Yes, really. In the very strange logic of Arizona gun buyers, Glocks are now an endangered species and therefore must be bought and added to the collection right now. Via Bloomberg : One-day sales of handguns in Arizona jumped 60 percent to 263 on Jan. 10 compared with 164 the corresponding Monday a year ago, the second-biggest increase of any state in the country, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation data. Handgun sales rose 65 percent to 395 in Ohio; 16 percent to 672 in California; 38 percent to 348 in Illinois; and 33 percent to 206 in New York, the FBI data show. Sales increased nationally about 5 percent, to 7,906 guns. Now, I could almost understand gun sales rising, but Glocks? Why Glocks? Here’s why: A national debate over weaknesses in state and federal gun laws stirred by the shooting has stoked fears among gun buyers that stiffer restrictions may be coming from Congress, gun dealers say. The result is that a deadly demonstration of the weapon’s effectiveness has also fired up sales of handguns in Arizona and other states, according to federal law enforcement data. “When something like this happens people get worried that the government is going to ban stuff,” Wolff said. Arizona gun dealers say that among the biggest sellers over the past two days is the Glock 19 made by privately held Glock GmbH, based in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, the model used in the shooting. I’m not opposed to gun ownership, even though I won’t own one. I am, however, opposed to people owning 30-round clips that can take out 19 people in seconds. That’s not self-defense. It’s mayhem.
Continue reading …Vulkano Blast and Flow due this month, streaming your media all over the place
January 13, 2011 No Comment
You know what was missing form Vulkano ‘s last release? More pun-ful names, that’s what. Enter the Vulkano Blast and Flow do-it-all media boxes. For $99, the latter boasts watching live TV, browsing episode guides, and accessing recorded content via PC, Macs, smartphones, and various tablets — iOS, BlackBerry, and Android for now, according to the press release, with Windows (Phone?) 7 and Symbian on the horizon. Meanwhile, the Blast adds HDMI out, UPnP support, and a 160GB hard drive for $199. Both have a 802.11n router and both are due out this month, if ya dig. Vulkano Blast and Flow due this month, streaming your media all over the place originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The Montana Hotel above Port Au Prince was one of the deadliest sites during the Haiti earthquake. Survivors, rescuers, and family members of victims gather Wednesday to mark the one year anniversary of the building’s collapse. (Jan. 12)
Continue reading …NC State’s coiled nanowire discovery could lead to stretchable electronic devices
January 13, 2011 No Comment
Cotton may very well be the fabric of our lives, but it’d sure feel a lot better draped across our skin if we could incorporate stretchable electronic devices into it. That’s the goal of NC State’s own Dr. Yong Zhu, who has worked with a team of gurus to create “the first coils of silicon nanowire on a substrate that can be stretched to more than double their original length.” Essentially, this type of breakthrough brings us one (major) step closer to “incorporating stretchable electronic devices into clothing, implantable health-monitoring devices, and a host of other applications.” Compared to prior studies on buckling, this particular approach one-ups those focusing on freestanding nanowires, with the new coils’ mechanical properties enabling them to be “stretched an additional 104 percent beyond their original length.” That’s a lot of technobabble, for sure, but what you need to realize is just how amazing your life will be as soon as The Zhu Crew figures out how to improve the reliability of the electrical performance when the coils are stretched to the limit. Flexible PMPs woven into your ski jacket? Bendable LCDs sewn right into your car’s headrests? The future… it’s here . NC State’s coiled nanowire discovery could lead to stretchable electronic devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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This day began with ugliness — let’s end it with positive news: And from ABC News : The three lawmakers who witnessed the moment were House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. “We had been telling her that she was inspiring the country with her courage and that we couldn’t wait to take her out to pizza and… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Daily Kos Discovery Date : 13/01/2011 03:15 Number of articles : 7
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This day began with ugliness — let’s end it with positive news: And from ABC News : The three lawmakers who witnessed the moment were House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. “We had been telling her that she was inspiring the country with her courage and that we couldn’t wait to take her out to pizza and… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Daily Kos Discovery Date : 13/01/2011 03:15 Number of articles : 7
Continue reading …President Obama paid a visit to Gabrielle Giffords and the other survivors of last weekend’s shooting spree, then delivered some great news in his national address: “A few minutes after we left her room … Gabby opened her eyes for the first time,” he said. “She knows we’re here.” Before going…
Continue reading …Samsung WiFi-enabled RF4289 fridge cools, eats and tweets; we go hands-on
January 13, 2011 No Comment
Other brands may view networked fridges as the key to going green, but it seems Samsung is more interested in letting users access Pandora or tweet while grabbing a snack. At least that’s the impression we got from its staff while playing with the RF3289 fridge at CES, which the brand touts is the first of its kind to feature integrated WiFi. To be fair the unit provides a few pragmatic features too like the ability to view Google calendars, check the weather, download recipes from Epicurious, or leave digital notes — though we’d have been more impressed by functions such as remote temperature adjustment or food spoilage alerts. We also found that the stainless steel exterior made reading the 8-inch LCD touchscreen screen difficult from more than a few feet away. Otherwise, further details on the software and definite pricing are nonexistent at this point, but we do know the appliance will be available to cutting-edge Canadians sometime in May. For more details check out shots of the UI in the gallery below, and hit up Samsung’s vague press release after the break. Gallery: Samsung Wi-Fi-enabled RF4289 fridge Continue reading Samsung WiFi-enabled RF4289 fridge cools, eats and tweets; we go hands-on Samsung WiFi-enabled RF4289 fridge cools, eats and tweets; we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Torrential summer rains tore through mountains in Rio de Janeiro state, killing at least 140 people in 24 hours, Brazilian officials said on Wednesday. Rescuers struggled to dig through tons of mud and debris in a search for survivors. (Jan. 12)
Continue reading …Mitchell Finds It Relevant to Highlight on NBC How MSNBC.com Users Reject Palin’s Retort
January 13, 2011 No Comment
Sarah Palin’s use in a video commentary of the “blood libel” phrase, against those exploiting the Tucson shooting in order to discredit her, inflamed television journalists with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell ridiculously highlighting on Wednesday’s Nightly News how “more than 375,000 people have expressed their views in an online poll on MSNBC.com” and “nearly 59 percent do not agree with Palin.” As if MSNBC.com attracts any kind of representative audience. On the CBS Evening News , Chip Reid maintained: “She ignited a new controversy by using the term ‘blood libel,’ which refers to false allegations from the Middle Ages that Jews murdered Christian children to use their blood in religious ceremonies.” Claire Shipman, on ABC’s World News , relayed how “she uses a phrase many view as particularly incendiary, ‘blood libel.’” Mitchell asserted “Palin’s response is now setting off more controversy” as evidenced by how “the Internet was immediately on fire over two words in her speech, ‘blood libel,’ a central myth of anti-Semitism” which “is offensive say critics.” read more
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