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Showing posts from March, 2012

Keith Olbermann -- I'm Suing Al Gore's Ass

Keith Olbermann -- I'm Suing Al Gore's Ass : Keith Olbermann tells TMZ, he's furious with Al Gore for firing him from Current TV -- claiming, "I will be filing [a lawsuit] against them."As we previously reported, Current just fired Olbermann from his show "Countdown" -- and Al Gore released a…

A Lumia 900 Will Cost New AT&T Customers Zero Dollars [Nokia]

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A Lumia 900 Will Cost New AT&T Customers Zero Dollars [Nokia] : And you thought Nokia's new Windows Phone was dirt cheap at $99 to begin with . More »

A Cashless Society May Be Closer Than Most People Would Ever Dare To Imagine

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A Cashless Society May Be Closer Than Most People Would Ever Dare To Imagine : Most people think of a cashless society as something that is way off in the distant future.  Unfortunately, that is simply not the case.  The truth is that a cashless society is much closer than most people would ever dare to imagine.  To a large degree, the transition to a cashless society is being done voluntarily.  Today, only 7 percent of all transactions in the United States are done with cash, and most of those transactions involve very small amounts of money.  Just think about it for a moment.  Where do you still use cash these days?  If you buy a burger or if you purchase something at a flea market you will still use cash, but for any mid-size or large transaction the vast majority of people out there will use another form of payment.  Our financial system is dramatically changing, and cash is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.  We live in a digital world, and national governments and big banks

'Lost' Co-Creator -- I'm Playing THE NUMBERS in Lotto ... But They're Still Cursed!

If there's any justice, he'll be in purgatory for 6 years before he realizes it. ~~~ 'Lost' Co-Creator -- I'm Playing THE NUMBERS in Lotto ... But They're Still Cursed! : Damon Lindelof is PRAYING TO JACOB that life imitates art ... 'cause the "Lost" co-creator just dropped one U.S. dollar to play the infamous "Lost Numbers" in the mega-millions lottery. Lindelof just posted a photo of his ticket to Twitter ...…

Facebook Is Building a Search Engine [REPORT]

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Sh*t just got real. ~~~ Facebook Is Building a Search Engine [REPORT] : Is Facebook building a Google rival — one that would use your location and your friends’ tastes? A team of more than 20 Facebook engineers — led by a former Google programmer — is at work on a vastly improved search engine within the site, according a Businessweek report. The idea, according to two sources, is to take better advantage of the heaps of content Facebook users create on — and off — the site every day. With people sharing status updates and supporting brand pages on the network, as well as using Facebook’s “Like” button to mark articles and videos from external sites, there is certainly a lot to take advantage of. Mashable contacted Facebook for more information and got this response from a company spokesperson: “We don’t comment on rumors and speculation around products.” Google has boosted its presence in the social space recently, opening the Google+ network last fall and a “ Search,

Could the NBA Kings again look at Anaheim?

Could the NBA Kings again look at Anaheim? : ANAHEIM – A dispute between the city of Sacramento and the family that owns the NBA Kings concerning payment of pre-development fees on a proposed arena has possibly moved Anaheim back into the pro basketball picture. Eric Rose, the Maloof family's...

The Strangest and Most Wonderful Photobomb You've Ever Seen [Image Cache]

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The Strangest and Most Wonderful Photobomb You've Ever Seen [Image Cache] : This is a story. The story of a young woman, brown of hair and unsure of heart, and her new dress. This is also the story of another woman in the dressing room, heart full of cocaine and smartphone love. More »

Qwikster Is a Terrible Name So Netflix Bought DVD.com [NetFlix]

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Qwikster Is a Terrible Name So Netflix Bought DVD.com [NetFlix] : When Netflix announced last year that it was splitting its DVD rental service from its streaming service , consumer anger mostly centered around how subscribers would be getting fewer services for the same price. But part of the PR disaster was about how terrible the name Qwikster is, because, let's face it, it's pretty much the worst name you can choose for a DVD business . What could be a better name? Netflix bought the domain name "DVD.com" today . More »

How a high roller took millions off three Atlantic City casinos without cheating

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How a high roller took millions off three Atlantic City casinos without cheating : Mark Bowden's Atlantic article tells the story of Don Johnson, a high-rolling gambler who broke the bank at three Atlantic City casinos without card-counting or other "cheats." Years ago, I was mildly obsessed with understanding casino economics and cheats, and read a bunch of books on how to win (or at least lose slowly) at a casino. The consensus among the experts I read was to realize that most skill-based casino games are only mildly "negative expectation" (that is, if you play them with perfect statistical strategy, you'll lose a little money over time). Also, most casinos distribute "comps" (freebies) to make up about forty percent of your estimated losses. These losses are calculated by pit bosses who keep an eye on consistent gamblers and observe the size of your normal bet and the tightness of your play, then make a guess at how much you're losing p

Magic Kingdom monorail to feature "The Avengers"

Magic Kingdom monorail to feature "The Avengers" : One of the Walt Disney World monorails will be getting a new look to celebrate "The Avengers" film.

