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Jackie Kucinich
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Continue reading Scientists scan damaged audio discs, resurrect fresh beats
Scientists scan damaged audio discs, resurrect fresh beats originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkSource: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/29/scientists-scan-damaged-audio-discs-resurrect-fresh-beats/
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MOSCOW ? Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has rejected the possibility of talks with opposition leaders who drew tens of thousands of people to protest rallies across the country.
The prime minister told Russian news agencies on Wednesday that "there's no one to talk to" among the leaders.
Putin's authority was dented by a recent parliamentary election in which his party lost 25 percent of seats despite widespread allegations of vote-rigging in its favor.
The vote fraud triggered the country's largest protest rallies in 20 years that demanded a rerun of the vote and Putin's resignation.
Putin on Tuesday firmly rejected the protesters' demands.
Putin served as Russia's president in 2000-2008 and is now seeking a third term in office.
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Source: http://twitter.com/Richard_Florida/statuses/151644075672612865
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Across Canada, every January / February - although the date changes year to year - we celebrate Chinese New Year with parades (see parade photos), performances and food.
Cities in Canada will often have a Chinese community or cultural centre; check these for related events. You may also try tourism websites for events.
Source: http://gocanada.about.com/od/eventsfestivalsholid3/p/chinese_newyear.htm
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By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 9:51 AM on 26th December 2011
Australia finished on 277 for six at the end of a controversial first day of the Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
India had refused to condone the use of the decision review system (DRS) in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series and that appeared to have implications today with the dismissals of Michael Hussey (0) and debutant Ed Cowan (68) both questionable.
The visitors' refusal could also have repercussions for Hussey who is battling to save his Test career and must now try to ease the pressure with an impressive second innings.
Flying start: Ed Cowan hits out on his big day
The two dismissals took place in a devastating 19-ball period which saw the hosts lose three wickets for nine runs after they were cruising at 205 for three.
Veteran paceman Zaheer Khan (two for 49) found himself on a hat-trick when he first bowled Michael Clarke for 31 and, with the next ball, umpire Marais Erasmus adjudged Hussey to have been caught behind by MS Dhoni for a golden duck. But TV replays suggested the ball missed the bat and glove by some distance.
And 16 balls later, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (one for 71) took the crucial wicket of Cowan when he was also caught behind by Dhoni although the DRS most likely would have given Cowan a reprieve with 'Hot Spot' appearing to show there was no nick.
It was an unfortunate end for the rock-solid Cowan who hit the best score by an Australian opener on his debut since Wayne Phillips (159) in 1983-84 against Pakistan.
However, Brad Haddin (21 not out) and Peter Siddle (34 not out) steadied things again for Australia with a very handy unbeaten 63-run seventh-wicket union.
Latest low: Michael Hussey is dimissed on day one at the MCG
Australia had found themselves in a strong position thanks to a superb 113-run third-wicket partnership between Cowan and the under-fire Ricky Ponting (62).
Ponting recovered well from a jittery start and became more comfortable as his innings wore on.
This was highlighted by three trademark pull shots for four off Khan and Umesh Yadav (three for 96) who unsuccessfully attempted to test out Ponting with some poor short deliveries.
Ponting, who ended up with six boundaries, joined Cowan in the middle with the score on 46 for two and the pair ramped things up after lunch as they smacked 48 from 49 balls, with Yadav copping the full brunt of the punishment.
After starring in the morning by claiming the scalps of David Warner (37) and Shaun Marsh (zero) in the space of seven balls, 24-year-old Yadav was brought back into the attack and quickly turned from hero to villain.
Ho, ho, ho: Aussie fans dress up as Santa
Yadav conceded 34 runs from just four overs after lunch, including five boundaries, and the scoring spree was what Australia needed after they could only manage to reach 68 for two at lunch.
But just as Ponting looked like he was possibly building towards his 40th Test ton, Yadav made up for his poor economy rate by having the former Australian skipper caught by VVS Laxman at second slip.
Cowan was a picture of caution in the first session of his Test career, moving along to just 14 off 61 balls at lunch. But when he went on the attack, he did so with authority.
The Tasmanian opener began to take care of the bad ball, of which there were plenty at that stage of the match, and doubled his score from 14 to 28 within 10 deliveries after lunch ending up with seven fours.
Although Yadav was India's leading wicket-taker he was also by far their most expensive bowler, pitching it too short on too many occasions with the end result often being a trip to the boundary rope.
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Read More: St. Louis Rams
Thanks to a rash of injuries in their secondary, the St. Louis Rams have cycled through approximately 60 cornerbacks this season. Despite having to reach deep into their practice squad, the Rams have given up the sixth least passing yards per game in the NFL, though the argument could be made that's as much a function of the NFC West as it is the true talent of the Rams' defense.
