Thursday 14 June 2012

news feeds june 14


With every new technology development we think borders on ridiculousness, we manage to get a little crazier. University College London and Vodafone have team up to released the 'Booster Brolly,' which is a high tech umbrella, which, along with keeping you dry, is outfitted with a micro antenna on the canopy to boost you signal on those rainy London days, a hands free cradle for you device and flexible solar panels that will charge your device (fully in under three hours apparently) if any sun happens to come out. Oh, and it's windproof. Dr. Kenneth Tong on the development of the umbrella: "The custom canopy has been fitted with 12 lightweight amorphous silicon triple junction solar cells that have the ability to convert light into electricity, through a series of highly sensitive photovoltaic semiconductors (huh). The current generated is then transferred, via a voltage regulator, to the handle of the umbrella where it is stored safely in high capacity rechargeable batteries, or used to directly charge a mobile device through a USB port." That actually pretty brilliant, totally unnecessary, but brilliant.
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Apple is well on their way to world domination in the computer market. This we know, and in fact they maybe be out to actually take over the world. Two of the largest American PC computer makers are making cuts in the billions of dollars. Dell announced cuts of more than $2 billion during the next three years, will be making few new products and some of the currents items might be phased out all together. Dell's sales group will get hit the hardest with about $800 million to be cut, but service delivery and many administration position will feel the effects as well. This comes a month after Dell's main rival and the biggest PC manufacturer in the US, Hewlett-Packard, announced they were eliminating 27,000 jobs to try and reduce their annual expenses by about $3-3.5 billion dollars, which cuts out 8% of their work force. PC sales have been dwindling since the re-emergence of Apple, but even more now since consumers are using tablets and smart phones for their internet navigation needs. The only Apple venture that doesn't seem to be doing well is that useless Ping music social network built into iTunes. I'll be honest, I've seen ping on the side of the iTunes bar for a few years now and I haven't clicked on it once, nor did I know what the hell it was. But apparently, it was a social network that you connected with other iTunes users and well, it doesn't matter. It won't be included on the next iTunes update, so to the four Ping users, sorry, you'll have to go back over to myspace (does that still exist/is it relevant?)
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If you like 1990s punk rock and live in Toronto you have a treat tonight. North By Northeast/Yonge and Dundas Square is holding a free show (as they will be the entire NXNE schedule) tonight (June 14). Punk legends Bad Religion are headlining with opening acts Good Riddance and No Use For a Name, two Fat Wreck Chords favourites. So if you are in Toronto, check it out. All three bands put on a great show, and you definitely will get your money's worth ;) Below: Bad Religion's "Frogger", Good Riddance's "Steps" and No Use For a Name's "Soulmate".


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David Stern vs Jim Rome. Jim Rome's show to an unpleasant turn when NBA commissioner Stern asked Rowe if he'd stopped beating his wife. Rome asked the the commish if the NBA's draft lottery, which awarded the NBA owned New Orleans Hornets the first pick in the draft, was fixed. Stern replied "No, shame on you for asking.. Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" The two, live on air, didn't let it escalate too badly, Rome saying the question "wasn't fair," and after debating Rome's question Stern ended the interview by saying "I have to go call someone important now. Stephen A Smith is up next." Nice PR.  NBA spokesman Mike Bass said "What it is is a classic unanswerable question, same as the one the Commissioner was asked." The NBA finals between Oklahoma City and Miami are happening right now with OKC leading 1-0.
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Matt Cain has thrown the second perfect game of the season and the first one in the history of the San Francisco Giants in a 10-0 slaughtering of the Houston Astros. He threw 125 pitches and other than a  couple great catches by outfielders Melky Cabrera, then later by Gregor Blanco, it was pretty smooth sailing. Cain threw the gem to delight of the 42,298 fans at his home field, AT&T Park. There have been five no hitters in the major this season, two of which were perfect games. Joining Cain and Philip Humber's perfect games are no-no's by Johan Santana of the Mets, Jared Weaver of the Angels and six Seattle Mariners pitchers no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers last week.
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Good job Los Angeles Kings on winning their first Stanley Cup. Young group of guys, most of whom are locked in long term, should be a great team for years to come. After taking out the 1-2-3 (Vancouver, St Louis, Phoenix) seeded teams, they defeated the New Jersey Devils in six games. LA goalie Jonathon Quick won the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP.
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