Lifestream</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/have-you-met-your-online-friends-in-person/" title="Have You Met Your Online Friends in Person?">Have You Met Your Online Friends in Person?</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/what-place-does-social-media-have-in-our-schools/" title="What Place Does Social Media Have in our Schools?">What Place Does Social Media Have in our Schools?</a></li></ul> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/iv_AOvCBBtC5GwfpeoiqIqfcfi0/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/iv_AOvCBBtC5GwfpeoiqIqfcfi0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/iv_AOvCBBtC5GwfpeoiqIqfcfi0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/iv_AOvCBBtC5GwfpeoiqIqfcfi0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a>

Posted by Chris on March 12, 2010 07:17 AM · permalink

The Official Google Blog

Indian Premier League bowls wicked googly* to the world on YouTube

<div>(Cross-posted from the <a href="http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2010/03/indian-premier-league-bowls-wicked.html">YouTube Blog</a>)</div><div> </div>When the first ball of this year’s Indian Premier League cricket season is bowled, fans across the planet will have a front row seat in the world’s biggest online sports stadium. Tonight the Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders will face off in Mumbai at 8pm IST, and the YouTube global community will be able to tune in to the IPL’s YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/ipl) for streaming and on-demand access to witness the start of what promises to be one of the most widely-distributed sporting events in history. Fans can watch matches, highlight videos, player interviews and much more all on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/ipl">IPL’s YouTube channel</a>. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7ZYqYi4xigk/S5nYpajQxqI/AAAAAAAAFs0/U0ItMxcfCLY/s1600-h/ipl_livetab_Fri+March+12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 333px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7ZYqYi4xigk/S5nYpajQxqI/AAAAAAAAFs0/U0ItMxcfCLY/s400/ipl_livetab_Fri+March+12.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447623430294783650" /></a> <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/27/cricket-india-ipl-business-sports-ipl.html">Named by Forbes</a> as the "hottest sports league in the world" with revenues comparable to the world’s most popular leagues, the IPL season is a 60-match, 43-day tournament that features some of the best talent in cricket today. You can come to YouTube and keep up with the action any time, anywhere and connect with fans across the globe. Watch as the match happens, or if you missed a match, tune in later to see what happened. The entire season will be streamed around the world on YouTube, except in the US, where matches will be time-delayed and made available 15 minutes after the match ends. On the IPL Channel, you’ll see three tabs: <ul><li>Today’s Matches: This is where you can watch streamed matches as they happen. (Note that the stream will be delayed by a few minutes.) Click through at any time to see the match scorecard. </li><li>Recent Matches: Catch up any time on the full action of matches that have already happened. Watch Sachin cream the ball through the covers, Warney taking his latest wicket and more. </li><li>Highlights: If you’re short on time, check in here for short videos of player interviews, match highlights, greatest plays and more. </li></ul>And for all of you who want to cheer or commiserate with others, check out our Twitter gadget on the channel page to be part of the conversation. You can keep up with the <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23youtube_ipl">discussion on Twitter</a> with the YouTube IPL hashtag (#youtube_ipl). Share, rate and comment on videos throughout the channel, or upload your own video responses to the action. There's also a link so you can join the Official DLF IPL community on Orkut (<a href="http://www.orkut.com/Community?cmm=99087253">www.orkut.com/ipl</a>). We'll be watching the donkey drops, the five-fers, the flippers and floaters, the half-yorkers and slow sweeps — and cheering alongside you! * A googly is a kind of pitch similar to a baseball pitch or a bowling throw in the game cricket; a wicked googly would be a really good pitch.<div> Posted by Amit Agarwal, Strategic Partner Development Manager, YouTube</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10861780-6686508520034443817?l=googleblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/MKuf?a=S8G-4UNuKZ8:GUt6I0qQc-w:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/MKuf?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/MKuf?a=S8G-4UNuKZ8:GUt6I0qQc-w:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/MKuf?i=S8G-4UNuKZ8:GUt6I0qQc-w:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~4/S8G-4UNuKZ8" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by A Googler (noreply@blogger.com) on March 12, 2010 07:14 AM · permalink

Slashdot

Best Pre-Paid Data Plan For a Visit To Germany?

code prole writes "With two upcoming trips to Germany, and no readily available Internet (Wi-Fi or otherwise) in the location where we'll be staying, I'm looking for a no-contract USB stick and pre-paid data plan. Vodafone has a huge selection of USB sticks but has proven to be unresponsive to questions about data plans. And the US-based T-Mobile Help Center was clueless about getting the device in Europe and using it there. Hopefully the Slashdot community has some suggestions. Any duds to avoid?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Posted by timothy on March 12, 2010 07:01 AM · permalink

The India Uncut Blog

Prodigy

I feel hugely sorry for this kid. In her world, it might be a huge deal to become “the youngest girl to ever write the Intermediate or plus two examination in Andhra Pradesh.” (She’s nine or ten; the article states both.) But the pressure on her must be immense, and such ‘achievements’ are not the stuff of life. She’s obviously enormously smart and talented, but I’m sure there’s much parental expectation pushing her, and that isn’t good. Childhood should be chilled out and as stress-free as possible.

I hope she’s doing okay 15 years from now.

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Posted by Amit Varma on March 12, 2010 06:53 AM · permalink

Boing Boing

Look-at-my-scrotum lawsuit dismissed

A Montreal man has had his lawsuit against Air Transat dismissed. He was suing the airline because the flight attendants refused to help him look at his scrotum and determine why it had started bleeding on a flight (they gave him some sanitary towels and told him they'd land for emergency medical attention if it got worse). On arrival in Mexico, the man saw a doctor who determined that the problem was a ruptured vein near his scrotum. I can understand a flight attendant's reluctance to help a stranger examine his scrotum, but didn't anyone have, you know, a hand mirror? If I started mysteriously bleeding from my scrotum, I'd be pretty distressed, too. <blockquote> <img src="http://craphound.com/images/transatscrot.jpeg" class="right" align="right"> Cote sued Air Transat and the employees on the flight that day, accusing them of failing to provide appropriate medical assistance, seeking damages of $8,000 for the anguish he suffered as a result of their neglect. But judge Michele Pauze rejected Cote's case. In her decision, she said she agreed with arguments offered by Air Transat representative Chantal Chlala, who explained to the court that flight attendants do not have the right to examine passengers, and even less to make a diagnosis. "It was not incumbent upon a flight attendant to conduct the medical examination of a passenger, a measure reserved for the medical profession," wrote judge Pauzé. </blockquote> <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/03/05/13132421-qmi.html">Man sues airline for not looking at his scrotum</a> (via <a href="http://consumerist.com/">Consumerist</a>) <div class="previously2"> Previously:<ul><li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2010/01/12/case-of-the-haunted.html#previouspost">Case of the haunted scrotum </a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2008/07/11/testicle-talc.html#previouspost">Testicle talc</a></li> </ul> </div> <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=59c321efe2894b7a64d1f964be4a3ab4&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=59c321efe2894b7a64d1f964be4a3ab4&p=1"/></a> <img alt="" height="0" width="0" border="0" style="display:none" src="http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~4/MQS7EBclDOw" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Cory Doctorow on March 12, 2010 06:52 AM · permalink