Nonetheless, it is expected that the Rams will look at cornerback at some point in the 2012 draft, seeing as they don't currently have a young, "franchise" player at the position. LSU's Morris Claiborne is the consensus No. 1 corner prospect, and the Rams may look at him in the top three. But if they opt for a player such as OT Matt Kalil or WR Justin Blackmon, the Rams may opt to choose a corner in subsequent rounds, and in their current mock draft, Drafttek has the Rams taking North Alabama CB Janoris Jenkins with the second pick of the second round.
Jenkins is an ex-Florida Gator who left Gainesville because of repeated issues with marijuana, but he has long been considered a top NFL prospect, and is expected to go high in the 2012 draft, despite his background.
For more on the Rams, check out Turf Show Times, SB Nation's St. Louis Rams blog. For more details on the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft, be sure to drop by Mocking the Draft.
Source: http://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/12/25/2660750/st-louis-rams-2012-nfl-mock-draft
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Got some Kindle hardware burning a hole in your pile of festive gifts? Well, British bookworms have been given some extra yuletide joy courtesy of Amazon UK which has also started a 12-day sale, focusing on its e-book wares. The site vows to add more digital reads each day and it looks like all the additions will stick with their shrunken price tags for the extent of the sale. Head to the source below for some one-click literary gratification.
Amazon UK opens its doors for the Christmas sales, adds hundreds of Kindle books from 99p originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/26/amazon-uk-opens-its-doors-for-the-christmas-sales-adds-hundreds/
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Police examine blood stained clothes at the scene of a second stabbing close to the junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street in central London, Monday Dec. 26, 2011. The victim of the second attack was a male who had been stabbed in the legs. His injuries were not life threatening, police confirmed. The male is receiving treatment in hospital and it is "too early to say" whether the attack was linked to an earlier stabbing, a Scotland Yard spokesman said. In the earlier incident, a teenager was fatally stabbed after an argument broke out in a sports store on London's most famous retail street as thousands of shoppers flocked to Britain's capital seeking post-Christmas bargains. (AP Photo / Yui Mok/PA) UNITED KINGDOM OUT
Police examine blood stained clothes at the scene of a second stabbing close to the junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street in central London, Monday Dec. 26, 2011. The victim of the second attack was a male who had been stabbed in the legs. His injuries were not life threatening, police confirmed. The male is receiving treatment in hospital and it is "too early to say" whether the attack was linked to an earlier stabbing, a Scotland Yard spokesman said. In the earlier incident, a teenager was fatally stabbed after an argument broke out in a sports store on London's most famous retail street as thousands of shoppers flocked to Britain's capital seeking post-Christmas bargains. (AP Photo / Yui Mok/PA) UNITED KINGDOM OUT
People rush into a department store as it opens for Boxing Day sales in central London, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. Despite disruptions caused by London's subway drivers striking over a pay dispute, large crowds of shoppers started flooding department stores in London as soon as doors opened early Monday. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
People crowd into a department store as it opens for Boxing Day sales in central London, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. Despite disruptions caused by London's subway drivers striking over a pay dispute, large crowds of shoppers started flooding department stores in London as soon as doors opened early Monday. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
People queue early in the morning outside a department store ahead of it opening for Boxing Day sales in central London, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. Despite disruptions caused by London's subway drivers striking over a pay dispute, large crowds of shoppers started flooding department stores in London as soon as doors opened early Monday. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
People rush into a department store as it opens for Boxing Day sales in central London, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. Despite disruptions caused by London's subway drivers striking over a pay dispute, large crowds of shoppers started flooding department stores in London as soon as doors opened early Monday. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
LONDON (AP) ? A teenager was fatally stabbed Monday and a second man wounded in attacks on London's most famous retail street as thousands of shoppers flocked to Britain's capital seeking post-Christmas bargains.
The killing of the 18-year-old man on Oxford Street ? and a second wounding in the same road ? did little to deter shoppers crowding into neighboring stores in the landmark shopping district. Bargain hunters were also largely untroubled by a subway strike which badly disrupted the city's public transport services.
Selfridges ? close to the scene of Monday's stabbing and one of Britain's most popular department stores ? reported its biggest ever first hour of trading Monday morning, while the New West End Company, which represents traders on central London's shopping streets, reported 15 million pounds (US$23.5 million) in sales in the first three hours of trading.
Jace Tyrrell, of the New West End Company, said hundreds of thousands of people had visited central London retailers, despite action by police to cordon off parts of Oxford Street and temporarily close some stores.
"These incidents are extremely rare on Oxford Street and we understand arrests have been made," she said. "The emergency services were quick to respond and have cordoned off the street as they continue with their investigations. We are working to ensure the street is open to businesses and shoppers tomorrow."
