Obama's Hawaii vacation: Day 1

KAILUA, Hawaii (AP) ? How President Barack Obama spent the first day of his holiday vacation in Hawaii on Wednesday:

? REJOINING THE FAMILY: Obama arrived in Honolulu early Wednesday morning after spending the time between Christmas and New Year's Day in Washington as Congress moved toward passing a bill to address the so-called fiscal cliff. His wife and daughters stayed in Hawaii while Obama was away, and he rejoined them early Wednesday after a redeye flight aboard Air Force One from Washington.

? GYM, GOLF: Obama had a morning workout and played a round of golf at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

? SANDY CALLS: Obama spoke by phone with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo regarding a bill for aid for Superstorm Sandy victims.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-02-Obama-Hawaii%20Vacation/id-872ede7a7e224d9bb94e84ed91b71c17

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LG finally selling first large-screen OLED HDTV ? for $10,000

4 hrs.

Gary Merson , HD Guru

Missing a 2012 delivery date, LG announced on Tuesday that it will release the first 55-Inch OLED HDTVs in Korea in early February 2013,?after a year of delays due to reported production problems,?at a price of just over $10,000.?LG will discuss the TV's U.S. availability and retail price?in the next few weeks.

Over 1,400 Korean store fronts will begin taking orders Jan. 3 for February delivery on the 55EM9700.?LG said it is going to ramp-up production to take the lead in a big-screen OLED TV market that,?according to research firm DisplaySearch,?will likely?reach 7.2 million units by 2016.

Today's current?LCD and LED LCD TVs rely on light bulbs (whether fluorescent or a few dozen white LED lamps) to illuminate the image. The light from these lamps or bulbs must pass through the LCD panel before reaching the surface of the TV, causing most of the light to be beamed toward viewers sitting closest to the center of the screen. As one moves off-center, the LCD image dims, contrast decreases and colors tend to shift and desaturate.

OLEDs emits light directly from the surface, extending the viewing angle to 180 degrees and providing superb, highly saturated colors without the dimming, color shift or loss of contrast seen on LCDs and LED LCDs.

"Organic light-emitting diode TVs offer the promise of the best picture quality ever (and yes, we?re including CRT)," wrote HD Guru's Geoff Morrison last year, when the first OLED big screens were shown off. They're all that, while being thinner and more power conserving than today's best?flat-panels.

The 55EM9700 is the tabletop version of a similar model that was first shown at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show almost one year ago. The production version weighs in at 22 pounds and has a screen thickness of just 0.16 inches.

LG U.S. public relations added that??other markets where the TV will be available will be announced over the next several weeks, along with their respective prices.? This will include an announcement of?U.S. availability.

Have a question for the HD Guru? Send an?email.

More from HD Guru:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/lg-finally-selling-first-large-screen-oled-hdtv-10-000-1C7776739

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Ban on Cell Phone Use in Pakistan - OCR 247

New Year?s eve is more low key this year for many in Pakistan.

In a place where millions use small motorbikes for transportation, the country has banned carrying passengers, riding without a muffler, and popping wheelies.

But those are just the prohibitions for tonight. The Pakistani government has gone ?ban-crazy? recently, in the name of national security.

Especially egregious, say critics, has been the occasional ban on cell phone use, which they?ve done several times over the past year.

The first time the government imposed a cell phone ban was in March. It happened again in August.

Rehman Malik, Pakistan?s interior minister, was matter-of-fact about it when he was announcing the seventh cell phone ban of the year in November.

?I had no option,? Malik said, ?but to shut down mobile phone services in Karachi and Quetta from one o clock until late in the evening.?

That was during Muharram, a religious commemoration for Shia Muslims. In Pakistan that has become a time of violent sectarian attacks. The ban lasted during daylight hours for three days. It was imposed on more than 40 cities and towns. Malik said cell phones are an intricate part of terrorist attacks.

?One, they use them to detonate bombs? said Malik. ?Two, the terrorists communicate among themselves with them. And three, they communicate with the masterminds behind the attacks using mobile phones.?

