Will the PSP phone meet expectations?

One complaint about the current smartphones on the market is that they don’t offer any real gaming performance like some of the handheld devices. And why should they… they’re phones, right? Well, Sony is offering a solution with their PSP phone, but I’m not yet convinced this is what we as consumers need, but it might be something we want. But will this phone meet our expectations of both a phone and a gaming device?

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Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Vladimirovich and the family name is Putin.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин, IPA: [vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ ˈputʲɪn] ( listen); born 7 October 1952) served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when president Boris Yeltsin resigned in a surprising move, and then Putin won the 2000 presidential election. In 2004 he was re-elected for a second term lasting until 7 May 2008.

Due to constitutionally mandated term limits, Putin was ineligible to run for a third consecutive Presidential term. After the victory of his successor, Dmitry Medvedev, in the 2008 presidential elections, he was then nominated by the latter to be Russia's Prime Minister; Putin took the post on 8 May 2008.

Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing the rule of law. During his eight years in office, due to strong macroeconomic management, important fiscal policy reforms, and a confluence of high oil prices, surging capital inflows, and access to low-cost external financing, Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase by 72% in PPP (sixfold in nominal), poverty cut more than half, and average monthly salaries increase from $80 to $640, or by 150% in real rates. Analysts have described Putin's economic reforms as impressive.

During his presidency, Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. At the same time, his conduct in office has been questioned by domestic political opposition, foreign governments, and human rights organizations for leading the Second Chechen War, for his record on internal human rights and freedoms, and for his alleged bullying of the former Soviet Republics.

A new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy—such as Roman Abramovich, Oleg Deripaska, Mikhail Prokhorov, or Yuriy Kovalchuk, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin—emerged according to media reports. Along with Putin's connections to the business world, he has been criticized since the beginning of his first term as developing a cult of personality.

From Wikipedia

President Obama on The Daily Show

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama apparently thinks politics is no laughing matter, even when he's staring down a comedian. Obama barely cracked any jokes during an appearance Wednesday on "The Daily Show" despite host Jon Stewart's attempts to draw out the president's humorous side with a few of his own snarky wisecracks.

Less than a week before the critical Nov. 2 congressional elections, Obama said he hopes Democratic lawmakers who made tough votes will be rewarded with another term in office. He promised more accomplishments in the two years left on his own term in the Oval Office and urged people to vote - early if they can.

Text from: www.huffingtonpost.com

2.8 million viewers tuned in Wednesday night to watch The Daily Show Interview with President Barack Obama and Comedy Central host of the show, Jon Stewart.

The rating is reported to be the third highest viewed episode, with his first appearance in October 2008 as a candidate as highest and the appearance of his wife Michelle Obama’s as second highest. Topics discussed included health care reform, patient’s bill of rights and cutting the deficit, as well as others.

Tag VDO from: http://sickhop.com/tag/obama-daily-show-2010/

It Gets Better

Recently, several young people have taken their own lives after being bullied for being gay – or perceived as being gay – by their peers. Their deaths are shocking and heartbreaking tragedies. No one should have to endure relentless harassment or tormenting. No one should ever feel so alone or desperate that they feel they have nowhere to turn. We each share a responsibility to protect our young people. And we also have an obligation to set an example of respect and kindness, regardless of our differences.

This is personal to me. When I was a young adult, I faced the jokes and taunting that too many of our youth face today, and I considered suicide as a way out. But I was fortunate. One of my co-workers recognized that I was hurting, and I soon confided in her. She cared enough to push me to seek help. She saved my life. I will always be grateful for her compassion and support – the same compassion and support that so many kids need today.

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Is e-business for small business?

Did you know that e-business is about more than selling your product or service online? E-business can also help your company connect with your customers, collaborate with your business partners, and lower your costs. If you're considering implementing e-business solutions, it's important to understand the possible risks. However, there are ways that you can reduce the risks and take advantage of the benefits of e-business.

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Graphics chips break supercomputing speed barrier

Nvidia claims its graphics chips are the driving force behind a Chinese supercomputer called Tianhe-1A that has claimed the world's speed record for number crunching.

The fully-operational computer is based at China's National Supercomputer Center (NSC) in Tianjin and knocked the US's Cray XT5 Jaguar from the top of the flops with a new performance record of 2.507 petaflops on Linpack benchmarks.