Jerry Lee Lewis Marries Cousin's Ex-Wife

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Jerry Lee Lewis Marries Cousin's Ex-Wife : Jerry Lee Lewis has married his cousin's ex-wife CNN reports This is the seventh marriage for the 76-year-old rocker who wed Judith Brown on March 9th in Natchez Mississippi Brown was once married to Lewis' cousin Rusty Brown Lewis is no stranger to unconventional paths to romance The singer infamously...

Calif. 2nd in revenue lost as residents leave

Calif. 2nd in revenue lost as residents leave : California lost $27 billion in tax revenues because of residents who moved to other states from 1999 to 2009, according to the Tax Foundation's Nick Kasprak. California had the second greatest tax revenue loss from interstate migration over the...

Man shot, wounded in Fullerton parking structure

Man shot, wounded in Fullerton parking structure : FULLERTON – A 21-year-old man suffered a leg injury early Friday morning in a downtown parking structure, police said. The shooting was reported about 1:30 a.m. in a parking structure in the 100 block of East Wilshire Avenue near North Harbor...

Foxconn Workers: Please Let Us Work More! [Foxconn]

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Foxconn Workers: Please Let Us Work More! [Foxconn] : After the people Apple hired to clear its name wrote up a gloomy report of Foxconn working conditions, the manufacturer vowed to reform. First up: shorter, legal working days. But now these overworked workers want to keep overworking. What? More »

Fresh Iran oil sanctions from US

Fresh Iran oil sanctions from US : US President Barack Obama is set to introduce fresh sanctions on foreign banks still involved in the trading of Iranian oil.

Mega Millions: Lessons from a jackpot winner - latimes.com

I'm not going to take lessons from somebody that held their own press conference about winning. ~~~ Mega Millions: Lessons from a jackpot winner - latimes.com :

'The Dark Knight Rises: Lego Edition' Trailer Goes Viral (Video)

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'The Dark Knight Rises: Lego Edition' Trailer Goes Viral (Video) : Erin Carlson Substituting block-headed figurines for Christian Bale and Tom Hardy, the toy version of the original preview manages to preserve its ominous tone. read more

Suzanne Ciani: music of Atari, pinball, and Star Wars Disco

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Makes me miss the FAO at South Coast Plaza. ~~~ Suzanne Ciani: music of Atari, pinball, and Star Wars Disco : If you've ever heard Meco's classic space disco version of the Star Wars theme, or played the Xenon pinball machine, or saw the original Atari TV commercials, then you've heard the pioneering electronic music of Suzanne Ciani. From her earliest days studying with Don Buchla at UC Berkeley and Max Mathews at Stanford to her commercial work in the 1970s and 1980s to Grammy-nominated New Age music in the 1990s, Ciani has been a prolific composer and electronic music innovator. Here is a 1979 interview with her about creating the sounds for Bally's Xenon pinball machine: The excellent Finders Keepers Records has just issued Suzanne Ciani: Lixiviation , a fantastic collection of her early recordings -- TV spots, corporate IDs, advertising jingles, and other short bits of brilliance. Check out her music for an Atari Liberator television commercial: Fr

1942 Donald Duck cartoon funded by the US Treasury exhorts you file your tax-return

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1942 Donald Duck cartoon funded by the US Treasury exhorts you file your tax-return : Here's a great 194 1 2 Donald Duck toon funded by the Treasury, explaining to war-torn America why they need to all file their taxes to defeat tyranny. Help Donald Duck File His 1941 Federal Tax Return

Video: 2013 Lincoln MKZ reveals its extra large panoramic roof

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Video: 2013 Lincoln MKZ reveals its extra large panoramic roof : Filed under: New York Auto Show , Sedan , Lincoln , Luxury We've been showing you spy photos of a prototype 2013 Lincoln MKZ sporting a very large retractable roof for months now, and today, the automaker has pulled back the curtain on this very unique feature. While giant sunroofs are nothing new, the retractable panoramic roof that will be available for the 2013 Lincoln MKZ covers 15.2 square feet, which Lincoln says makes it one of the largest retractable glass roof panels in a production sedan. We can't think of any larger than that, though manufacturers usually don't supply the square footage of their sunroofs. Bonus points, then, for whoever can name a larger one in the comments. Lincoln says it takes two motors just ten seconds to either open or close the roof, which rides along parallel rails located on the outer edges of the roof and along each side of the rear window. When fully retr

Mossad Cutting Back on Covert Operations Inside Iran, Officials Say

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Mossad Cutting Back on Covert Operations Inside Iran, Officials Say : Israel's intelligence services have scaled back covert operations inside Iran, ratcheting down by "dozens of percent" in recent months secret efforts to disable or delay the enemy state's nuclear program, senior Israeli security officials tell TIME

Why Obama Will Never Call Out Racism

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Why Obama Will Never Call Out Racism : The President faces a challenge that befalls many successful Blacks. How do you talk about racism when your position in life seems to suggest that it doesn't exist?