Business Technology

Milo, and Now Google, Try to Put Store Stock Online

<div class="mceTemp" style="text-align: left;"> <dl class="wp-caption alignleft caption-alignleft" style="width: 262px;"> <dt class="wp-caption-dt"><img class="size-full wp-image-5" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-HV148_milo03_D_20100312022031.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="174" /></dt> <dd class="wp-caption-dd wp-cite-dd" style="text-align: right;">Milo.com</dd> </dl> </div> Shopping could be a whole lot easier if the Internet knew whether the stuff you were looking for was available at stores nearby. Milo.com, a startup in Palo Alto, Calif., has been working for two years on setting up a database that knows not only what products are in stores near you–but also whether they’re in stock. Need a new pencil sharpener in downtown San Francisco? Milo says there’s one available for $1.99 at the <a href="http://milo.com/foray-double-hole-manual-pencil-sharpener-translucent-blue">Office Max on 3rd Street</a>. But the company (whose mascot is its founder’s dog Milo, shown here) got some big competition on Thursday, when Google officially launched a <a href="http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-stock-nearby-look-for-blue-dots.html">mobile version </a>of its Product Search feature, including information about local inventory. If a product is in stock nearby, the listing shows up with a blue dot next to it. Yet Google’s announcement highlights just how difficult it is to create a reliable database of things in the real world. The search giant launched its service with inventory data from just five retail outlets — Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm (the last three of which are all owned by Williams-Sonoma). They’ll undoubtedly expand that list, and are taking <a href="http://google.com/support/merchants/bin/request.py?contact_type=local_shopping">volunteers </a>from businesses that want to join in the program. In an interview, Milo’s CEO Jack Abraham didn’t seem too worried about Google’s arrival in his business. “We are, to be honest, surprised that they are launching it with so few retailers,” he said. “That really does underscore just how difficult it is to get this data.” Milo has signed up 49 retail chains, covering 48,000 stores and 2 million products. Beyond brands like Best Buy and Sears, which have open systems that let any outside programmers tap into their inventory database, they’ve managed to sign up some big names, including Target, Nordstrom, Macy’s and J.C. Penny. There’s a lot of technological complexity around inventory data, Abraham said, that Milo has solved those problems by developing custom software to plug into each retailer’s own unique inventory system. “We take the raw data in whatever form it comes,” said Abraham. Milo doesn’t have exclusivity from the retailers it taps — but it also wrote the software that helped bring their inventory online. Over the next year, Abraham says Milo is going to focus on adding 5,000 to 10,000 small businesses into its database. They may actually be easier to integrate than the big retailers, he said, because they’re less likely to have customized systems. The next big challenge has yet to be cracked by either Milo or Google: getting credit – and revenue — for sending customers into physical stores. Stay tuned, says Milo’s Abraham. <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/lodepcsKDyo75f1IwF5mM5VE0_c/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/lodepcsKDyo75f1IwF5mM5VE0_c/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/lodepcsKDyo75f1IwF5mM5VE0_c/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/lodepcsKDyo75f1IwF5mM5VE0_c/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?a=DbmTED17UMI:rzNhwfX0rSM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?a=DbmTED17UMI:rzNhwfX0rSM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?i=DbmTED17UMI:rzNhwfX0rSM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?a=DbmTED17UMI:rzNhwfX0rSM:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?i=DbmTED17UMI:rzNhwfX0rSM:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?a=DbmTED17UMI:rzNhwfX0rSM:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/wsj/biztech/feed?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wsj/biztech/feed/~4/DbmTED17UMI" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Geoffrey A. Fowler on March 12, 2010 06:51 AM · permalink

Chris Pirillo

When Will Your Bus Arrive?

<a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/when-will-your-bus-arrive/">When Will Your Bus Arrive?</a> is a post from <a href="http://chris.pirillo.com">Chris Pirillo</a><object width="325" height="264"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RFxuTgFRupg&hl=en&fs=1&ap=%2526fmt%3D18"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RFxuTgFRupg&hl=en&fs=1&ap=%2526fmt%3D18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="325" height="264"></embed></object> <a href="itms://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=73330048">Add to iTunes</a> | <a href="http://youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=lockergnome">Add to YouTube</a> | <a href="http://fusion.google.com/add?feedurl=http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirillo">Add to Google</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirillo">RSS Feed</a>During our open mic session at Gnomedex last August, <a href="http://twitter.com/bcorrigan">Bill Corrigan</a> came on stage to talk about <a href="http://onebusaway.org">OneBusAway</a>. This website was built by some students at the University of Washington who were tired of always missing their bus. You can search for bus stops near your location, and it will give you not only where they are… but also tell you how much time until the next one departs! Never miss your bus again!Right now, this website only works for King County, in the great state of Washington! But who knows? Perhaps it will branch out one day to include your city!<ul><li style='margin-bottom:15px'><a rel='nofollow' href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1870979478/lockergnome Bus Custom Handbook (Motorbooks Workshop)</a></li><li style='margin-bottom:15px'><a rel='nofollow' href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0752450840/lockergnome London Bus Story</a></li><li style='margin-bottom:15px'><a rel='nofollow' href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130918857/lockergnome Driver’s Guide to Commercial Driver Licensing: What You Need to Know to Become Licensed (Arco Professional Certification and Licensing Examination Series)</a></li></ul>Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or <a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/L0ckergn0me-WhenWillYourBusArrive199.mp4">download the video</a>:<textarea style="width: 460px; height:60px;"><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RFxuTgFRupg"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RFxuTgFRupg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> <a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a></textarea><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/seeing-seattle/" title="Seeing Seattle">Seeing Seattle</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/seattle-twitter/" title="Seattle Twitter">Seattle Twitter</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/bing-building-bling/" title="Bing Building Bling">Bing Building Bling</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/google-seattle/" title="Google Seattle">Google Seattle</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/how-do-you-get-started-in-social-media/" title="How Do You Get Started in Social Media?">How Do You Get Started in Social Media?</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/putting-the-me-in-social-media/" title="Putting the Me in Social Media">Putting the Me in Social Media</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/hawaii-weather-is-beautiful-even-without-the-sun/" title="Hawaii Weather is Beautiful (Even Without the Sun!)">Hawaii Weather is Beautiful (Even Without the Sun!)</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/seattle-night-skyline/" title="Seattle Night Skyline">Seattle Night Skyline</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/seattle-weather-hot/" title="Seattle Weather: Hot!">Seattle Weather: Hot!</a></li><li><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/getting-out-is-a-good-thing/" title="Getting Out is a Good Thing">Getting Out is a Good Thing</a></li></ul> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/uHwq9tzWA45ZUB5cKm9pTEItAbE/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/uHwq9tzWA45ZUB5cKm9pTEItAbE/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/uHwq9tzWA45ZUB5cKm9pTEItAbE/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/uHwq9tzWA45ZUB5cKm9pTEItAbE/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a>

Posted by Chris on March 12, 2010 06:50 AM · permalink

Boing Boing

Mechanical cardboard junk-horse walks the streets of Bulgaria

Posted by Cory Doctorow on March 12, 2010 06:40 AM · permalink

Planet Python

PyPy Development: State of PyPy talk from Pycon

Hello. The last PyPy video from pycon has been uploaded. It's a very short (less than 10 minutes) "keynote" talk about <a href="http://pycon.blip.tv/file/3332796">state of PyPy</a>. Enjoy! fijal<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width="1" height="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3971202189709462152-6748503931490058986?l=morepypy.blogspot.com" alt="" /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PyPyStatusBlog/~4/Nma0RZHtIrA" height="1" width="1" />

Posted on March 12, 2010 06:38 AM · permalink

Boing Boing

Miniature cities on household objects

<img src="http://craphound.com/images/kyoto-university-of-art-and-design-4.jpg"> These beautiful, fanciful miniature cities built into household objects like power-strips and desk-fans are part of the graduate show at the Kyoto University of Art and Design. The artist is uncredited, but it's very lovely work. <a href="http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2010/03/08/student-work-kyoto-university-of-art-and-design/">Student Work | Kyoto University of Art and Design</a> (via <a href="http://www.cribcandy.com/">Cribcandy</a>) <div class="previously2"> Previously:<ul><li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2006/01/27/photographer-takes-p.html#previouspost">Photographer takes photos of real scenes that look like miniature ...</a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2010/01/25/incredible-miniature.html#previouspost">Incredible miniature photography </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2009/07/13/miniature-bottle-sto.html#previouspost">Miniature Bottle story for Significant Objects</a></li> <li><a href="http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/08/10/miniature-neo-geo.html#previouspost">Miniature Neo Geo</a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2008/06/21/miniature-paris-repl.html#previouspost">Miniature Paris replica made from trash</a></li> </ul> </div> <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=810ce0b7ca6cd19145f24c35f7ce498c&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=810ce0b7ca6cd19145f24c35f7ce498c&p=1"/></a> <img alt="" height="0" width="0" border="0" style="display:none" src="http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~4/P5fDnPfK5SI" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Cory Doctorow on March 12, 2010 06:35 AM · permalink