But its not just mobile phones that are prohibited. There has also been a ban on the use of motorcycles, because terrorists have used them.

In addition, the government banned YouTube ? all of it ? for three months after the release of the ?Innocence of Muslims? video. The?anti-Islam video?sparked protests across the Muslim world, including in Pakistan.

Twitter and Facebook have also been banned at different times in previous years. And in 2011, the government attempted to ban a list of 1,700 phrases from text messages, it deemed vulgar. Phrases like ?barf face? and ?cyber slimer.?

Furhan Hussain, who works for Bytes For All, a digital- rights organization that has recently started a new campaign to challenge online censorship, said the bans are having an impact.

?You have to see that the need to communicate becomes even more stronger in a society that has faced severe dictatorships over the past few decades,? said Hussain. ?By blocking channels of communication for civilians, the democratic process becomes even more difficult to establish. In a way, its a way of sabotaging the entire system.?

Hussain said that although the right to information and expression are protected in Pakistan?s constitution, the legal language is ambiguous enough to be exploited.

?These words are very loosely constructed, explained Hussain. ?They can be interpreted, and reinterpreted, and misinterpreted ad nauseam. And that is what the government does as well?

Dr. Nishat Fatima is a gynecologist and the wife of an opposition political leader. She is taking the government to court for violating her constitutional rights by banning mobile phone services. Fatima had a patient who was pregnant. The patient wanted to call Fatima when she wasn?t feeling well, but couldn?t because of a cell phone ban.

?When I checked I found that the fetus had died three days earlier,? said Fatima. ?Maybe, if the phone network was working at the time then I could have sent her to the hospital and treated her, and she would have been a mother now.?

Fatima says there?s got to be a limit to what can be banned for the sake of security.

?Why don?t you just put a ban on everything?,? Fatima asked. ?Don?t allow TVs as it could be that someone uses a TV remote to detonate a bomb? Don?t allow cars to run. Shut down everything. Stop people from breathing. Are the lives of the public so cheap??

Fatima and others says these bans aren?t just about security, but are about reinforcing the idea that the government has the right to control people?s lives

Source: http://philotimo-leventia.blogspot.com/2013/01/ban-on-cell-phone-use-in-pakistan.html

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chill rhizome: Shopping And Product Reviews: Toys Article Category ...

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Kate Upton Bikini Photos: THG Hot Bodies Countdown #1!

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Intel rumored to launch set-top box, 'virtual cable TV service' at CES

With CES 2013 just days away, TechCrunch has posted a juicy rumor that chipmaker Intel will announce a major plunge into TV, choosing to go it alone after several failed partnerships in an effort to "do it right" this time. Claiming an unnamed source in the video distribution industry, the rumor suggests a plan to deliver a set-top box with DVR, rolled out on a city-by-city basis as it negotiates channel agreements. Despite a number of demos through the years, the Intel-powered TV boxes that have landed in our living rooms so far have been the first gen Google TV and Boxee Box units. Both struggled to make a significant impact and switched to ARM CPUs for the second generation of their products.

Based on some of the tech demos we've seen and earlier rumors, Intel's plans could include using facial recognition to personalize the experience for (and target advertising towards) different viewers, and offering smaller, cheaper bundles of channels than traditional providers. Another element from the TechCrunch post indicates a plan to provide a Catch Up TV-style service that lets users view anything that has aired in the last month on the channels they're subscribed to, although there's no word on what will power this technology.

Intel's participation in Comcast's Reference Design Kit program is also referenced, although given Big Cable's traditional reluctance regarding alternative delivery models, any sort of tie-in here seems like a long shot to us. A combo package of pay-TV channels and internet VOD has been tried before, although Sezmi's antenna-connected solution failed to catch on and fizzled late last year. Like recently rekindled Apple HDTV rumors, the potential of Intel's service may rely just as much on its success negotiating with content providers as any technology it's cooked up. Check out the rest of the rumor at the source link and a video from Intel's 2009 IDF demo after the break, we'll have any official announcements as they happen from the press conference January 7th.