VISA, MasterCard Warn of 'Massive' Breach At Credit Card Processor

VISA, MasterCard Warn of 'Massive' Breach At Credit Card Processor : concealment writes with news that VISA and MasterCard have been warning banks of an incident at a U.S. card processor that may have compromised as many as 10 million credit card numbers. From the article: "Neither VISA nor MasterCard have said which U.S.-based processor was the source of the breach. But affected banks are now starting to analyze transaction data on the compromised cards, in hopes of finding a common point of purchase. Sources at two different major financial institutions said the transactions that most of the cards they analyzed seem to have in common are that they were used in parking garages in and around the New York City area." According to the Wall Street Journal, the breached company is Global Payments Inc. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Exclusive - Iran helps Syria ship oil to China - sources

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Exclusive - Iran helps Syria ship oil to China - sources : LONDON (Reuters) - Iran is helping its ally Syria defy Western sanctions by providing a vessel to ship Syrian oil to a state-run company in China, potentially giving the government of President Bashar al-Assad a financial boost worth an estimated $80 million.

Spain to reveal deep budget cuts in sinking economy

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Spain to reveal deep budget cuts in sinking economy : MADRID (Reuters) - Spain will reveal deep budget cuts on Friday despite stiff popular resistance, increasing concerns that austerity measures demanded by the EU will only push the economy deeper into recession.

North Korea test fires short-range missiles - reports

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North Korea test fires short-range missiles - reports : SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its west coast on Thursday believed to be part of a test to upgrade capabilities, said news reports published on Friday, quoting South Korean military officials.

How Apple Might Bring Siri to the Masses

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How Apple Might Bring Siri to the Masses : Siri: the new universal remote.

Is Netflix Trying to Pull Another Qwikster?

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Is Netflix Trying to Pull Another Qwikster? : It looks as if Neflix is trying to separate its DVD and streaming businesses again. How did that go the first time?

This Apple Disruption Is Already Well Under Way

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Cameras. ~~~ This Apple Disruption Is Already Well Under Way : Another one is biting the dust.

The Secret of Weight Loss May Be In 3,000-Year-Old Mummy Poop [Medicine]

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The Secret of Weight Loss May Be In 3,000-Year-Old Mummy Poop [Medicine] : Scientists may have found one of the keys to weight loss hiding in the poop of 3,000-year-old mummies. The bacterial DNA found in their guts is very different from our modern intestinal flora. More »

Villaraigosa calls for raising retirement age on new employees

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The latest fad among cities. ~~~ Villaraigosa calls for raising retirement age on new employees : The L.A. mayor proposes raising the retirement age for new employees to 67. With the city facing a $220-million shortfall, he also says layoffs may be necessary. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday threatened to put a measure on the ballot raising the retirement age for new city employees if the City Council refuses to enact such a proposal.

Google to Sell Tablets Through Online Store [REPORT]

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Google to Sell Tablets Through Online Store [REPORT] : Google plans to sell co-branded Android tablets directly to consumers through its own online store, the Wall Street Journal reports. This move comes in an effort to kickstart Android tablet sales, which are still nowhere near the iPad sales levels. The tablets will be manufactured by Asus and Samsung, WSJ claims, but a Google branded tablet is a possibility, too. There’s no word on the price, but Google might subsidize the price of the tablet(s), making them more attractive to consumers and closer to the $199 price of Android-based Amazon Kindle Fire and B&N’s Nook Tablet . Google already tried this approach with smartphones, having sold its Google Nexus phone through its own online store, but it gave up on it after disappointing sales . This fact alone makes it unlikely that Google would try the same approach again, but recent rumors that Google is working on a cheap tablet of its own give some credibility to the

Report: Suns forward Hill needs knee surgery

This is news? ~~~ Report: Suns forward Hill needs knee surgery : Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill could be done for the season with a meniscus tear in his right knee, the Arizona Republic Republic reported on Friday.

Former KGB chief 'kills himself'

Former KGB chief 'kills himself' : A former head of the KGB's foreign intelligence branch, Leonid Shebarshin, has apparently shot himself dead aged 77, Russian prosecutors say.

Hitler parents' tombstone removed

Hitler parents' tombstone removed : The tombstone marking the grave of Adolf Hitler's parents in Austria is removed, to end its use as a pilgrimage site for right-wing extremists.

Germany retail sales fall again

Slowing down.... ~~~ Germany retail sales fall again : German retail sales fell in February for the second month in a row, denting hopes that consumer spending will support the economy in the first quarter.

Work on a Better Reason

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Work on a Better Reason : He’s at least the best looking dude in the room.

Skeletor 2012

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Skeletor 2012 :