French village went insane after CIA spiked its bread with LSD

For 50 years, residents of the French village of Pont-Saint-Esprit have tried to understand the "cursed bread" incident, a moment of terrifying mass insanity and hallucinations that left at least five dead and dozens in asylums. Now the mystery is solved: the CIA secretly spiked the bread from the bakery with enormous quantities of LSD as part of its cold war mind-control experiments, at least according to recently uncovered documents. The allegation originates with H P Albarelli Jr., an investigative journalist who uncovered the documents while researching his forthcoming book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0977795373/downandoutint-20">A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments</a>. <blockquote> <img src="http://craphound.com/images/3037923874_1db7b126b7.jpg" class="right" align="right"> One man tried to drown himself, screaming that his belly was being eaten by snakes. An 11-year-old tried to strangle his grandmother. Another man shouted: "I am a plane", before jumping out of a second-floor window, breaking his legs. He then got up and carried on for 50 yards. Another saw his heart escaping through his feet and begged a doctor to put it back. Many were taken to the local asylum in strait jackets... Scientists at Fort Detrick told him that agents had sprayed LSD into the air and also contaminated "local foot products". Mr Albarelli said the real "smoking gun" was a White House document sent to members of the Rockefeller Commission formed in 1975 to investigate CIA abuses. It contained the names of a number of French nationals who had been secretly employed by the CIA and made direct reference to the "Pont St. Esprit incident." In its quest to research LSD as an offensive weapon, Mr Albarelli claims, the US army also drugged over 5,700 unwitting American servicemen between 1953 and 1965. </blockquote> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7415082/French-bread-spiked-with-LSD-in-CIA-experiment.html">French bread spiked with LSD in CIA experiment</a> (Thanks, <a href="http://www.stevesilberman.com/">Steve</a> and everyone else who suggested this!) (Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/adampieniazek/3037923874/">Shaw's French Bread</a>, a Creative Commons Attribution photo from Adam Pieniazek's photostream) <div class="previously2"> Previously:<ul><li><a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2009/06/29/video-drama-about-ci.html#previouspost">Video drama about CIA's real project to drug unwitting US citizens ...</a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2006/01/10/midcentury_lsd_exper.html#previouspost">Midcentury LSD Experiments at Canadian mental hospital</a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2005/07/22/more_on_the_cias_evi.html#previouspost">More on the CIA's evil genius, Dr. Sidney Gottleib</a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2007/06/27/digging_deeper_into_.html#previouspost">Digging deeper into CIA "family jewels" docs</a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2008/04/29/albert-hoffman-rip.html#previouspost">Albert Hofmann, LSD inventor, RIP</a></li> </ul> </div> <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=b108492e56c38b83651a2447d07bd888&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=b108492e56c38b83651a2447d07bd888&p=1"/></a> <img alt="" height="0" width="0" border="0" style="display:none" src="http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~4/zgzPcKoHlJI" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Cory Doctorow on March 12, 2010 06:28 AM · permalink

London Olympics: police powers to force spectators to remove non-sponsor items, enter houses, take posters

The Olympics are coming to London, so our civil liberties are going out the window: because nothing epitomises the spirit of global competition and cooperation like corporate bullying and unfettered truncheon-waving. <blockquote> <img src="http://craphound.com/images/3406972544_f251eab816.jpg" class="left" align="left"> Police will have powers to enter private homes and seize posters, and will be able to stop people carrying non-sponsor items to sporting events. "I think there will be lots of people doing things completely innocently who are going to be caught by this, and some people will be prosecuted, while others will be so angry about it that they will start complaining about civil liberties issues," Chadwick said. "I think what it will potentially do is to prompt a debate about the commercial nature of the Games. Do big sponsors have too much influence over the Games?" </blockquote> <a href="http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100303/tts-uk-olympics-london-ca02f96.html">Eyes turn to "value for money" London 2012 </a> (Thanks, Bobby!) (Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kashklick/3406972544/">More Riot Police</a> a Creative Commons Attribution photo from Kashklick's photostream) <div class="previously2"> Previously:<ul><li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2007/03/03/vancouver-olympics-w.html#previouspost">Vancouver Olympics will own words like "winter," "2010" and ...</a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2010/02/20/olympic-bullying-dri.html#previouspost">Olympic bullying drives goggle-maker to verse </a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2007/04/30/london_2012_olympics.html#pr eviouspost">London 2012 Olympics: We only buy security tech from ...</a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2010/02/20/olympic-bullying-dri.html#previouspost">Olympic bullying drives goggle-maker to verse </a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2010/01/08/homeless-people-relo.html#previouspost">Homeless people relocated out of Whister, Canada, ahead of ...</a></li> <li><a href="http://boingboing.net/2010/01/20/intl-olympic-committ.html#previouspost">Int'l. Olympic Committee: gender difference is a disease </a></li> </ul> </div> <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=c278aae189e56730765ac22f1f01e92c&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=c278aae189e56730765ac22f1f01e92c&p=1"/></a> <img alt="" height="0" width="0" border="0" style="display:none" src="http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~4/-JjNJGyVJNA" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Cory Doctorow on March 12, 2010 06:19 AM · permalink

Atanu Dey on India's Development

“This Page Intentionally Left Blank by the Government of India”"

I don’t know what <a href="http://zone-h.org/">zone-h.org</a> is. Someone pointed me to the site saying that he could not access it from India and believes that the government of India has banned it. He said that he has “heard (from a reliable source) a rumour that the Government of India has a fairly regular habit of issuing fiats to ISPs to block various websites that it feels are objectionable for some reason.” When I try to access the site, I get a blank screen. It does not say, “This page intentionally left blank.” I guess the govt of India should have the decency to put the notice “This page intentionally left blank by the government of India.” Then, contradicting itself, it should further explain why. <blockquote>“You, Indian citizen, are a serf. You are an ignorant serf. You are not capable of handling some information. You are not discerning. You are easily misled. We, your government, are your rulers. We decide what is good for you. We tell you what to think, what to read, what to write, what to listen to on the radio. “You are a serf. We dictate and you listen. We go around in cars with rotating red flashing lights on top. We are your masters and we get the police to clear the roads when we pass. You dutifully wait till our motorcade has sped through the cleared roads. “You are slaves that obey without questioning. You are free to do what we order you to do. We want you to only access sites that allow and you read only at our pleasure. “You are a serf. You know your place. Now stay there and don’t make a fuss. Or we will send our running dogs and put you away. “We are your masters. Obey or prepare to be imprisoned.”</blockquote> I used to wonder how small marauding bands of barbarians ruled India for centuries, or how a few thousand people from a tiny island in the Atlantic ruled for nearly a hundred years a population of hundreds of millions. Now I wonder no more. I think there is something in the Indian psyche that make Indians very easy to rule. The foreign rulers have been (to a large extent) replaced by domestic ones. There aren’t all that many rulers relative to the population. All told, if you consider the members of the various state and central legislative bodies, the bureaucrats in the various ministries, the police and judiciary — all told it cannot amount to more than a few hundred thousand people. But like their foreign counterparts before 1947, these rule over hundreds of millions. The poor sods — nearly 1,200,000,000, or one thousand two hundred million — cowering spineless sods dutifully obey the diktats of the rulers. If this had been a population with any spine, any dignity, or honor, they would have dragged the criminals ruling over them on to the streets and strung them up from the lamp posts. All the poor sods have to do is to drag half a dozen of the most corrupt politicians and judges and lynch them. The other few hundred thousands would get into line. They will know that it is they who are the servants and the people are the rulers. Once I had heard an IAS officer say that if the people of India only knew how much damage the administrative services do to India, the people of India would thrash every government bureaucrat. I told the man that that this has not happened yet should tell us that Indians are incapable of fighting for their rights. There was no freedom struggle. The British were tired of administering a country that had become so poor that there was nothing left to steal. Colonialism was becoming unpopular. Besides the British had trained their replacement — Mr Nehru — and were confident that he would do as they dictated. Mr Nehru was happy to be the boss and rule. Indians did not have a freedom struggle. The British left without a fight because India was just not worth it any more. The new rulers found it very convenient to claim that they were the ones that threw out the British. That message was relentlessly broadcast, put in school books, the education system was controlled, and generations of brainwashed Indians believed in this nonsense. The real freedom that India needs is the freedom from the brain washing that they have had for the last 60-odd years. The Indians did not have to fight the British because the British wanted to leave of their own accord. But these present day brown-sahibs are not in a hurry to leave. They will not leave without a fight. And the Indian people are not willing to fight. So let’s all settle down to many generations of slavery. The children who are growing up today, born into slavery, will give birth to slaves. Welcome to the slave state of India.