Tyrrell said shopkeepers had requested a meeting with police to discuss the incidents. "We understand both incidents involved gangs of youth who were known to each other (and) the police, and did not involve individual shoppers," she said.
London's air ambulance helicopter had earlier rushed to the street following the fatal stabbing.
Authorities said the teenage victim died before medics could administer help, while amateur video footage showed police struggling to part large crowds of shopper to allow emergency vehicles to reach the man.
Police erected a tent outside a Foot Locker sports store as they carried out investigations and confirmed that about ten people had been arrested in connection with the death.
Officers said a second stabbing took place close by ? on the corner of Oxford Street and Regent Street ? but insisted it wasn't immediately known if the two incidents were linked.
Det. Chief Insp. Mark Dunne, of London's Metropolitan police, said two groups of young people appeared to have become involved in a large-scale altercation before the teenager's death.
Dunne said that little more was known about the circumstances, but there were likely to be large numbers of witnesses. "This is probably the busiest place in the United Kingdom right now, on the busiest shopping day," he told reporters at the scene.
"A number of weapons have been recovered from that scene ? whether I have got the murder weapon I don't know. There's an assortment of items, but no guns," he said.
In the second attack, a 21-year-old man was stabbed in the leg and is being treated in hospital for his wound.
Police said in a statement that three men had been arrested, but it was "too early to say whether this incident is linked to a fatal stabbing on Oxford Street."
On London's subway network, the ASLEF train drivers' labor union staged a one-day strike to demand extra pay and additional time off for members working on the public holiday.
Despite the disruptions, huge crowds ? some lining up outside stores from midnight ? rushed into department stores in London and other British cities as soon as doors opened early Monday.
The London Underground, the organization that manages the subway system, condemned the move, saying it was pointless and demonstrated "a complete disregard for our customers." Authorities said extra buses were running in main shopping areas to cater to the increased flow of travelers on one of the year's busiest shopping days.
The ASLEF union has warned it plans to stage three more strikes in January and February if the dispute is not resolved.
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Continue reading LG's 55-inch 'world's largest' OLED HDTV panel is official, coming to CES 2012
LG's 55-inch 'world's largest' OLED HDTV panel is official, coming to CES 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Consumer spending was tepid in November and a gauge of business investment fell for a second straight month, suggesting the economy lost some of its recent momentum.
Some analysts trimmed fourth-quarter growth forecasts after the weak consumption and factory data on Friday. But many still expected output to expand at an annual pace of more than 3 percent, faster than the 1.8 percent in the July-September period.
"The economy got off to a solid start this quarter, but it seems to have cooled a little bit in November. Growth is still going to be strong this quarter, but it's going to slow in the first half of 2012 because of Europe," said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody's Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Consumer spending ticked up 0.1 percent last month, the Commerce Department said, after rising by the same margin in October. Economists had expected spending, which accounts for two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, to rise 0.3 percent.
When adjusted for inflation, spending rose 0.2 percent last month after a similar gain in October.
In another report, the department said non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending, fell 1.2 percent last month after declining 0.9 percent in October.
Shipments of these so-called core capital goods, which go into calculations of U.S. gross domestic product, dropped for a third straight month.
This suggests that business spending, which has been robust since the start of the recovery in mid-2009, could slow considerably from the third-quarter's 15.7 growth percent pace.
Economists said uncertainty about fiscal policy at home and the debt crisis in Europe were causing businesses to becoming more cautious about spending.
The ability of U.S. consumers to keep on spending while incomes remain weak is also a potential drag on growth in early 2012.
"No one is putting themselves out there in terms of business expansion and capital equipment because it's a dangerous world out there and there are still a lot of risks in terms of Europe and China," said Steve Blitz, senior economist at ITG Investment Research in New York.
Still, the economy continues to show resilience in the face of slowing global demand. New orders for manufactured goods meant to last three years and more jumped 3.8 percent last month after being flat in October.
Excluding transportation, orders rose 0.3 percent after rising 1.5 percent in October. Order backlogs are building up and inventories at factories are not rising much, indicating that manufacturing activity will continue to expand.
Other data added to signs a tentative recovery in the housing market, which should also help to support growth.
Investors on Wall Street latched onto the positive aspects of the reports and pushed up stocks for a fourth straight day.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index turned positive for the year. Prices for long-dated U.S. Treasury debt fell sharply, while the dollar was broadly unchanged.
INCOME BARELY RISES
The weak consumer spending data stood in stark contrast with the robust sales reported for Black Friday, the traditional start to the holiday shopping season. Some retailers have been forced to offer heavy discounts to get shoppers to spend.
"Retail has been very promotional and consumers have been very value-conscious," Best Buy Co CEO Brian Dunn said on a conference call last week.
Income ticked up 0.1 percent, the weakest reading since August, as wages and salaries fell. Disposable income was flat.