The scientific research that is now possible with a system of this scale is almost without limits

Read more: Graphics chips break supercomputing speed

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Aung San Suu Kyi 'could be freed next month'

Myanmar's detained pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, could be released from house arrest next month, Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa said on Thursday.

Asked if his Myanmar counterpart, Nyan Win, had given any indication of when Suu Kyi would be freed during a regional summit in Hanoi, Natalegawa said: "Once the prison term of her sentence expires, and she has served her sentence, and that notion was not disputed.

"It was our understanding that she would have served her sentence in November," he told reporters.

Text from: www.dnaindia.com

Indonesian volcano erupts

Volcano

Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. A mid-oceanic ridge, for example the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has examples of volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates pulling apart; the Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates coming together. By contrast, volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust (called "non-hotspot intraplate volcanism"), such as in the East African Rift, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and the Rio Grande Rift in North America.

Indonesian volcano erupts, injuring up to 20 people
Thousands of residents on the slopes have been evacuated

Indonesia's most volatile volcano, Mount Merapi, erupted Tuesday, spewing out hot ash that injured several people. An AP reporter witnessed up to 20 people being taken away for treatment of their injuries. Subandriyo, chief vulcanologist in the area, said Merapi started to erupt just before dusk Tuesday. It had rumbled and groaned for hours. Scientists have warned that pressure building beneath Merapi's lava dome could trigger one of the most powerful blasts in years. Thousands of residents on the slopes have been evacuated. However most who fled were the elderly and children, while adults stayed to tend to homes and farms on the mountain's fertile slopes. In a 1994 eruption after the volcano's lava dome collapsed, 70 people were killed. The volcano killed 1,300 people in 1930.

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Why is WikiLeaks important ?

WikiLeaks is a not-for-profit media organisation. Their goal is to bring important news and information to the public.

Wikeleaks website (www.wikileaks.org) describes their purpose and intentions :


1. Introduction to WikiLeaks
"Could become as important a journalistic tool as the Freedom of Information Act." - Time Magazine
1.1 About WikiLeaks

We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way for sources to leak information to our journalists (our electronic drop box). One of our most important activities is to publish original source material alongside our news stories so readers and historians alike can see evidence of the truth. We are a young organisation that has grown very quickly, relying on a network of dedicated volunteers around the globe. Since 2007, when the organisation was officially launched, WikiLeaks has worked to report on and publish important information. We also develop and adapt technologies to support these activities.

I wont copy the entire site, of course - here are the main subjects they continue..


1.2 How WikiLeaks works
1.3 Why the media (and particularly Wiki leaks) is important
1.4 How WikiLeaks verifies its news stories
1.5 The people behind WikiLeaks
1.6 Anonymity for sources

2. WikiLeaks' journalism record
3. Short essays on how a more inquiring media can make a difference in the world

Listen to this!

Floods kill at least 25, affect 1.2 million

At least 25 people have been killed and 1.2 million other people affected as flooding continues to wreak havoc in 30 provinces, says the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Wat Bunkannawas in Ayutthaya’s Bang Ban district is ravaged by floods whichdestroyeda3-metrehigh earth embankment in front of the temple yesterday. The 10-rai temple compound in tambon Sai Noi isnow under two metres of water. SUNTHORNPONGPAO

The people who died are mainly the elderly and children. They drowned, or were electrocuted.

Nakhon Ratchasima and Buri Ram have recorded the highest casualties with six deaths each, followed by Lop Buri (5), Khon Kaen (3) and Sa Kaeo, Chaiyaphum, Rayong, Trat, and Saraburi, which have one death each.

One person is missing in Nakhon Ratchasima, the department said.

Still, the Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand has put the number of fatalities slightly higher at 28 deaths. The differences are in Rayong which has two deaths, Phetchabun (3), Chaiyaphum (2) and Ayutthaya (1).

* See also: Rapid growth, green zone incursions faulted
* Aid lagging?: Academic criticises disaster relief effort
* Invalids at risk: Patients moved out of Phimai hospital
* Feature: What's in a relief bag?

More than 9,000 villages in 30 provinces have been badly flooded, leaving around 1.2 million people struggling with flooded houses and farmland, says the department.