Posted by Atanu Dey on March 12, 2010 05:50 AM · permalink

Planet Python

Tim Knapp: Kiwi PyCon 2010 - November 20-21, Copthorne Hotel & Resort Bay of Islands

Expect the same great lineup of talks regarding how Python is being used in the fields of science, maths, games, animation, web development and much much more. Again we'll have a couple of world class keynote speakers and an 'unconference' aspect to the event where you, the delegate, can get involved. Add to all this the fact that it'll be in the beautiful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Islands" target="_blank">Bay of Islands</a> at an <a href="http://www.millenniumhotels.co.nz/copthornebayofislands/" target="_blank">excellent venue</a> and we're set for an even better event than last year. Keep an eye on the <a href="http://nz.pycon.org" target="_blank">conference website</a> for updates as planning for the event unfolds.

Posted on March 12, 2010 05:44 AM · permalink

The India Uncut Blog

Topless Women and the Indian Government

The Times of India reports:

The government has banned Fashion TV for nine days after finding a program it aired offended good taste and decency by showing women partially nude.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry statement said FTV channel would go off the air later Thursday until March 21. The statement cited an unnamed FTV program aired in September that showed women with nude upper bodies.

It’s immensely WTF that someone should think that topless women offend “good taste and decency.” Women have breasts. Straight men are attracted to them. These are just ho-hum facts of biology. Only massively repressed and resentful men and women would find partial nudity offensive—and one factor in their repression, certainly, would be this attitude against anything sexual. It’s a self-reinforcing feedback loop—the more you repress, the more repressed they get, the more you find reason to repress them further. In the 21st century, its all a bit bizarre.

What is even weirder is that the continuing spread of the internet threatens to make all this moot. Far wilder things than mere toplessness are a Google search away, and its practically impossible to filter all of that out. And why would you want to do that anyway? Sex is healthy, so let’s be open about it, and not whisper while talking about it or blush when the subject comes up. Or censor boobs.

Earlier posts on the subject:

‘A Trial Balloon’.
The Ministry of Wet Dreams.

The India Uncut Blog © 2007 Amit Varma. All rights reserved.
Visit: India Uncut * The IU Blog * Rave Out * Extrowords * Workoutable * Linkastic

Posted by Amit Varma on March 12, 2010 05:34 AM · permalink

Slashdot

Zeus Botnet Down But Not Out

harryjohnston writes "The Register points out that the takedown of a significant number of Zeus command-and-control servers, which we discussed earlier, was a short-lived victory, as about one-third of the affected servers were back on the net in less than 48 hours." Adds itwbennet: "Just hours after network connectivity to Troyak was severed the ISP peered with a new upstream Internet service provider named Ya. The next step will be to 'de-peer' Troyak from its new service provider, either an ISP named Nassist or its upstream provider, Hurricane Electric, said a researcher familiar with the matter. 'We have taken some of their territory, they are trying to out flank us,' the researcher said via IM. 'We are going to win this one — we have 'em boxed in.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Posted by timothy on March 12, 2010 05:20 AM · permalink

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

I’m speaking at SXSW

I’m speaking at <a href="http://www.sxsw.com">SXSW</a>, the big nerd-fest conference. As expected, I’m only staying for the tech part of it, then quickly leaving before the film/music stuff starts. I don’t think they would appreciate my taste in Jodeci and Whitney Houston. And I would not appreciate their lack of marketing abilities. If you’re around, come check out my talk: What: “Building a Bulletproof Personal-Finance System” When: Saturday, March 13th at 11am Where: Hilton G RSVP: <a href="http://my.sxsw.com/events/event/431">http://my.sxsw.com/events/event/431</a> Bonuses: 1. Book signing afterwards at 1:50pm (<a href="http://my.sxsw.com/events/event/8391">RSVP</a>) 2. I’m revealing 10 things I’ll be covering at the talk at <a href="http://twitter.com/ramit">twitter.com/ramit</a> <blockquote>Excerpts: - What I’ll cover at SXSW (1/10): How can you use the psychology of money to automate your finances? http://bit.ly/dhEInt #iwillteach - What I’ll cover at SXSW (2/10): How did I make $127,000 in one hour last month? http://bit.ly/dhEInt #iwillteach - What I’ll cover at SXSW (3/10): How do you handle irregular income & expenses (e.g., freelancers)? http://bit.ly/dhEInt #iwillteach</blockquote> <center>* * *</center> Not going to be at SXSW? <ul> <li>Read my bookmarks on <a href="http://delicious.com/ramitsethi/psychology+finance">psychology and finance</a></li> <li>Hire me to <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/about/speaking/">speak at your event</a></li> <li>Go watch a bunch of <a href="http://youtube.com/ramitsethi">videos of me yelling at people</a></li> </ul> <img src="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/?ak_action=api_record_view&id=4965&type=feed" alt="" /> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dHON7AfgiKnEhTGCcXgbuMt3rrY/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dHON7AfgiKnEhTGCcXgbuMt3rrY/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dHON7AfgiKnEhTGCcXgbuMt3rrY/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dHON7AfgiKnEhTGCcXgbuMt3rrY/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?a=eyDDUFVo4vI:kj6yX2hzOVo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?i=eyDDUFVo4vI:kj6yX2hzOVo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?a=eyDDUFVo4vI:kj6yX2hzOVo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?a=eyDDUFVo4vI:kj6yX2hzOVo:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?a=eyDDUFVo4vI:kj6yX2hzOVo:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?a=eyDDUFVo4vI:kj6yX2hzOVo:cGdyc7Q-1BI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/IWillTeachYouToBeRich?d=cGdyc7Q-1BI" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IWillTeachYouToBeRich/~4/eyDDUFVo4vI" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Ramit Sethi on March 12, 2010 05:12 AM · permalink

The India Uncut Blog

The Hollywood Formula

Forget Robert McKee and Syd Field: If you want to learn how to make a successful Hollywood film, watch this:

Someone should do this for Bollywood films as well. With, like, eight mini-song montages, an interval and a kiss where no mouths are opened. Exciting, eh?

(Link via JSV.)

The India Uncut Blog © 2007 Amit Varma. All rights reserved.
Visit: India Uncut * The IU Blog * Rave Out * Extrowords * Workoutable * Linkastic

Posted by Amit Varma on March 12, 2010 05:09 AM · permalink

Milliblog!

Music review: Hum Tum Aur Ghost (Hindi – Shankar Ehsaan Loy)

Posted by Karthik on March 12, 2010 05:02 AM · permalink

Wired Top Stories

March 12, 1790: Batteries Now Included

Before J.F. Daniell develops a much improved battery, the devices were impractical and downright dangerous. His innovations enable the telegraph and other technology to take off.

Posted by Daniel Dumas on March 12, 2010 05:00 AM · permalink

Swaroop C H - India, Life, Technology, Productivity

How to get funding from Government of India

I will be speaking in a panel at the <a href="http://conf.headstart.in/2010/hyderabad-mar/agenda.php">HeadStart Conference, Hyderabad today</a> regarding what is the funding that was granted by the Govt. of India to my <a href="http://www.swaroopch.com/archives/category/ionlab/">ex-startup</a>, and how you can apply. <a title="Headstart Panel" href="http://conf.headstart.in/2010/hyderabad-mar/agenda.php"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4425030392_d006275807.jpg" alt="Headstart Panel" width="500" height="237" /></a> I converted the content I prepared into for-web-only slides for your perusal: <div> <iframe src="https://show.zoho.com/embed?id=460082000000009003" height="335" width="450" name="TePP" scrolling=no frameBorder="0" style="border:1px solid #AABBCC"></iframe> </div> <hr /> © swaroop for <a href="http://www.swaroopch.com">Swaroop C H - India, Startup, Technology, Life Skills</a>, 2010. | <a href="http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/startup-funding-india-govt/">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/startup-funding-india-govt/#comments">No comment</a> | Add to <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/startup-funding-india-govt/&title=How to get funding from Government of India">del.icio.us</a> Post tags:

Posted by Swaroop on March 12, 2010 04:30 AM · permalink

Planet Python

Montreal Python User Group: Invitation to a Python gathering at Confoo

Hello Pythonistas ! This Friday, at 9 am., we want to invite you to an unofficial montreal-python gathering, at Savoir-Faire Linux’s booth, in the St-Pierre room (across from the blue “Dinner/Lunch” room). (Hilton Bonaventure Hotel) Proposed subjects: - Intro to Python, for newcomers - Hands-on Pylons, Django and TG2 - Distutils2, packaging .deb, .rpm, .egg - Documentation in Python, Sphinx and al - … And more than that, you can come if you’re registered to Confoo after 13h30 ! Wow !

