A couple of random photos from my afternoon wanderings. First, my wife needed some fortune cookies for a theme lunch she’s putting on so we stopped in the 99 Ranch Market in Irvine, a very Asian grocery store that advertises stuff like squid and pork stomachs.
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Native Amazonian children– not from the Yanomami tribe but still critical in protecting our planet’s lungs, the Amazon. Photo: Jess Root When I traveled to the Amazon Rainforest in 2008, scoping out the work of non-profit Projeto Saude e Alegria , I came home with one of those “Duh!” lightbulb moments. A large part of protecting the Amazon Rainforest and its rich biodiversity lies within protecting its inhabitants–the people who live there. It’s less likel… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Fox blackout on Cablevision ends after 14 day standoff, glaring contest continues on
October 31, 2010 No Comment
Evidently missing the first two games of the World Series was about all Cablevision thought it subscribers could take, as news just hit the wire: the fourteen-day standoff is over and both tonight’s game three of the World Series and tomorrow’s Jets vs Packers game are available to subscribers. While these carriage disputes are pretty common, it is very rare for channels to be pulled and downright unheard of for a channel as popular as Fox. It came to this because Cablevision was very unhappy about News Corp’s new terms and after many pleas to the FCC and politicians to intervene, an advertising campaign , and eventually an unaccepted offer to match the price that Time Warner Cable pays , a deal has finally been done. Not exactly all’s well that ends well, though, as Cablevision released the following statement: “In the absence of any meaningful action from the FCC, Cablevision has agreed to pay Fox an unfair price for multiple channels of its programming including many in which our customers have little or no interest.” Talk about sour grapes. Well at least we can hope that Cablevision’s efforts paid off a little bit and your cable bill won’t go up as much as it would’ve if the outage never occurred to begin with. We can hope. Continue reading Fox blackout on Cablevision ends after 14 day standoff, glaring contest continues on Fox blackout on Cablevision ends after 14 day standoff, glaring contest continues on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In the shadow of the Capitol and the election, comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert entertained a huge throng at a “sanity” rally poking fun at the nation’s ill-tempered politics, fear-mongers and doomsayers. AP’s Matt Friedman reports. (Oct. 30)
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Milling around the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally today, I couldn't quite figure out the point. The acoustics were so bad also that you could barely hear anything unless you were right by the stage. Straining here and there, I was able to catch a smattering of dialogue but Colbert and Stewart really could not be heard during most of the time in the various locations I was at. Not being able to hear anything didn't seem to bother most of the attendees however, most of whom were wandering around looking at many of the funny (and attempted funny) signs. Not all of the signs were trying to be funny, however. Most of the ire of the angry demostrators seemed to be directed against Glenn Beck and Fox News. There were also a few anti-Republican signs as well, including at least one of Republican politicians Sarah Palin, John Boehner, and Eric Cantor with Adolph Hitler mustaches alongside conservative talk show hosts Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. read more
Continue reading …HP Envy 14 Beats Edition no longer available with Dr. Dre endorsed headphones, results in price drop
October 30, 2010 No Comment
The differences between the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition and the plain ol’ Envy 14 have been primarily aesthetic — it’s got a black Beats branded lid and red backlit keyboard — but HP’s also included that set of Monster Beats Solo headphones you see up there. Sadly, that last differentiator is no longer. We’d heard from a few readers that their Envy 14 Beats Edition laptops arrived sans headphones, and HP has confirmed for us that due to “supply constraints” the Dr. Dre Solo from Monster headphones are no longer included with the snazzy black and red laptop. Hopefully those customers that paid full price for the laptop and didn’t receive the Solos will get a refund, but we’re told by HP that the price has been lowered by $100 since the cans went out of stock — the starting price was originally $1,249.99 and is now $1,149.99. We’re not entirely sure why you’d pay $150 more for the Beats version now, considering you get the same audio experience with the standard $999.99 Envy, but what do we know? There may be tons of diehard Beats Audio fans living amongst us. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] HP Envy 14 Beats Edition no longer available with Dr. Dre endorsed headphones, results in price drop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’re still trying to understand why Entourage has chosen the Home Shopping Network of all places to reveal its new Pocket Edge , but at least we now know that the previously spied dualscreen tablet / e-reader lives! Although the 1.35-pound device has been shrunken down with smaller displays — a 6-inch “Wacom Penabled” e-ink panel and 7-inch LCD — it actually doesn’t appear like much else has been changed from the original. Unfortunately, that means our biggest complaints about the device are very much present — it’s got a resistive touchscreen and appears to run an older version of Android. If it’s any consolation, the trackball on the right edge has been replaced with an optical touchpad and there are now red and black color options. Spec-wise, it still boasts 4GB of storage, a 2 megapixel camera (hopefully there’s software now that takes advantage of it), 802.11 b/g, a USB port, and micro-SD slot. It is , however, more affordable — though it’s originally priced at $499, HSN has a sale running that puts it at $399. Of course, no word on if a 3G version will be arriving at Verizon as we’ve previously heard, but we’re sure this thing will get its official unveil sometime soon. Until then feel free to keep yourself preoccupied with the gallery below and at the source link — just don’t get lost in the cookware section. Gallery: Entourage Pocket Edge on HSN.com Entourage Pocket Edge reveals itself on the Home Shopping Network originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …ABC: Boehner ‘May Actually Meet With a Man Who’s Dressed Up in a Nazi Uniform’
October 30, 2010 No CommentDroid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149
October 30, 2010 No Comment
What happens when you punch the phrase “Droid” into a Costco sales terminal? If Boy Genius Report ‘s sources are right, you see the Motorola Droid 2 Global ring up (in black and white!) for $199.99. Considering we’re also seeing the 1.2GHz quad-band worldphone on a Verizon rebate sheet , it’s a pretty safe bet the handset’s coming out soon — and if Verizon also lists the phone for that price, it could be the death knell for the A955 . (We’ve gotten several tips today that the original Droid 2 has been marked for end-of-life at Best Buy.) There’s also a T-Mobile Comet pictured above, also known as the Huawei Ideos , a low-budget Android smartphone whose $149.99 price will almost certainly be free of two-year contracts. Of course, in the spirit of Costco you probably won’t get off that easily — subliminal messaging will surely compel you to purchase the $24.99 Ewoks and Star Wars Droids Adventure Hour on DVD. Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …It’s almost like the movie It’s a Wonderful Life .
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