Continue reading Intel rumored to launch set-top box, 'virtual cable TV service' at CES

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Intel

Comments

Source: TechCrunch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/31/intel-set-top-box-virtual-cable-tv-rumor/

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PFT's awards: Peterson was MVP, hands down

Getty Images

The Associated Press now unveils its postseason awards the night before the Super Bowl, weeks after most people have stopped caring about the winner.

So we announce ours immediately after the regular season ends.

At a time when you still actually are interested in these matters and not, you know, you?ll win the Super Bowl, here are the men who, in our opinion, deserve special recognition for their accomplishments in the freshly-completed regular season.

Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Winner: Russell Wilson, Seahawks.

Runner-up: Robert Griffin, III, Redskins; Andrew Luck, Colts.

Honorable mention: Alfred Morris, Redskins; Doug Martin, Buccaneers.

The AP award likely will go to either of the top two picks in the draft, but it shouldn?t.? Wilson entered the league short on height and long on smarts and talent and determination.? Russell Wilson commanded the No. 1 spot on the depth chart in Seattle, beating out big-money free-agent Matt Flynn and incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson, and Wilson then began to prove week-in and week-out that he is as good as his more famous counterparts who were selected much higher.

Despite the 11-5 record for the Colts, Luck had too many turnovers (contributing to a mediocre passer rating of 76.5), and Griffin missed a game and crunch time in another due to an inability to avoid contact.? While Luck broke Cam Newton?s rookie passing yardage record, Wilson tied Peyton Manning?s record for touchdown passes by a rookie ? and Wilson showed that he could run the ball effectively (489 yards, four touchdowns) without getting hit or, in turn, hurt.

The best news is that the three rookie quarterbacks all made it to the playoffs, and they?ll all make their postseason debuts on the same day.

Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Winner:? Luke Kuechly, Panthers.

Runner-up:? Janoris Jenkins, Rams.

Honorable mention:? Bobby Wagner, Seahawks; Lavonte David, Buccaneers; Casey Heyward, Packers; Harrison Smith, Vikings.

The ninth overall pick in the draft, Kuechly led the NFL with 164 tackles, finishing 10 short of the rookie record set in 2007 by Patrick Willis.? Kuechly also had 10 games with 10 or more tackles.? In Week Five, he slid from outside linebacker to the middle, where he participated in every snap on defense for the rest of the season.

Jenkins, a second-round steal, instantly became a dangerous cover man and return specialist.? He could soon be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.? Some may say he already is.

Coach of the Year.

Winner:? Bruce Arians/Chuck Pagano, Colts.

Runner-up:? Leslie Frazier, Vikings.

Honorable mention:? Mike Shanahan, Redskins; Pete Carroll, Seahawks; John Fox, Broncos; Mike Smith, Falcons.

The best coach routinely is determined based on a team?s actual performance relative to its expected performance.? This year, no team exceeded expectations more than the Colts, who won 11 games a season after winning only two.? Pagano and Arians combined to generate a wild-card berth despite Pagano?s three-month absence due to leukemia treatments, as part of a run that included seven come-from-behind wins.

Frazier and the Vikings improved their win total by seven, going from 3-13 to 10-6 and a playoff berth secured on the last day of the season against the Packers.? Shanahan and the Redskins reeled off seven straight to secure the NFC East after Shanahan seemingly threw in the towel on the 2012 season.? (And all future coaches whose teams are 3-6 after nine games will do the same.)

In all, three of the six worst teams from 2011 have vaulted to the playoffs only one year later, providing real hope to every other non-playoff team, in 2013 and beyond.

Comeback Player of the Year.

Winner:? Peyton Manning, Broncos; Adrian Peterson, Vikings.

The two greatest comebacks in NFL history came in the same year.? For Manning, the return from multiple neck surgeries was unprecedented.? For Peterson, his performance following a Christmas Eve 2011 ACL tear was equally stunning and unlikely.? Both deserve the recognition, and it?s only fair for them to share it.