Posted on March 12, 2010 04:27 AM · permalink

Geeking with Greg

Google Reader recommends articles

In a post on the official Google Reader blog, "<a href="http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2010/02/may-we-recommend.html">May we recommend...</a>", Laurence Gonsalves describes a new recommendation feature for Google Reader that recommends articles based on what you have read in the past. An excerpt:<blockquote>Many of you wanted to see even more personalized recommendations ... [Now], we've started inserting items selected just for you inside the Recommended items section. This is great if you've got interests that are less mainstream. If you love Lego robots, for example, then you should start to notice more of them in your Recommended items.</blockquote>Sadly, no additional details appear to be available. In my usage, there were rare gems in the recommendations, but a lot of randomness, and a strong bias toward very popular items. The lack of explanation -- why was this item recommended? -- and lack of a way to correct the recommendations likely will make people less forgiving of these problems. I also saw recommendations for items I had already read; items you have already seen always should be filtered from recommendations. For more on that, you might enjoy some of my previous posts on this topic, such as the Mar 2009 "<a href="http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/22925-what-is-a-good-recommendation-algorithm/fulltext">What is a good recommendation algorithm?</a>" and the much older Dec 2006 "<a href="http://glinden.blogspot.com/2006/12/rss-beast.html">The RSS beast</a>". Update: A couple weeks later, Google <a href="http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2010/03/and-now-for-something-completely.html">launches</a> Google Reader Play, a StumbleUpon knock-off that recommends web content based on what you say you like. Googler Garrett Wu writes that "it uses the same technology as the Recommended Items feed in Reader." In my usage, it had the same problems too.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6569681-8504378441530030266?l=glinden.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GeekingWithGreg/~4/jz_M98fGy8s" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Greg Linden (glinden@gmail.com) on March 12, 2010 02:58 AM · permalink

Boing Boing

Kathryn Bigelow was a punk rocker

Filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, who won Best Director and Best Picture Oscars for Hurt Locker this week, "<a href="http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2010/03/kathryn_bigelows_punk_roots.php">was a member in good standing of the [NYC] punk scene of the late '70s and early' 80s</a>," according to Paper Mag. (via Cate Park) <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=8050a54a86d6d96533ef2e6a0e683778&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=8050a54a86d6d96533ef2e6a0e683778&p=1"/></a> <img alt="" height="0" width="0" border="0" style="display:none" src="http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~4/ghUgkJPKG-8" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Xeni Jardin on March 12, 2010 02:55 AM · permalink

Story of Bottled Water (from "Story of Stuff" folks)

Posted by Xeni Jardin on March 12, 2010 02:51 AM · permalink

Hugh Hefner, teenage cartoonist, 1943

<img alt="RecordingForJane.jpg" src="http://www.boingboing.net/2010/03/11/RecordingForJane.jpg" width="640" height="550" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /> Note the conspicuous lack of smut! Frame from a <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/bookpatrol/archives/196227.asp">Seattle Post-Intelligencer gallery</a> of Playboy founder hugh Hefner's teenage doodles, sent to his high school <s>sweetheart</s> friend Jane Sellers in the early 1940s. The full collection is for sale at $250,000, from rare book dealer <a href="http://www.luxmentis.com">Lux Mentis</a> (who will send you a PDF listing collection contents upon request). Update: Ian J. Kahn of <a href="http://www.luxmentis.com">Lux Mentis</a> Booksellers tells Boing Boing, <blockquote>I should point out that Hugh and Jane did not date. He dated her best friend and she his...the four were the core of what they called "The Gang". The really interesting element is that as he evolved into "HH", this group of high school friends served as a touchstone...they were the ones who loved him *before*...and he turned them off and on for many, many years. My favorite story out of this is that Jane and the other girls would go over to Hugh's to read "School Daze" to see which of their boyfriends were "stepping out"...Hugh did not edit *anything*. He took notes during the day as to what people were wearing so he could sketch them accurately that evening. It is a remarkable visual diary.</blockquote> (Via <a href="http://twitter.com/ebertchicago/status/10336546390">Roger Ebert</a>) <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=1fe1dc151286bc7143720f9f39b03f1e&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=1fe1dc151286bc7143720f9f39b03f1e&p=1"/></a> <img alt="" height="0" width="0" border="0" style="display:none" src="http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~4/lAyjrjV3L84" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Xeni Jardin on March 12, 2010 02:46 AM · permalink

Philip Greenspun's Weblog

U.S. debt, including pension obligations, is 500 percent of GDP

Buried in<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/business/global/12pension.html?hp=&pagewanted=all"> this </a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/business/global/12pension.html?hp=&pagewanted=all">New York Times</a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/business/global/12pension.html?hp=&pagewanted=all"> article</a> is the calculation that U.S. federal government debt, including pension and health care obligations, is about 500 percent of GDP. This may explain why political debates have become acrimonious. Investors and some politically-minded folks have at least a gut feeling that we’re ridiculously overextended. Others rely on the stated fraction of GDP and think the debt is not a big deal. So each side is behaving rationally and rationally believes opponents to be insane.

Posted by philg on March 12, 2010 02:42 AM · permalink

Boing Boing

Google's bike maps "filled with potentially fatal flaws"

Google's bike maps are "filled with potentially fatal flaws, including routes that cut across Central Park's treacherous transverse roads and steer cyclists through truck-riddled thoroughfares." <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/google_gives_city_bikers_bum_steer_ll9XRaiMZUfVMPkc7b3oaJ">New York Post</a>, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/patient/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=223500062">Information Week</a>. <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=e7444dcbc75f63661ebf6b933093e77d&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=e7444dcbc75f63661ebf6b933093e77d&p=1"/></a> <img alt="" height="0" width="0" border="0" style="display:none" src="http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226"/><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~4/tdbOOF0ZvzQ" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Xeni Jardin on March 12, 2010 02:39 AM · permalink

Philip Greenspun's Weblog

The nine-year-old air traffic controllers

The nine-year-old children who came into work with their father at the JFK Tower (<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/03/06/2010-03-06_pilots_high_on_controller_in_jfk_mess.html">story, with audio recording</a>) seem to have captured the public imagination. I’ve been asked my opinion on this subject at least 25 times. A lot of why people are excited seems to stem from a misunderstanding of how the air traffic control (ATC) system works. Folks seem to think that controllers make split-second decisions and pilots react instantly to commands heard on the radio. The reality is that a plane can take off from JFK, lose contact with the controllers due to radio failure, and fly all the way to Los Angeles and land, without ever talking to another controller. The route of flight clearance issued prior to departure should be sufficient to get all the way to LAX. How about the takeoff clearances issued by the 9-year-olds? A light simple plane might start rolling immediately after receiving such a clearance. A heavy complex plane could be delayed for 15 seconds or longer as the pilots ran final checklists and waited for the engines to “spool up” (going from idle to full thrust takes about 8 seconds on the biggest planes). A controller would have several seconds after issuing the takeoff clearance to cancel it, which would cause the pilot to pull the power back and stop on the runway, possibly after rolling forward a few feet. The opportunities for miscommunication here were very few. The planes had already been told to “position and hold” on a particular runway by the father. At this point a jet is parked on an active runway. The pilots know that they can’t hang out there for very long. The only possible things that could be said to them are “continue to hold” (unnecessary but possibly something ATC would say), “cleared for takeoff”, or “exit the runway and contact Ground”. They already have their assigned departure heading, altitude, and the frequency for the next controller. The 9-year-olds also told some of the pilots to “contact Departure”. What would have happened if they never received the instruction and stayed with the Tower? Eventually they would have realized that they shouldn’t be talking to Tower at 5,000′ above the ground and called to request a frequency change and/or simply switched to their already-assigned Departure control frequency. Because ATC needs to train new controllers, each workstation is equipped so that both the trainee and trainer can talk on the same frequency. The trainer can break in and override the trainee. This happens all the time at Hanscom Field, our home airport. The 9-year-olds did their job perfectly, so there was never a need for their father to correct or step in over them, but he could have done so at any time. There are several aspects to working as a tower controller. One is to figure out an overall flow and sequence that will work for a dozen or so airplanes at a time; this is pretty challenging and involves thinking in four dimensions (3D space plus time). A much simpler task is issuing instructions to make that flow and sequence happen. It seems doubtful that the 9-year-olds were involved in the puzzle solving challenge. They took on part of the instruction-issuing task. As a pilot I am much more nervous when a 25-year-old is being trained at Hanscom than I would have been at JFK talking to these 9-year-olds. For those who thought that the 9-year-olds were truly doing the job, I was surprised that they did not also question why more than $200,000 per year of their tax dollars were going to pay salary/benefits/pension for each controller. As far as the FAA bureaucracy is concerned, this is the organization that spent $9 billion in the 1980s and 1990s on some new software that had to be thrown out, the most expensive civilian software project failure in history. By making America $9 billion poorer, surely some Americans died as a consequence (being poor is generally less safe than being rich). Yet no FAA employees were disciplined. In fact, all concerned got pay raises, promotions, etc. The same organization is now disciplining the father of the 9-year-olds and his supervisor.