It warned people in six northern provinces yesterday to expect possible flash floods and mudslides in the next round of heavy rain caused by a strong southwestern monsoon system. People living near risk areas in Tak, Kamphaeng Phet, Lampang, Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Mae Hong Son were told to stay alert.

Bangkok-Nong Khai passenger trains passing Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen,UdonThaniandNong Khai are forced to suspend services after a section of track in Nakhon Ratchasima’s NonSung district is damagedby flooding. SAROTMEKSOPHAWANNAKUL

Meanwhile, the Royal Irrigation Department has told officials in Bangkok to reinforce embankments along the Chao Phraya River as water run-off from the North is flowing downstream to the capital with the high tide expected to peak on Monday and Wednesday.

City Hall has finished reinforcing 75 kilometres of its 77-kilometre flood wall along the river, says deputy Bangkok governor Porntep Techapaibul.

The water flow in the Chao Phraya passing the capital yesterday was 4,134 cubic metres a second, a rate considered very high, Mr Porntep said.

In 1995, the rate rose to 5,400 cu m a second, but the capital was still saved, he said.

Provinces upstream of the Chao Phraya River have flooded. In Ayutthaya, a three-metre high wall of sand bags failed to resist strong water currents.

In Pathum Thani, which is close to Bangkok, floods inundated a road and a riverside village in tambon Bang Luang in Muang district, forcing villagers to travel in boats.

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today's topic: Typhoons and storms

Typhoon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about Pacific tropical cyclones. For other uses, see Typhoon (disambiguation).
Three different typhoons spinning over the western Pacific Ocean on August 7, 2006

A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean between 180° and 100°E. For organizational purposes, the northern Pacific Ocean is divided into three regions: the eastern (North America to 140°W), central (140°W to 180°), and western (180° to 100°E). A Pacific typhoon, then, is a tropical cyclone in the northern Pacific Ocean west of 180°. Identical phenomena in the eastern north Pacific are called hurricanes, with tropical cyclones moving into the Western Pacific re-designated as typhoons.

Within the Northwestern Pacific there are no official typhoon seasons as tropical cyclones form throughout the year. The majority of storms form between May and December whilst tropical cyclone formation is at a minimum between January and April. The Northwestern Pacific features some of the most intense tropical cyclones on record.

The effects of cyclones are many, like this - the typhoon Megi:

Typhoon Megi Kills Seven at Temple in Taiwan After

Triggering Landslides

Locals push a car through flood damage in Suao, eastern Taiwan. Photographer: Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images

Typhoon Megi crossed over Taiwan, killing at least seven people at a temple complex, leaving a busload of Chinese tourists missing and causing power outages before moving on toward Xiamen in China’s Fujian province.

The deaths occurred when a house next to a Buddhist temple in Suao township in Yilan county was covered in a landslide, the National Fire Agency in Taipei said in a statement on its website. Nineteen mainland tourists, their driver and guide remained missing as of 9 p.m. local time yesterday, the government agency said.

More than 1,182 millimeters (46 1/2 inches) of rain has fallen in Suao, Taiwan’s fire agency said in the statement. The agency said 2,742 people in the northeastern coastal county of Yilan have been evacuated.

Megi, which left 19 people dead in the Philippines, earlier trapped about 400 people in their vehicles as roads closed, Taiwan’s cabinet said in a faxed statement earlier yesterday. Search teams had reached all 53 people who remain trapped at 7 p.m., the fire agency said later.

In Hong Kong, which had braced for a possible direct hit, the city’s observatory canceled all storm signals at 8:40 p.m. local time last night. Megi is forecast to move at about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) per hour toward the coast of Fujian province in southern China, continuing to weaken, the observatory said.

The storm was about 200 kilometers south of Xiamen at 2 a.m. local time today and is projected to make landfall in southern China this afternoon, according to the Hong Kong Observatory’s website.