A strengthening in the labor market has offered some hope income growth will quicken, but analysts said the report augured poorly for consumer spending at the start of the new year.
"The lack of real income growth really raises questions as to what is going to happen to the economy in the first quarter," said Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina.
HOUSING SHOWS A PULSE
While households may not be spending robustly, they are starting to show more interest in buying houses. Sales of new single-family homes rose 1.6 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted 315,000-unit annual rate.
That was the highest in seven months. In addition, the months' supply of houses on the market dropped to a 5-1/2 year-low, further signs of a budding recovery.
Data this week showed a rise in sales of previously owned homes and a surge in housing starts, but further progress will depend on the health of household finances.
Already, consumers have been saving less to prop up their spending. The saving rate, the percentage of disposal income socked away, dipped to a 3.5 percent annual rate last month from 3.6 percent in October.
On the bright side, the report confirmed an easing in inflation, which should help to support spending. Further help should also come from the temporary extension of payroll tax cut and benefits for the long-term unemployed.
A price index for personal spending was flat last month after falling 0.1 percent in October. In the 12 months through November, the PCE price index was up 2.5 percent, the smallest rise since April.
A core inflation measure, which strips out food and energy costs, edged up 0.1 percent last month after a similar gain in October. In the 12 months through November, it was up 1.7 percent after increasing 1.7 percent in October.
(Additional reporting by Chris Reese in New York)
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Broomfield Enterprise Staff
Posted:?04/05/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT
BROOMFIELD, Colo. -
Mac Dohm
Luke Gorman
Nick Halliday
Aric Kaiser
Erik Lockwood
Kyle Nehf
Bryce Nobles
Matt Perse
Jackson Reddy
Dakota Smith
Nick Tomsick
Jeff Zinke
Coach: Terrence Dunn
Assistant coaches: Mike Kiefe, Pete Villecco, Justin Hazzard, Jim Zeckmann
Source: http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/ci_12796679?source=rss_viewed
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LONDON ? European markets bounced back Thursday as the traditional holiday slowdown began in earnest, rising a day after investors were rattled by the European Central Bank's huge loans to bolster the continent's banks.
Investors were spooked by the huge size of the ECB's euro489 billion ($639 billion) three-year loans Wednesday to 523 banks ? its biggest credit infusion to date as authorities try to steady a financial system under severe pressure from Europe's debt crisis.
Although the loans will help make sure banks have enough money to lend next year, they don't address Europe's underlying problem of too much government debt.
With Christmas looming, trading is getting lighter by the day. The flow of news is also drying up ? once a raft of U.S. economic figures are released later, there's very little on the economic calendar until the New Year. Analysts expect U.S. economic growth figures later to be left unrevised at an annualized rate of 2 percent and weekly jobless claims to remain below 400,000.
"With trading in many markets grinding to an almost complete standstill, even though price action remains choppy, it will take some large surprises ... to stir markets from their seasonal slumber," said Marc Ostwald, markets strategist at Monument Securities.
Figures earlier showing that Britain's economy grew by a slightly better-than-anticipated 0.6 percent in the third quarter had little impact, as the previous quarter was revised down by an equivalent rate to show zero growth.
Britain's FTSE was up, like others in Europe, trading 1.1 percent higher at 5,448. Germany's DAX rose 1 percent to 5,845 while the CAC-40 in France rose 1.2 percent to 3,067. The euro rose 0.2 percent higher at $1.3056.
Wall Street was poised for modest gains later ? Dow futures were up 0.4 percent at 12,070 while the broader S&P 500 futures rose an equivalent rate to 1,241.
Asian markets traded lower following the previous day's retreats in Europe and the U.S. Investors were hoping that Beijing eases curbs on bank lending and real estate sales to revive slowing economic growth, but analysts expected no immediate changes.
"If expectations of an easier monetary policy do not materialize, the market will remain unstable, but even if some loosening does emerge, the room for gains is still quite limited," said Liu Kan, an analyst at Guoyuan Securities in Shanghai.
Tokyo's main index declined 0.8 percent to 8,395.16 and China's benchmark lost 0.2 percent to 2,186.3. South Korea's Kospi was down 0.1 percent to 1,847.49.
In the oil markets, trading was lackluster with benchmark crude for February delivery up 12 cents at $98.79 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
____
Joe McDonald in Beijing contributed to this report.
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Tajikistan News
Source: http://twitter.com/tajikistan_news/statuses/150172492877672448
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updated 2:49 p.m. ET Dec. 21, 2011
LONDON - Liverpool's players say they are "shocked and angered" that teammate Luis Suarez has been suspended for eight matches for racial insults toward Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
An English Football Association panel on Tuesday accepted Evra's allegation that Suarez had directed a racial insult at him during United's Premier League match at Liverpool on Oct. 15.