It?s also only fair that there be no one else mentioned as the runner-up or otherwise.? Manning and Peterson are in their own class on this one, and no one else comes close.

Executive of the Year.

Winner: John Elway, Broncos.

Runner-up: John Schneider, Seahawks.

Honorable mention: Ryan Grigson, Colts; Rick Spielman, Vikings; Les Snead, Rams.

Elway wanted Peyton Manning in large part because it gave Elway cover to dump Tim Tebow.? The gamble (in light of Manning?s recent medical history) paid off in a major way, making other teams (like perhaps the Texans) wish they?d done more to land one of the greatest players in NFL history.? Though making the move for Manning is enough on its own, hiring coach John Fox in 2011 after a two-win season in Carolina, picking linebacker Von Miller in last year?s draft, and not giving up on Knowshon Moreno are icing on a cake that Elway has been masterfully baking for the past two season ? even though Elway entered the job with fry-cook credentials.

Schneider found a quarterback who could become one of the best current signal-callers in the league in round three of the draft, five spots after the Jaguars picked a punter.? Schneider likewise rolled the dice in round one on Bruce Irvin, a controversial pick who panned out as a rookie.? Throw in linebacker Bobby Wagner in round two and the prudent decision to re-sign Marshawn Lynch, and Schneider had a lot to do with the team?s unexpected success in 2012.

Grigson quickly turned around a talent-challenged roster with a strong draft and the ability to make good decisions about who should stay and who should go, bringing back Reggie Wayne and keeping Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.? His success will make more owners opt for young, grinding scouts.

Offensive player of the year.

Winner:? Adrian Peterson, Vikings.

Runner-up:? Calvin Johnson, Lions.

Honorable mention:? Drew Brees, Saints; Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks.

Peterson is the easy and obvious choice, given that he rushed for 2,097 yards, the second most in NFL history.

Johnson set the single-season record for receiving yardage with 1,964, and Brees threw for more than 5,000 yards for the third time in his career.? Lynch?s performance gets lost in Peterson, but the guy the Bills gave away has become one of the best running backs in the league.

Defensive Player of the Year.

Winner:? J.J. Watt, Texans.

Runner-up:? Von Miller, Broncos.

Honorable mention: Aldon Smith, 49ers; Charles Tillman, Bears.

Watt was a wire-to-wire disruptive force for the Texans.? Beyond his league-leading sack total (20.5), Watt has shattered the mold for 3-4 defensive ends.? Miller is becoming one of the best 4-3 outside linebackers in the NFL, and Smith has emerged as the top 3-4 pass-rushing outside linebacker.

Amazingly, all three players are in only their second seasons in the NFL.

MVP.

Winner:? Adrian Peterson, Vikings.

Runner-up: Peyton Manning, Broncos.

Honorable mention: J.J. Watt, Texans; Aaron Rodgers, Packers; Tom Brady, Patriots; Matt Ryan, Falcons.

Many have wrestled with this one for weeks, determined to give it to Manning but keeping an open mind for Peterson.? It would have been easy to say Peterson gets it only if he sets the single-season rushing record.? It?s harder to accept that he missed it (by 27 feet) but still deserves it.

In the end, Peterson?s value to his team simply outweighs Manning?s ? even though Peyton once again has had a season to remember, shrewdly picking a talented team with an easy schedule and pushing the franchise to the top seed in the AFC.? Last year, however, the Broncos made it to the final eight without Manning.? This year, the Vikings would have been nothing without Peterson, a man who overcame a serious knee injury to become better than he ever was.

Moreover, at a time when we are more sensitive than ever before to the damage inflicted on the bodies of NFL players, Peterson earned every yard, foot, and inch that he gained.? Even the long runs came after he ran through a potential tackler.? Or two.? Or five.

So that?s the full list.? Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/31/pfts-2012-postseason-awards/related/

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