A total of 2,987 households are still without power in Taiwan at 9 p.m. and agricultural losses have reached about NT$46 million ($1.5 million), the fire agency said.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from the coastal areas of southeast China, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Text from: www.bloomberg.com

and

www.telegraph.co.uk writes:

Record rains from a powerful typhoon caused massive mud- and rockslides in Taiwan that buried a Buddhist temple and trapped vehicles on a highway. The mudslide at the temple killed seven people, and overall, 25 people were missing in Taiwan as Typhoon Megi swept toward southern China. The storm earlier killed 26 people and damaged homes and crops in the Philippines. Megi dumped a record 45 inches (114 centimetres) of rain in Taiwan's Ilan county over 48 hours. It had winds of 90 mph (145 kph)

Will Smith - Willow Smith's Inspiring Song

Will Smith's nine-year-old daughter says her new single 'Whip My Hair' is meant to inspire people to be themselves.

Will Smith's daughter has revealed her new song is supposed to be an inspiration to people.

Willow, nine, says her track 'Whip My Hair' is telling people to be themselves and not be influenced by negative peer pressure.

She said: "'Whip My Hair' means don't be afraid to be yourself, and don't let anybody tell you that that's wrong. Because the best thing is you."

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Consumer Confidential: Another Toyota recall, coffee prices rise, Sex.com fetches big bucks

Here's your thoughtfully Thursday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Haven't we heard this song before? Toyota is recalling about 1.5 million vehicles worldwide because of brake and fuel pump problems. In the United States, the recall involves Lexus and Avalon models. Most of the vehicles being recalled need to be fixed for a problem in the brakes' master cylinder, which could leak fluid under certain circumstances, causing a loss in braking power.

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Nobody should teach us law, we also know it: Sena

Mumbai, Oct 20: After Mumbai police registered a case against Shiv Sena for playing loudspeaker above 50-decibel limit in their Dussehra rally, Sena proclaimed that no one should teach them any law as they know it very well.

Buzz up!
Sena's editorial party mouthpiece, Saamana on Oct 20 stated, "We also know the law. Nobody should teach us law."

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Justin Bieber under investigation over alleged assault

Teen singer Justin Bieber is at the center of an investigation in Canada after a 12 year old boy was allegedly hit in the face during a game of laser tag. Fans will be horrified to hear that 16 year old Bieber is being questioned by Royal Canadian Mounted Police over the incident.

Ontario born Justin Drew Bieber was first discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun who chanced upon his videos on youtube. He was introduced to Usher and the pair signed him to their RMBG label.



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Who Is Jasmine Waltz?

Jasmine Waltz is the 28-year-old cocktail waitress that David Arquette slept with shortly after separating from Courteney Cox. She's seen here after a dinner date at El Compadre Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles before heading over to Premiere nightclub.

The pair's relationship was confirmed by David on Howard Stern's radio show Tuesday and divulged a bit more information to the shock-jock than he should've, and apologized to Courtney later via his Twitter account.


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Fox-Cablevision carriage dispute at standstill

NEW YORK -- Representatives of Cablevision Systems and News Corp./Fox met here Saturday afternoon, but didn't resolve their carriage fee dispute, instead agreeing to more talks.

The result: Cablevision customers will continue to see dark screens when trying to tune in to two News Corp. TV stations in New York and one in Philadelphia, as well as several cable networks.

Saturday's meetings took place over several hours starting at noon EST. They appeared not to have made material progress, but plan to meet again Sunday.


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Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 7 Lineup with AT&T, T-Mobile

Microsoft officially unveiled its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system Monday, announcing that it will be available on a total of five devices in the U.S.

Windows Phone 7 handsets from AT&T and T-Mobile will begin shipping in November, while devices from Sprint and Verizon will be available next year. All the devices announced Monday will run a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Microsoft said.

At a New York launch event, Microsoft chief executive characterized Windows Phone 7 as a means to keep in touch but not be tied to your phone 24-7. "Get in, out, and back to life," Ballmer said. The experience should be "delightful."




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NFL says it is looking into allegations against Favre

(CNN) -- The National Football League said Saturday that it is reviewing reports involving Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre after a sports website posted naked pictures, text and voice messages it alleges he sent to a model and former television host.

When asked about the allegations Friday, the star quarterback declined to comment.

Greg Aiello, an NFL spokesman, said the league is reviewing the matter, but declined further comment.

CNN could not independently confirm whether the voice heard in the recordings belonged to Favre, or whether the notes were in fact sent by him.

The website Deadspin reported the messages were sent while Favre played for the New York Jets. The recipient, Jenn Sterger, worked for the team at the time as a sideline personality and host, Deadspin reported.