But Liverpool's players say in a joint statement that "we totally support Luis and we want the world to know that. We know he is not racist."
The players say they have "have lived, trained and played with Luis for almost 12 months and we don't recognize the way he has been portrayed."
The statement emphasizes the players "will continue to support Luis through this difficult period."
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More newsCarl Court / AFP - Getty ImagesEngland captain John Terry will face a criminal charge over allegations that he racially abused an opponent in the Premier League.
Stephen Dunn / Getty ImagesDavid Beckham's management company says reports the former England captain has agreed a deal to join Paris Saint-Germain are "premature."
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45755203/ns/sports-soccer/
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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) ? Wal-Mart Stores Inc has turned to a small group of technology entrepreneurs to help the world's largest retailer improve its online fortunes.
They run a new unit of the company called @WalmartLabs near Silicon Valley which is crunching mountains of data from social networks and riding a wave of smartphone adoption in hopes of capturing more sales for Wal-Mart online.
@WalmartLabs is aggressively hiring software developers and has started what could turn into a string of global e-commerce acquisitions on behalf of the retailer overseen by former Evercore investment banker Brian Roberts.
"The company is putting a lot of resources behind the e-commerce push and wants it to grow quickly," said Roberts. "To look back 10 or 15 years from now and say you were there when the direction of the whole company changed - that's exciting."
Wal-Mart generates more than $400 billion in annual revenue. Yet it is the sixth-largest Internet retailer, behind Amazon.com Inc, Staples Inc, Apple Inc, Dell Inc and Office Depot Inc, according to industry publication Internet Retailer.
That is a problem because e-commerce revenue in the United States is growing at 10 to 15 percent a year, while revenue of traditional retail stores is growing at about half that rate, according to Van Baker, a retail analyst at Gartner.
Wal-Mart does not disclose online sales, but this part of the company's business likely accounts for less than 1 percent of total sales - or around $4 billion a year, according to Ed Weller, an independent investment and retail analyst. The retailer's online sales are probably growing at a similar rate to e-commerce in general, Weller said.
Annual sales of industry leader Amazon.com, by contrast, are likely to exceed $40 billion this year, according to analysts.
Wal-Mart's e-commerce efforts "are not the best, but they are far from the worst," Baker said. "I give them high marks for understanding the changes they need to make and trying to get them done."
As recently as a year and a half ago, Wal-Mart treated its online operation as a separate business, but the company is now taking a multi-pronged approach, with stores sharing credit for sales when staff encourage in-store customers to order online.
'A GREAT LEVELER'
One of the biggest opportunities comes from combining Wal-Mart's data on purchase history with data from social networks like Facebook and micro-blogging site Twitter.
Transaction history tells Wal-Mart what customers have bought in the past. Social data has the potential to tell the retailer what consumers may buy in the future - information that could be even more valuable.
Through tweets and Facebook updates, marketers have the potential ability to glean details of consumers' interests. Knowing what people like and want can help retailers stock more items that will sell better.
According to a recent report in Internet Retailer, "More than half of consumers grant online retailers permission to use their Facebook data, according to a new study from social commerce applications supplier Sociable Labs."
Before the rise of social networking, most of the Internet data that interested retailers was from purchases and other transactions by customers. This was owned by corporations that would not share it.
Facebook updates and tweets are, by definition, more public, which makes the information more accessible for analysis.
"It's a race to see who can use all this data the best," said Anand Rajaraman, who runs @WalmartLabs with Venky Harinarayan, Gibu Thomas and Jeremy King. "This will change the retail industry, as well as most other industries."
For an established, traditional retailer like Wal-Mart, social data is a way to catch up and compete better with Amazon.com and other leading online players.
"Social data is a great leveler," said Rajaraman.
KOSMIX
@WalmartLabs is run on the fifth floor of a building opposite YouTube's headquarters in San Bruno, California, about half an hour's drive north from Silicon Valley.
Rajaraman and Harinarayan used to run Kosmix, which organized massive amounts of information from the Internet into more easily digestible categories.
Wal-Mart initially approached the company to help make searching for products on its website easier. But the relationship expanded and Wal-Mart bought Kosmix for about $300 million in May.
Roughly 65 Kosmix employees joined Wal-Mart to form @WalmartLabs. Soon after, the new unit was bolstered by employees of Wal-Mart's mobile business, headed by Thomas, and by workers in Wal-Mart's online platform and services unit, run by King.
Kosmix technology is now being used to trawl Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other sources of data on the Internet for information on the connections between people and their interests, products, events and locations.
One of the first creations from this effort was Shopycat, a shopping app that uses Facebook data to recommend gifts.
Another initiative called the Social Sense Project uses data from Twitter to try to predict hot products. This information can help Wal-Mart buyers pick the best items to order.
