Facebook is almost at 700 million users, but it recently experienced big dips in U.S. and Canadian growth. According to Inside Facebook, the social networking site hit 687 million monthly users in June, though the growth rate overall has been slower than normal for the past two months. Though for the past year Facebook has grown by at least 20 million users each month, in April and in May, it grew by 13.9 and 11.8 million respectively. And in the U.S. and in Canada, Facebook actually lost users. U.S. accounts fell by close to 6 million, from 155.2 million at the beginning of May to 149.4 million at the end. This marks the first time American Facebook membership has dropped in the last year. Canadian users also fell by about 1.5 million. Inside Facebook notes that once about 50 percent of a country’s population is on Facebook, growth basically stops. Indeed, losses over 100,000 were recorded by the U.K., Norway, and Russia. Meanwhile, Facebook’s growth was bolstered by gains in developing countries like Mexico, Brazil and India, each of which picked up about 2 million users from May to June. TechCrunch also pointed out that Twitter and LinkedIn are making big gains in many of the surveyed countries, with Twitter coming in as the number two social network for the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany and France.
Continue reading …LOS ANGELES — An attorney representing Tyler Hamilton said Tuesday he felt compelled to notify federal authorities about a brief conversation involving his client and fellow cyclist Lance Armstrong that occurred over the weekend at a Colorado restaurant. Hamilton, who has accused the seven-time Tour de France winner of doping, and Armstrong ran into each other in Aspen on Saturday night. Attorney Chris Manderson said his client was rattled by some of the comments made by Armstrong and he told federal authorities on Monday about what occurred. “It was aggressive and intimidating and we thought it should be reported to federal investigators,” Manderson told The Associated Press. Federal officials are now in their second year of investigating doping in cycling. A Los Angeles-based grand jury is hearing evidence that could lead to charges of fraud, conspiracy and drug trafficking against Armstrong and his former teammates. Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, declined comment. Manderson added it was well known that Hamilton would be in Aspen; he believes Armstrong sought his fellow cyclist out for a confrontation. “I don’t think it was a coincidence,” he said. Armstrong told Outside Magazine the incident was “certainly awkward for both of us” and “truly uneventful.” Armstrong attorney Mark Fabiani said the meeting was a nonevent, and offered up a list of witnesses to back up his claim. Manderson said the two men haven’t spoken to one another in years and hadn’t in recent weeks after Hamilton, a former Armstrong teammate, appeared on “60 Minutes” where he made doping allegations against the champion cyclist. The Hamilton interview reasserted claims made a year earlier by Floyd Landis, another former teammate of Armstrong’s. Manderson declined to say whether Hamilton would appear before the grand jury again, but hopes federal authorities will interview some of the people in the bar who witnessed what occurred, including those in Armstrong’s entourage. “I hope federal investigators interview the restaurant owner and those in Armstrong’s entourage under penalty of perjury to force them to tell the truth about the incident,” Manderson said.
Continue reading …CBS hounded four Republicans from the left during a town hall on the economy which aired on Tuesday's Early Show. Bob Schieffer, Erica Hill, and Rebecca Jarvis pressed Reps. Paul Ryan and Allen West, Senator Tom Coburn, and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to consider tax hikes to deal with the deficit. Schieffer also specifically accused the three members of Congress of ” doing nothing ” to fix the economy. The two online questions which Jarvis took from viewers touted Democratic talking points about deficits under former President George W. Bush and how cutting the federal budget would lead to an increase in the unemployment rate, due to the laying off of federal employees. She also vigorously pursued both Rep.
Continue reading …Jon Huntsman is making the rumors official: He’ll throw his hat into the 2012 ring next Tuesday, officials tell the AP . Huntsman left his post as US ambassador to China in the spring and started putting his campaign organization together. The former governor of Utah is seen as a long-shot,…
Continue reading …From, “How’s the pie?” to, “You have to leave, bye.” A Marie Callender’s restaurant in Seattle was forced to close its doors in the middle of the day, and with customers still eating. (PHOTOS: Grant Achatz, Culinary Miracle Worker) Marie Callender’s, after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, was forced to abruptly close one of
Continue reading …Bono and the Edge aren’t exactly pleased with how Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has worked out. In a blistering interview with the New York Times , the U2 leaders say they’re unhappy with the process and discuss their falling out with Julie Taymor, who was ousted in March. “If we…
Continue reading …Mildred Baena’s first interview is out, and in it, she reveals that she never actually came clean to Arnold Schwarzenegger about the child they had together, People reports. Though she’s not sure of Schwarzenegger’s reaction to the news that he has a 13-year-old son, Baena did reveal to Hello! how…
Continue reading …charswann says: EWG's dirty dozen. Fruits and veggies w/ most pesticides. Apples worst. Complete list: http://bit.ly/mU63cj //via @eunyangnbc cc: @dcfitweek
Continue reading …Katy Beth Terry the story part1 Katy Perry Last Friday Night Video Explodes Online – The Toast Katy Perry ‘Last Friday Night TGIF ‘ Video Premiere xPINKBombshell says: katy perry- last friday night video
Continue reading …While the world breathlessly awaits the Pac-Man reality TV show , the University of Essex held a programming competition starring that other yellow chomper. The Ms. Pac-Man vs. Ghost Team contest pitted 13 competitors from nine different countries against one another, to see who could create the most elusive Ms. Pac-Man or the wiliest ghost gang. The participants coded routines for the titular hero or Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue, with organizers then running the programs against one another on the Java-based playing field. The highest single-game score went to Atif, who racked up 69240 points versus DarkRodry’s ghosts, while ghost team Legacy2TheReckoning held RandomMsPacMan to a mere 410 points. Another competition will take place in August, so limber up your coding fingers, Pac-Maniacs. In the meantime, strap on your headgear and cheer on your round yellow hero in the video below. Continue reading AI competition pits Ms. Pac-Man against ghosts in the Manichean struggle of our time (video) AI competition pits Ms. Pac-Man against ghosts in the Manichean struggle of our time (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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