Posted by philg on March 12, 2010 02:34 AM · permalink

Planet Python

Robert Brewer: Zen of CherryPy video

My PyCon 2010 talk video is up. Enjoy: <a href="http://pycon.blip.tv/file/3332744">The Zen of CherryPy</a> <div class="item_footer"><a href="http://www.aminus.org/blogs/index.php/2010/03/11/zen-of-cherrypy-video?blog=2">Original post</a> blogged on <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</div>

Posted on March 12, 2010 02:29 AM · permalink

Google LatLong

Barcelona in 3D

<break> Today, <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=barcelona+spain&fb=1&gl=us&ftid=0x12a4987126ed28f5:0x400fae021a40330&ei=CmKVS9mpDY_CsQO4yvH8Aw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CA8Q8gEwAA">Barcelona</a> joins its Spanish neighbors <a href="http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2010/01/madrid-goes-3d.html">Madrid</a> and <a href="http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2009/11/explore-valencia-in-3d.html">Valencia</a> as 3D cities in Google Earth. If you’re a fan of architecture, Barcelona offers a visual feast. The mix of old and new is truly facinating. It contains architectural wonders that date back to medieval times, in addition to modern architecture designed by critically acclaimed architects.<div> </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a2OWa5s2KO4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a2OWa5s2KO4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object> </div> Open <a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a> and fly down to Barcelona to see hundreds of 3D models of buildings, monuments, cathedrals, museums, statues, towers and much more. If time was short, my guided tour would probably start at what is arguably the most famous building in the city, the <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=2b988cdda50dffc1de72962b5da7a751&prevstart=0">Sagrada Familia</a>. Staying with the cathedral theme I’d head over to the <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=9172f2bf829c9f044e807694b3c3a3&prevstart=0">Barcelona Cathedral</a> located in the center of the city. The <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=9ac5e314bca8f6b0303328c533e3cc6c&prevstart=0">Casa Milà</a> would be next on my list; this amazing work of art was designated a World Heritage site in 1984. If modern architecture is more to your liking, you’ll want to visit the <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=8bdb78f40d2f0e0aca81f7d0d85b8090&prevstart=0">Montjuic Communications Tower</a> and the <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=58eaa7e0b6801a60cbcf17ac6f909127&prevstart=0">Torre Agbar</a> (which shouldn’t be too hard to find given its unique shape). I could go on, but since a picture is worth a thousand words, we’ve created a short video (above) that showcases many of Barcelona’s most popular destinations. Judging by the <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?q=barcelona+is:geo&styp=m&btnG=Search">thousands of models</a> that users have created using <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/">Google SketchUp</a> and <a href="http://google.com/buildingmaker">Building Maker</a>, I think it’s pretty evident that I’m not the only admirer of this wonderful city. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1OuGb50BUCg/S5mmdrcaYcI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/73NdVp5JZGM/s1600-h/barca.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1OuGb50BUCg/S5mmdrcaYcI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/73NdVp5JZGM/s400/barca.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447568253089636802" /></a> Posted by, Bruce Polderman, Product Manager </div></break><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7278262030537194084-4699156283819450251?l=google-latlong.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/SbSV?a=ARXlGlln6Gc:rFlr4oPcIog:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/SbSV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/SbSV?a=ARXlGlln6Gc:rFlr4oPcIog:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/SbSV?i=ARXlGlln6Gc:rFlr4oPcIog:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/SbSV/~4/ARXlGlln6Gc" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Elaine Filadelfo (noreply@blogger.com) on March 12, 2010 02:27 AM · permalink

Geeking with Greg

The Onion on Google's data

The Onion has a hilarious article, "<a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/news/google_responds_to_privacy">Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific Apology</a>", that should be enjoyable for this crowd. An excerpt as a teaster:<blockquote>Acknowledging that Google hasn't always been open about how it mines the roughly 800 terabytes of personal data it has gathered since 1998, [CEO Eric] Schmidt apologized to users -- particularly the 1,237,948 who take daily medication to combat anxiety --for causing any unnecessary distress, and he expressed regret -- especially to Patricia Fort, a single mother taking care of Jordan, Sam, and Rebecca, ages 3, 7, and 9 -- for not doing more to ensure that private information remains private. Monday's apology comes after the controversial launch of Google Buzz, a social networking platform that publicly linked Gmail users to their most e-mailed contacts by default. "I'd like nothing more than to apologize in person to everyone we've let down, but as you can see, many of our users are rarely home at this hour," said Google cofounder and president Sergey Brin, pointing to several Google Map street-view shots of empty bedroom and living room windows on a projection screen behind him. "And, if last night's searches are any indication, Boston's Robert Hornick is probably out shopping right now for the spaghetti and clam sauce he'll be cooking tonight ... Either that, or hunting down that blond coworker of his, Samantha, whose Picasa photos he stares at every night."</blockquote>[Article found via <a href="http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/03/google_in_the_o.html">Bruce Schneier</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6569681-5270586313506781857?l=glinden.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GeekingWithGreg/~4/ayCb19EvYOI" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Greg Linden (glinden@gmail.com) on March 12, 2010 02:22 AM · permalink

Slashdot

MetaLab Accuses Mozilla of Ripping Off UI Elements In Mockups

CWmike writes "Canadian interface design firm MetaLab has accused Mozilla of stealing user interface elements for a development tool in the browser maker's Jetpack project, which aims to simplify add-on making. MetaLab leveled the charges on Tuesday when the 11-person firm's founder, Andrew Wilkinson, blogged about the similarities between his company's designs and those posted by Mozilla for FlightDeck, a Jetpack editor. 'What they did was pretty ridiculous,' Wilkinson said on Thursday. 'There's a difference between inspiration versus ripping something off,' he said. 'The measurements of the graphic elements [Mozilla took from us] were the exact same, the very same pixels. When someone takes your images from the server hosting them, that's crossing the line.' Mozilla apologized to MetaLab on Wednesday, saying in a blog post, 'While the design direction being implemented does not utilize these design elements, we inadvertently included the early mockups in our blog post and video announcing the next phase of development for the Jetpack SDK ... We sincerely apologize to MetaLab for incorporating design elements from their web site in our early mockups and for posting them publicly without proper attribution.'" Alexander Limi of the Firefox User Experience Team points out that MetaLab has accepted the apology, too — worth bearing in mind.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Posted by timothy on March 12, 2010 02:08 AM · permalink

Philip Greenspun's Weblog

The Recession in Memphis

Waiting for a new Cirrus alternator, I’ve had plenty of time to roam around downtown Memphis, Tennessee. There are buildings or stores available to rent on every block. Approximately one third of the retail space seems vacant. Not too many folks are out on the streets, with the exception of Beale Street and its tourist blues joints. Overall it would appear that the city has about four times as much land as necessary and perhaps twice as much built space. Rehabbed townhouses a mile or so from downtown seem depressingly isolated; there is just not enough density to form a neighborhood and not enough green space to qualify as a suburb. If there is an economic recovery happening, it is difficult to see the effect on Memphis.