For example, the Social Sense team discovered after analyzing data on Twitter that cake pops - a cross between a cake and a lollipop - were becoming very popular. Wal-Mart stores are now stocking up on cake pop makers, according to Rajaraman.
Another idea in the works is to have a "social layer" in Wal-Mart stores, through which shoppers would be able to connect with each other, Harinarayan said. A "mini-Twitter feed," showing updates of customer activity in real time, may be displayed on huge screens, he explained.
'REAL DEAL'
Before Kosmix, Rajaraman and Harinarayan founded Junglee, which pioneered comparison shopping online. Amazon bought the business in 1998.
After two years, they left Amazon to start venture capital firm Cambrian Ventures. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was one of their biggest investors. Bezos' personal investment firm, Bezos Expeditions, was also an investor in Kosmix.
"They're the real deal - very creative, both in research and in the sort of innovation that goes on in the best start-ups," said Jeff Ullman, professor emeritus of computer science at Stanford University, who was a PhD adviser to Rajaraman and Harinarayan.
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
Thomas, head of mobile and digital at @WalmartLabs, helped build one of the first mobile Internet browsers called Blazer, and founded start-up Sharpcast in 2004.
Mobile technology is important for Wal-Mart because although some of its customers may not have a computer and broadband connection at home, they are increasingly likely to carry a smartphone.
Mobile technology can also allow shoppers to pay for their goods online, which could mean shorter lines and fewer cash registers. Customers can also find products and specific sections of the store more easily with smartphones, freeing up in-store employees to focus on other tasks, Thomas explained.
During an interview with Reuters, Thomas launched Wal-Mart's iPhone app and spoke into his phone "Eggs, milk, bread, buttermilk, cheese." A list of those items appeared on the phone, along with the price of various brands and where they could be found in the store.
In the future, when shoppers click on one of the products, the app will show coupons that can be used at checkout, Thomas said.
LONG LEASH
"They could produce something really game-changing," said Theresia Gouw Ranzetta of venture capital firm Accel Partners, which backed Kosmix.
However, @WalmartLabs may struggle to obtain the resources it needs to work on projects that are strategically important but which may not produce noticeable revenue gains for several years.
"The risk is that the weight of the organization will not allow it to flourish - it's a start-up within a large company," she said. "Even if they knock it out of the park, it will be hard to move the needle."
Thomas, Rajaraman and Harinarayan said they have been given a long leash by Wal-Mart's top management and the founding Walton family, who are the company's largest shareholders.
"(Wal-Mart CEO) Mike Duke says he wants what we're doing on the fifth floor to permeate the rest of the company," Thomas said.
(Reporting by Alistair Barr, editing by Matthew Lewis)
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Eight years of being investigated over steroid allegations ended for baseball's home run king Barry Bonds on Friday with a 30-day sentence to be served at home. No more ? and maybe less.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston immediately delayed imposing the sentence while Bonds appeals his obstruction of justice conviction. The former star was found guilty in April not of using steroids, but of misleading grand jurors.
Even without prison time, the case has left its mark on the seven-time National League MVP. His 762 career home runs, and 73 homers in 2001, may forever be seen as tainted records, and his ticket to baseball's Hall of Fame is in doubt.
Bonds declined to speak in court. Well-wishers hugged the 47-year-old in the hallway courtroom after the hearing was over, and a smattering of fans cheered him as he left the courthouse. It was a marked departure from his initial court appearance four years ago, when guards had to clear a path for Bonds to get through dozens of onlookers to his SUV.
"Whatever he did or didn't do, we all lie," said Esther Picazo, a fan outside the courthouse. "We all make mistakes. But I don't think he should've gotten any kind of punishment at all."
Bonds was sentenced to two years of probation, 250 hours of community service, a $4,000 fine and 30 days of home confinement. It will take time to determine whether he serves any of it; his appellate specialist, Dennis Riordan, estimated it would take nearly a year and a half for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella called the sentence a "slap on the wrist" and the fine "almost laughable" for a superstar athlete who made more than $192 million for playing baseball.
Parrella had sought 15 months in prison and argued that home confinement wasn't punishment enough "for a man with a 15,000-square-foot house with all the advantages." Bonds lives in a six-bedroom, 10-bath house with a gym and swimming pool.
"The defendant basically lived a double life for decades before this," Parrella said. He ripped Bonds not only over performance-enhancing drugs but over his personal life: "He had mistresses throughout his marriages."
Parrella said Bonds made lots of money due in part to his use of performance enhancers and that he has been "unrepentant" and "unapologetic" about it.
Illston said none of that had any bearing on Bonds' sentencing.
She said she agreed with a probation department report that called Bonds' conviction an "aberration" in his life. She said she received dozens of letters in support of Bonds, some discussing how he has given money and time "for decades" to charitable causes.