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Hungarian PM promises barrier to protect property from red sludge

BUDAPEST, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Saturday promised residents of evacuated Kolontar in western Hungary a barrier to protect them and their property from any further contamination by a red sludge deluge that has left seven people dead and over 150 others injured.

Speaking at a news conference in Ajka in the region, Orban warned that the containment barrier holding millions more gallons of caustic red sludge was so badly damaged that it was at risk of collapsing once again.

He made the comments after visiting the barrier earlier in the day. The damaged barrier was the reason the village of Kolontar had been evacuated shortly after daybreak and why the residents of nearby Devecser had been prepared to also leave their homes.

The latest crack in the barrier is 7 centimeters (about 3 inches), he said. Another half a million cubic meters of sludge could spill out of the reservoir, Orban said.


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Chinese dissident wins Nobel Peace Prize

(CNN) -- The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Liu Xiaobo, a leading Chinese dissident who is serving an 11-year prison term.

Liu was sentenced in 2009 for inciting subversion of state power. He's the co-author of Charter 08, a call for political reform and human rights, and was an adviser to the student protesters at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

"From my personal angle, I feel in a dictatory society if you want to be a person with dignity, if you want to be a honest person, fight for human-rights improvement, fight for free speech, being ... [in prison] is part of what you are undertaking, and there is nothing to complain," Liu Xiaobo told CNN in 2007, while he was between a series of house arrests.

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Microsoft to Open Retail Store in Front of Apple Store at Mall of America

We knew that Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft was planning to open one of its new retail stores in Minneapolis, Minnesota. What we didn’t know is that Microsoft was going to open said store right in front of an existing Apple Retail Store at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. That’s not all. To make matters worse, the Microsoft Store appears to be twice or even larger than the Apple Store across the hall.

Microsoft is definitely bringing it on.

Anyway, it’s currently unknown when exactly Microsoft plans to open this store. The huge sign just indicates that the store is opening soon. We’ll see how that goes for both Apple and Microsoft.

Check out a video after the break. Be sure to let us know what you think.



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Gaming Panasonic's Jungle portable gaming system emerges, gets shown off on video (update: makes appearance on Rob Dyrdek's MTV show)

Apparently Panasonic has been working itself into a frenzy over a new handheld video game console designed solely around the concept of taking MMORPGs with you everywhere you go -- like you weren't already wasting too much of your life. The makers of the ill-fated 3DO are returning to the gaming world with a portable system dubbed "The Jungle." The clamshell device will allegedly sport a super high-resolution display, features a full QWERTY keyboard along with what looks like a touch sensitive d-pad and button arrangement, and may run atop a custom Linux build. The Jungle will also apparently sport a mini HDMI port, a micro USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. To our eyes, the system looks a little on the clunky side, with a definite air of something out of Nokia's N-Gage line -- not a good thing for a 2010 device. Alongside the system itself, Panasonic will launch a Battlestar Galactica title for the device, and a web show called Online Underground.




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New Planet Discovered 2010, Earth like Planet Gliese 581G Photo

The New Planet, Gliese 581G was discovered by astronomers earlier this week. Gliese 581G is an Earth-like planet. It could have extraterrestrial power according to astronomers. This is the first Goldilocks planet according to astronomer Paul Butler. You can see a photo of the new planet Gliese 581G above.

The new planet, Gliese 581G, is 20 light years from Earth’s solar system. Forget about us reaching that planet because 20 light years is way too far. Gliese 581G is always sunny on one side. There is no night on planet Gliese 581G because it’s day all year long!

Astronomers don’t know whether or not any intelligent form of life exists on Gliese 581G, but this planet can support extraterrestrial life. “If we do discover life outside our planet, it would perhaps be the most significant discovery of all time,” said Edward Seidel of the National Science Foundation. You can find out more on this new planet here.
The new planet, Gliese 581G, is 20 light years from Earth’s solar system. Forget about us reaching that planet because 20 light years is way too far. Gliese 581G is always sunny on one side. There is no night on planet Gliese 581G because it’s day all year long!

Astronomers don’t know whether or not any intelligent form of life exists on Gliese 581G, but this planet can support extraterrestrial life. “If we do discover life outside our planet, it would perhaps be the most significant discovery of all time,” said Edward Seidel of the National Science Foundation. You can find out more on this new planet here.




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