Posted by philg on March 12, 2010 02:04 AM · permalink

GigaOM

Video: Rupert Murdoch Loves the iPad, Hates Search

<img title="rupertontv" src="http://gigaom.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/rupertontv.gif?w=210&h=115" alt="" width="210" height="115" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-105281" /> Rupert Murdoch, the legendary founder of News Corp., has always had a love-hate relationship with the digital world. Sometimes (read: during the bubbles) he loves it. Sometimes (read: during advertising recessions) he hates it. His recent moves – whether it be getting rid of some of News Corp’s digital holdings or shuffling the chairs at MySpace — are a continuation of that love-hate relationship. (Watch the video below the fold.) And as we all know (and have read), he is not so enamored with Google, the so-called content stealer. (Never mind that he was OK taking Google’s $900 million when the search giant wanted to run ads on MySpace.) <a href="http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4100347/murdoch-on-the-future-of-technology-content/?playlist_id=87185">In an interview with Fox Business Network in Abu Dhabi, Murdoch said</a>: <div id="inline-related-posts-105279" class="widget inline-related-posts alignleft clearfix"> <div class="widget-wrap"> <div class="widget-title-wrap clearfix"> <h2 class="widget-title">More on <a class="category-link" href="http://gigaom.com/topic/ipad" title="iPad">iPad</a></h2> </div> <ul class="inline-related-posts"> <li> <a href="http://gigaom.com/2010/03/10/the-power-of-mifi-in-the-tablet-era/">The Power of MiFi in the Tablet Era</a> <a href="http://gigaom.com" title="Visit: GigaOM - This is a description.">Tech Insider</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://gigaom.com/2010/03/08/the-unreleased-ipad-haunts-sxswi/">The Unreleased iPad Haunts SXSWi</a> <a href="http://gigaom.com" title="Visit: GigaOM - This is a description.">Tech Insider</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://gigaom.com/2010/03/05/ipad-on-sale/">iPad to Be Available in Stores on April 3rd — Plus, Our Poll</a> <a href="http://gigaom.com" title="Visit: GigaOM - This is a description.">Tech Insider</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://gigaom.com/2010/02/26/meet-the-ipads-micro-sim/">Meet the iPad’s Micro SIM</a> <a href="http://gigaom.com" title="Visit: GigaOM - This is a description.">Tech Insider</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="widget-bottom clearfix"></div> </div> <blockquote>“Well Fox is now paid for. People when they pay their cable bills some of it comes to Fox. Cable television is paid television. But search on the Internet whether it be Bing or Google, whatever, it’s free and they simply take all our expensive and we think very good content such as Wall Street Journal or whatever and what they call they scrape it and they use it for search, it gives them their raw material for nothing and then they have this very clever business model of charging for searching it, we don’t get any of that. And they are technologically brilliant, they are a long way ahead but they do not have the right to do it if we want to stop them.”</blockquote> In contrast to Google, it seems he loves Apple’s iPad and what it can do for the publisher. <blockquote>Now that Apple is coming out with the Ipad that will be a very interesting way, more media is going to go into the Ipad…And they’ll get better and better and you’ll be able to do more tricks with it…And particularly with advertising and you see an advisement and you touch it and it becomes a 30 second commercial it’ll be these sort of things will happen not this year perhaps.”</blockquote> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=gigaom.com&blog=1149864&post=105279&subd=gigaom&ref=&feed=1" /><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=GgfYrCLRXBA:2bjIf-M3UNE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=GgfYrCLRXBA:2bjIf-M3UNE:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?i=GgfYrCLRXBA:2bjIf-M3UNE:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=GgfYrCLRXBA:2bjIf-M3UNE:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?i=GgfYrCLRXBA:2bjIf-M3UNE:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=GgfYrCLRXBA:2bjIf-M3UNE:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=GgfYrCLRXBA:2bjIf-M3UNE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?i=GgfYrCLRXBA:2bjIf-M3UNE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OmMalik/~4/GgfYrCLRXBA" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Om Malik on March 12, 2010 02:00 AM · permalink

dive into mark

Eulogy for a writer

Everyone is what they preach: pragmatism, fatalism, pessimism. My end is contained in my beginning: predestined, foreshadowed, prescribed. <a href="http://store.theonion.com/product/drugs-win-drug-war-1998,189/" title="The Onion uber alles">Drugs win drug war</a>. Recalling a lifetime of <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=%22selective+self-destruction%22" title="a surprisingly uncommon phrase">selective self-destruction</a>, I die alone, simultaneously over– and under-medicated. Death is another day; the object of life is to cheat it. “<a href="http://www.ftrain.com/self_in_time_backwards.html" title="that is the secret of growing old, that you can play your past and present like a piano">The years are like octaves</a>, scales descending the keyboard.” Days, months, years, a process of continually arrested falling. Gravity, thou art a heartless bitch. How can you keep from falling forever? Ridiculous. So at last, the future cries “Enough!” and slams its fist on the <a href="http://diveintomark.org/archives/2010/02/24/the-game-is-afoot" title="with apologies of Douglas R. Hofstadter">acrostic</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirae" title="the three Fates">Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos</a>. Someday my funeral will be videotaped and released under a Creative Commons license. Eulogy for a writer: viewed 1 time. Even Chapin did better than that. “<a href="http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/h/harry_chapin/coreys_coming.html" title="Corey's Coming">The scene at the graveyard</a>, just three of us were there / Me and the gravedigger, we heard the parson’s prayer / He said we need not grieve for this man, for we know that God cares.” So at last, the future cries “Enough!” and slams its fist six feet into the ground. Drug abuse is punishable by <a href="http://diveintomark.org/archives/2010/02/26/great-writers-can-be-punished-by-twenty-years-of" title="Bank bank bank robbery">twenty years in federal prison</a>. Never ends, that drug war; it just goes round and round. Don’t do drugs, kids, unless you want to end up like Michael Phelps — eight gold medals BUT NO FUCKING CEREAL CONTRACT. That’s a tossup. Parenting is tough. How do I explain that drugs are bad but I turned out okay? Yet I still expect to die from them someday, but maybe not this year because I’m <a href="http://addictionis.org/" title="still crazy after all these years">currently between addictions</a>? Since before they were born, their daddy’s medicine cabinet has been full of drugs, but those don’t count because they’re legal. Like Oxy? Yeah, that’s Schedule II and addictive as fuck, but it’s all good if a doctor scribbles something on a piece of paper. Really? You don’t remember that lesson from health class in junior high? Hmm, must’ve been sick that week. Kids-of-the-future-who-have-learned-to-read, there’s no Oxy in the medicine cabinet. Three other daily medications, yes. Schedule II painkillers, no. Or even Schedule III. I did have something strong when I had that kidney stone for a month, though. How can you have a kidney stone for a whole month, I hear you cry? You don’t want to know. Weeks in constant pain, and the motherfucker just Would Not Pass. Surgeons had to go in after it. Through… the… anyway, it was unpleasant is what I’m saying. Got to spend several weeks in bed, on so many painkillers I couldn’t sleep or shit anymore, all because some 6-millimeter motherfucking lump got stuck in some less-than-6-millimeter motherfucking passageway that I had problems even motherfucking pronouncing. Growing old is <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/css_is_awesome_mug-168716435071981928" title="just like CSS"awesome</a>. “Enough!” cries the future, and slams its fist on the malapropism. “My Corey’s coming / No more sad stories coming.” God, if you’re listening, this guy’s walking down a street, when he falls in a hole. Everything else is great, but this hole, God, it makes no sense to me. Every time I try to fill it, it just gets deeper. Realized that a long time ago, standing at the bottom looking up. Probably could’ve benefited from a warning sign at the top, is what I’m saying. Gods, games, and legerdemain. “<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/7849" title="Kafka is so terribly underrated">Nobody else could have fallen in this way</a>, as this hole was meant only for you.” Utter tripe, balderdash, sound and fury, stuff and nonsense. Eulogy for a writer: I guess he finally got the last word. Don’t take it too seriously. You’ll never make it out alive.

Posted by Mark on March 12, 2010 01:30 AM · permalink

Ted Leung on the Air

Macintosh Tips and Tricks revised

For years I’ve maintained a page of <a href="http://www.sauria.com/blog/mac-tips-and-tricks/">Macintosh Tips and Tricks</a>. It’s one of the most referenced pages on my blog, so someone must be using it, despite the fact that it was only up to date for Mac OS 10.5. I’ve finally gotten around to updating it for my current world. I hope it continues to be useful.

Posted by Ted Leung on March 12, 2010 01:10 AM · permalink

GigaOM

Ohai Demos Speedy Game Expansion; Help Liz and Om Fight Off “PR Zombies”!