Bonds is the last ? and highest-profile ? defendant in the government's investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO, a steroids distribution ring. The ex-slugger has long denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.
Illston said she was compelled to give Bonds a sentence similar to the two she meted out to other figures convicted after trial of lying to the grand jury and federal investigators about their connection to steroids.
The case against Bonds after he testified before the grand jury Dec. 3, 2003. Prosecutors revised his original 2007 indictment several times and spent a year unsuccessfully appealing a key evidentiary ruling before jurors deadlocked in April on three of the four remaining charges related to his grand jury testimony.
On the final charge, the trial jury convicted Bonds of purposely answering questions about steroids with rambling non sequiturs in an attempt to mislead the grand jury.
"I think he probably got off a little easy," said Jessica Wolfram, one of the jurors who convicted Bonds of obstruction. "He was just so clearly guilty, so I actually am happy he got sentenced to something."
Wolfram said she researched the case after the trial and viewed evidence not presented then. After that, she felt even more comfortable that Bonds was guilty.
Besides Bonds, 10 people were convicted of various charges in BALCO cases. Six of them, including track star Marion Jones, were ensnared for lying to grand jurors, federal investigators or the court. Others, including Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson, pleaded guilty to steroid distribution charges.
The government's top BALCO investigator, Jeff Novitzky, declined to comment outside the courtroom after attending the hearing.
Bonds was one of two former baseball superstars to stand trial in doping-related cases this year. The trial of pitcher Roger Clemens was halted after just two days in July because prosecutors used inadmissible evidence. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton has set a new trial for April 17.
Both men will face a different judgment day in 2013, when they'll be eligible for the Hall of Fame.
__
Associated Press writers Jason Dearen in San Francisco and Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.
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PocketCloud Explore arrives for Android, enables file searching and viewing across multiple computers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In this May 10, 2011 photo, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber performs during his "My World Tour" concert in Manila, Philippines. Bieber is performing a private concert for an east Las Vegas elementary school that's gained publicity for services it provides for low-income families. Bieber's concert is set for Friday morning, Dec. 16, 2011, at Whitney Elementary School and comes after the singer pledged to donate $100,000 to the school. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
In this May 10, 2011 photo, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber performs during his "My World Tour" concert in Manila, Philippines. Bieber is performing a private concert for an east Las Vegas elementary school that's gained publicity for services it provides for low-income families. Bieber's concert is set for Friday morning, Dec. 16, 2011, at Whitney Elementary School and comes after the singer pledged to donate $100,000 to the school. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Fifth-grader Jolie Leach says she "was gonna explode" with excitement when Justin Bieber performed a concert at her Las Vegas school, and vowed she'd never wash her hand after he gave her a high-five.
Leach was one of hundreds who showed clear symptoms of Bieber fever after the 17-year-old teen pop sensation staged a private show Friday at low-income Whitney Elementary School. The concert was filmed for an episode of "The Ellen Degeneres Show" and came two months after Bieber promised the school's 650 students a $100,000 donation.
"He really came for us. I'm so glad that he really came for us," said fourth-grader Kynedi Harris, holding a fluffy white stuffed dog picked from a truckload of toys Bieber distributed at his show.
Tucked in a downtrodden neighborhood on the east side of Las Vegas, Whitney Elementary has garnered publicity, including a September segment on Degeneres' show, for providing needy students' families with food, clothes, money for utility bills ? and just about everything in between.
Principal Sherrie Gahn said more than 85 percent of the school's 600-plus students receive free or reduced-price lunch. The school also has one of the highest homeless student populations in the Clark County School District.
Gahn, who said she used to see students pocketing ketchup packets from the cafeteria in hopes of having dinner at night, told "The Ellen Degeneres Show" she made a pact with families after she arrived about eight years ago.
"I'll pay your electrical bill, your utilities, I'll give you food or clothes, whatever you need, as long as you give me your child and then help raise that child as a person of character," she said.
Families at the school told the show Gahn has stayed true to her promise. One girl said Gahn provided her with a bed. A mother said the principal bought her son glasses. Another mother said the school provided her children with Christmas presents when she planned to skip the gift-giving.
Gahn said most of the donations come from individuals or businesses, and she said the show has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and an outpouring of support from across the country. The school also posts a "wish list" on its website, asking for granola bars, pop-top cans of soup and other non-perishable foods that homeless students can eat for dinner or over the weekend.
Bieber's gift matches a $100,000 donation from Target that was announced on the September TV special about the school. Most of the money will be used to continue basic support ? such as rent assistance ? to keep families off the street and children coming to class.
"My biggest motivator for the kids and the thought and the hope that they don't have to live in this existence when they grow up ? that they break the cycle," Gahn said.
Inside the closed event, Gahn said Bieber toured the campus and told students the story of his family's own financial struggles, including visits to a food bank when he was young. He performed songs from his Christmas album, "Under the Mistletoe," and invited the crowd to dance along to his hit "Baby."
Outside, dozens of squealing high school girls with camera phones jockeyed for a glimpse of the star as he was rushed into the building. Brittany Ellis, 14, had pulled out a scrap of paper just in time for a mobbed Bieber to autograph, and was showing her friends an indecipherable pencil scrawl.
Another girl, 17-year-old Kiersten Umberger, said she nearly cried when she saw Bieber.
"It was the best moment of my life," she said.
Teens from the neighborhood say the worn area is quiet, and certainly not the typical Vegas haunt for celebrities.
But parents and school officials said they were as grateful for the gifts from Bieber and Degeneres as the children were starstruck.
"In a world where these kids live in that things are not always their own or they're taken away," Gahn said, "they gave them memories that no one can ever take."
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MIAMI ? LeBron James was the first one on the floor, swishing the first shot he took. Dwyane Wade arrived with a candy cane behind his right ear. Chris Bosh gestured to the fans with his usual intensity.
Miami's stars gave fans what they wanted Thursday night.
But a Heat rookie might have provided the biggest surprise.
Norris Cole staked his claim for playing time right away this season, scoring 21 points in Miami's open scrimmage played before about 9,000 season-ticket holders. Cole figures to enter the season as the backup to Mario Chalmers, who re-signed with Miami earlier this month.
"I'm treating every practice like a game," Cole said. "I've got a great opportunity here and I'm doing all I can to show that I belong with this team."
Cole has had success at AmericanAirlines Arena before. He was on the same floor for Cleveland State's appearance in the 2009 NCAA tournament, scoring 22 points in a first-round upset of Wake Forest and 17 more in a second-round loss to Arizona.
"Norris has been great since we got him," said Heat assistant coach David Fizdale, who ran one of the teams while fellow assistant Keith Askins handled the other, while Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and assistant Ron Rothstein observed from seats near midcourt. "He's really astute. He's very mature. He's here early every day. He's the last to leave. Kind of kid you want to work with and get better."
Cole worked with James at times in Ohio this summer, and said he had some knowledge of the Heat system before he showed up for camp. He said he's taking a simple approach to camp.
"Hard work," Cole said. "I'm trying to help this team win a championship. That's what it's all about. That's all that it's about."
The open scrimmage was a clear thank-you of sorts for season-ticket holders, all of whom packed into the lower bowl of the arena. When the doors opened about an hour before game time, fans sprinted into the building, since most of the seats were first-come, first-serve. They roared when public address announcer Michael Baiamonte greeted them with "Welcome home, Heat fans," and they got louder when the first surprise of the night arrived.
Instead of accessing the court through the private tunnel emerging from their locker room, Heat players and staff came down the arena steps, slapping hands with fans.
"It's been too long," Spoelstra told the crowd.
James took the first shot of the warmups, a 16-footer that went in and drew a roar. Some of the hijinks were downright comical ? Wade throwing a behind-the-back pass to James, who then went behind-the-back to Joel Anthony for a score, or Udonis Haslem wagging his finger menacingly to the opposing bench, or even Askins arguing with an official for a goaltending call in the first half.
Mostly, though, it was about getting in work. It's only about two weeks spanning first practice to first real game this season, about half the normal time in seasons not compacted by labor-related issues.
"We're looking forward to this season," Spoelstra told the crowd. "You're going to have a heck of a time in this arena here this season, all right? Enjoy."
Haslem led all scorers with 23 points, James also had 21, and Wade finished with 17.
The last game of the NBA's most recent season was on the same court, of course, when Dallas beat Miami to clinch the 2011 title in six games. And fans in Miami were angst-ridden for months over the status of the lockout, fearing that would be the last game played in any NBA city for a year or perhaps more.
Of course, a deal eventually got done, and just about everyone from the core of last season's Eastern Conference champions is back. Heat owner Micky Arison and team CEO Nick Arison were in their customary courtside spots, a few seats away from team president Pat Riley, who watched the proceedings closely.
"It feels like old times," Bosh said. "It feels like we're just tweaking a couple of things. We're just pushing each other to be better. It's good to be back. I've been looking forward to this for a long time."
Shane Battier, Eddy Curry, Mike Miller and Eddie House were held out with various injuries. That didn't stop fans from chanting "We want Shane" at least twice, the new Heat forward acknowledging the cries with a broad smile each time. Battier and Cole figure to be the only two players who weren't on last year's team that will begin this season in the rotation.
The Heat picked up Cole on draft night for his speed and savvy, both of which were on full display.
It was Cole's "coming out party," Micky Arison said on Twitter during the game. And Cole's new teammates were impressed as well.
"He can play the game of basketball," Wade said. "You can't teach what he has."
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