<a rel="attachment wp-att-105224" href="http://gigaom.com/2010/03/11/ohai-demos-speedy-game-expansion-help-liz-and-om-fight-off-pr-zombies/wu_photo/"><img title="Wu_Photo" src="http://gigaom.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/wu_photo.jpg?w=209&h=117" alt="" width="209" height="117" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105224" /></a><a href="http://www.ohai.com">Ohai</a> has grand ambitions of jumpstarting an industry for social massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. Think World of Warcraft crossed with FarmVille — engaging and rich, but also easy to use and social. The San Francisco-based company has a great ambassador in CEO Susan Wu, a former venture capitalist who became fascinated by the emerging market for virtual goods, then teamed up with MMO tech wizard Don Neufeld, formerly of Sony Online Entertainment, and raised $6 million from August Capital and Rustic Canyon Partners. But it still has a long way to go. <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="300" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="src" value="http://blip.tv/play/AYHMohkC" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="300" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYHMohkC" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> Ohai’s first game, the vampire-themed <a href="http://www.cityofeternals.com/">City of Eternals</a>, came out in November and has 40,000 players across Facebook and the web, and its second game, Project Unicorn Parade (“an evocative, interactive world environment” with animals, says Wu), is coming soon. Ohai needs to be prolific, efficient and innovative to take on gaming heavyweights like EA and new juggernauts like Zynga, while growing its user base and revenue per user. So the company has tried to make itself nimble, building a platform for Flash-based games that can be tweaked and expanded on the fly and transformed completely to build a separate game (Ohai aims to release eight games per year). “I don’t view us as being in the content business,” said Wu. “I view as as being in web services, where we look at things like data and conversion rates.” We offered Ohai the chance to come in and show us what they’ve got, so they offered the one-two punch of Wu talking about the company and what it represents, combined with a Ohai content designer coming along to build, in pseudo real time, a virtual representation of the GigaOM office beset by “PR zombies” as a mission for City of Eternals. It’s a little hokey, to be sure, but it got me playing the game! If you’d like to help Om and I fight the PR zombies yourself, click <a href="http://play.cityofeternals.com?qid=3801107">here</a>. The <a href="http://blip.tv/file/3327229">video</a> of our chat with Wu is embedded above. Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d): <ul> <li><a href="http://pro.gigaom.com/2010/01/how-the-next-zynga-could-reinvent-social-gaming/">How the Next Zynga Could Reinvent Social Games</a></li> <li><a href="http://pro.gigaom.com/2009/07/virtual-worlds-trends-and-opportunities/">Virtual Worlds: Trends and Opportunities</a></li> </ul> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=gigaom.com&blog=1149864&post=105223&subd=gigaom&ref=&feed=1" /><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=E10DMICigbI:TM8s4hfXxZw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=E10DMICigbI:TM8s4hfXxZw:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?i=E10DMICigbI:TM8s4hfXxZw:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=E10DMICigbI:TM8s4hfXxZw:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?i=E10DMICigbI:TM8s4hfXxZw:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=E10DMICigbI:TM8s4hfXxZw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?a=E10DMICigbI:TM8s4hfXxZw:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OmMalik?i=E10DMICigbI:TM8s4hfXxZw:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OmMalik/~4/E10DMICigbI" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by Liz Gannes on March 12, 2010 01:00 AM · permalink

Wired Top Stories

The '70s Photos That Made Us Want to Save Earth

Shortly after the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the new organization sent 100 photographers out to document the human and natural environments. After a lively few years, the Documerica project was canceled and the photos were archived. Now, this incredible portrait of America in the mid-1970s is making its way onto Flickr.

Posted by Alexis Madrigal on March 12, 2010 01:00 AM · permalink

Alt Text: Resurrected Movie Gimmicks of the Future

With 3-D making a comeback, it's time to dig into Hollywood's history and excavate other cinematic technology that was groundbreaking for its time.

Posted by Lore Sjöberg on March 12, 2010 01:00 AM · permalink

Plug and Play: USB Albums We'd Like to See

Out with the CD, in with USB drives, maybe in the form of a cassette tape or spork?

Posted by David Downs on March 12, 2010 01:00 AM · permalink

NASA's New Jumbo Jet Keeps Giant Eye on Heavens

With a 45,000-foot cruising altitude, the world's biggest airborne telescope will begin collecting data this spring.

Posted by Katharine Gammon on March 12, 2010 01:00 AM · permalink

Planet Intertwingly: Memes

SXSW.com

Spotted by:<ul><li>Jeffrey Zeldman: <a href="http://zeldman.com/2010/03/10/my-sxsw/">My SXSW</a></li><li>Google: <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~3/Q2ocCUIVA1M/googles-coming-to-austin-for-sxsw.html">Google’s coming to Austin for SXSW</a></li><li>Kyle Weems: <a href="http://cssquirrel.com/2010/03/08/comic-update-escaping-sxsw/">Comic Update: Escaping SXSW</a></li></ul>

Posted on March 12, 2010 12:47 AM · permalink

AllFinancialMatters

Follow Up on My Berkshire Hathaway Post from Two Years Ago

A couple of bad years can really bring down your average annual rate of return. Check out this graphic I posted nearly two years ago: <center><img src="http://allfinancialmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/BRKA-Returns-1967-2007.gif" alt="" title="BRKA Returns 1967 - 2007" width="322" height="506" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4689" /></center> Now here’s that same graphic updated through 2009: <center><img src="http://allfinancialmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/BRKA-Returns-1967-2009.gif" alt="" title="BRKA Returns 1967 - 2009" width="322" height="546" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4688" /></center> What a difference two years can make. It is important to note that Berkshire is currently trading at 122,537 per share, which is up 23.53% so far in 2010. That brings the average annual rate of return back up to 22.89% over the last 42.19 years. The question is: what will the stock return in the future? I’m not an analyst by any means but I would have to say that it would be tough for Berkshire to notch the kind of gains it has in the past. We have already seen this happen over the last several years. For instance, here is a comparison of Berkshire’s average annual returns over the first 5, 10, 15, and 20-year periods (beginning in 1968) and it’s last 5, 10, 15, and 20-year periods: <center><img src="http://allfinancialmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Berkshire-Hathaways-Average-ROR-Over-5-10-15-and-20-Years-1968.gif" alt="" title="Berkshire Hathaway's Average ROR Over 5, 10, 15, and 20 Years (1968)" width="343" height="159" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4693" /></center> <center><img src="http://allfinancialmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Berkshire-Hathaways-Average-ROR-Over-5-10-15-and-20-Years.gif" alt="" title="Berkshire Hathaway's Average ROR Over 5, 10, 15, and 20 Years" width="343" height="133" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4692" /></center> The bigger they grow, the harder it is for them to continue that growth. Each investment is a smaller and smaller piece of the pie. <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/YbfA_8pK7WPG3LCJLWfJKD6HyRM/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/YbfA_8pK7WPG3LCJLWfJKD6HyRM/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/YbfA_8pK7WPG3LCJLWfJKD6HyRM/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/YbfA_8pK7WPG3LCJLWfJKD6HyRM/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AllFinancialMatters?a=SEp07Nvd3Gc:zbjkoHxx2Po:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AllFinancialMatters?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AllFinancialMatters?a=SEp07Nvd3Gc:zbjkoHxx2Po:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AllFinancialMatters?i=SEp07Nvd3Gc:zbjkoHxx2Po:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AllFinancialMatters?a=SEp07Nvd3Gc:zbjkoHxx2Po:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AllFinancialMatters?i=SEp07Nvd3Gc:zbjkoHxx2Po:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AllFinancialMatters?a=SEp07Nvd3Gc:zbjkoHxx2Po:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AllFinancialMatters?i=SEp07Nvd3Gc:zbjkoHxx2Po:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AllFinancialMatters/~4/SEp07Nvd3Gc" height="1" width="1"/>

Posted by JLP on March 12, 2010 12:45 AM · permalink

ongoing

Invisible Flash

Suppose you want to use Flash on your website. I think this is a bad idea, but I accept that some are going to ignore my wise advice and do it anyhow. If you do this and you’re not careful, you can make it absolutely impossible for some people to see your show. Consider for example <a href="http://www.thesixtyone.com/">thesixtyone</a>, a nice sort-of-game-structured music site that I use for background when I’m working on something that’s not particularly taxing. It’s lively and well-designed and dynamic and an example of intelligent and graceful Ajax. Only it wouldn’t work for me when I first visited it. The reason is that it uses Flash to play its music. On both Camino and Safari, like many other people I use a Flash blocker; this disables Flash by default and shows me some sort of graphic indicating that there’s Flash there if I want to click on it. The number of irritating squirmy lame-ass ads that I never have to look at is remarkable; and when I hit YouTube or something like that, I click and watch. On thesixtyone, they’d hidden their Flash player, made it invisible somehow, so there was nowhere to click to make the music go. Don’t do that!