1:23 PM
New map of Venus from the Venus Express hints that Venus may have been quite Earth-like in the past--with oceans and volcanoes:
http://www.physorg.com/news166772454.html
Last year about 90% of the 23 million electric bikes sold worldwide were sold in China (typical price is $290)--for comparison purposes, 200,000 electric bikes are expected to be sold in the US this year, about 1% of sales to China. 21 million e-bikes were sold in China compared to 9.4 million cars. Government regulations limit e-bikes to a top speed of 12mph, but they are made to have that limitation removed easily to allow them to go up to 30 mph. China currently has about 100 million e-bikes and 25 million cars:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1904334,00.html
The Chinese government finally put an end to electric shock treatment for kids whose parents feel they are addicted to the internet. Dr. Yang Yongxin has been charging parents $805 per month to shock their kids:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/14/china_electro_regime/
The new element 112 will be named "Copernicium" in honor of Copernicus:
Article link
Kansas State undergraduates are trying to design a low-cost solar-powered lantern:
Article link
Pres. Obama proposed a $12 billion program for community colleges to offer training to millions of students who cannot afford four-year Universities and to enable older workers to get new skills for the workforce:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/14/AR2009071400819.html?wpisrc=newsletter
I think that it is great that median home prices in San Diego have gone up three months in a row...but that is too bad for our friends from the Bay Area who are trying to buy a house here!
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/bn15prices1263/
Stimulus money will provide the money for a lot of long-delayed construction projects in San Diego and be a great boost to San Diego's economy, which should also help home prices:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1n15stimulus00148-millions-stimulus-funding-headed/?metro&zIndex=132240
The company that got the $300 million algae biofuel deal with ExxonMobil is from San Diego, more than doubling their workforce. The founder graduated from UCSD and the work will be done in San Diego:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1n15algae001356-deal-blooms-algae-biofuel-research/?uniontrib
Cisco report warns that criminals are rapidly finding new ways to exploit people via mobile phones, social networks and text messages:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/sms-smartphone-attacks-rise-223?source=IFWNLE_nlt_mobilehdwr_2009-07-15
HTC smartphones running Windows Mobile are vulnerable to attacks taking advantage of a weakness in their bluetooth security. Attackers have access to all information on the phone and can upload malicious code to the phone. HTC smartphones running Android or other non-Microsoft operating systems are not in danger:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/htc-smartphones-left-vulnerable-bluetooth-attack-213?source=IFWNLE_nlt_mobilehdwr_2009-07-15
Nortel's bankruptcy proceedings has resulted in plans to layoff 480 people at their location in France. However, workers forced Nortel management into talks over layoff terms *by threatening to blow up their factory*. I know that workers in France have been successful in reducing layoffs and getting better layoff terms by kidnapping their bosses (I don't understand why that is such an accepted practice there), but threatening bombings seems way over-the-line to me:
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLF23298620090715
Nokia says that they might buy more Nortel assets as they come on the market. The article also mentions how Nokia has the right to raise its bid if anyone tops its $650 mil bid for Nortel's CDMA/LTE assets:
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idCAN1428331220090714?rpc=44
Nokia warned that they might have to lay off more Nortel workers if they get into a bidding war for Nortel. The private equity firm has apparently topped Nokia's $650 million bid for Nortel's CDMA/LTE assets by about $5 million:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/666315
Dell executives indicated that they will be releasing a smartphone, but they will not manufacture it:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2350191,00.asp
RIM Executives were stumped at their annual shareholders' meeting when a child asked them if they were going to make a BlackBerry for kids that his Mom would let him get:
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE56E0AA20090715
The first pets-only airline (flights go to NY, LA, Chicago, Denver, and DC) is already booked solid for the next two months:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1n15petair223445-first-pets-only-airline-could-be-/?uniontrib
LA blogger who leaked the new Guns N' Roses songs was sentenced to two months of home confinement:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1n15blogger001357-blogger-punished-posting-music/?uniontrib
No wonder Goldman Sachs was in a hurry to repay the billions it received in bailout money--that freed them from restrictions on giving bonuses and they will have set aside at least $11.4 billion for its workers! One month after paying back the bailout money it will give an average bonus of $770,000 to its employees, with executives getting millions...their pay already going back to about what it was at the height of the boom!
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1b15goldman223219-bonuses-blooming-goldman-sachs/?uniontrib
Destroying a singer-songwriter's guitar and refusing to pay for the repairs has led to a YouTube sensation and great publicity for the singer and the El Cajon-based company Taylor Guitars:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1b15guitars223219-united-faces-music/?uniontrib
New York man pushed his 6-year-old son out of way of a speeding car, which then hit him (his son had to watch him die!). The hit-and-run driver was going at least 60 mph when he killed the father. The driver had gotten into an argument with his wife and drove 10 blocks before killing the hero father, and kept hitting other people (at least 12 others) and cars for 4 more blocks until his car wouldn't run anymore:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/07/13/2009-07-13_dad_dies_pushing_bicycling_son_6_out_of_way_of_crazed_hitrun_driver_in_bronx_hor.html
http://www.physorg.com/news166772454.html
Last year about 90% of the 23 million electric bikes sold worldwide were sold in China (typical price is $290)--for comparison purposes, 200,000 electric bikes are expected to be sold in the US this year, about 1% of sales to China. 21 million e-bikes were sold in China compared to 9.4 million cars. Government regulations limit e-bikes to a top speed of 12mph, but they are made to have that limitation removed easily to allow them to go up to 30 mph. China currently has about 100 million e-bikes and 25 million cars:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1904334,00.html
The Chinese government finally put an end to electric shock treatment for kids whose parents feel they are addicted to the internet. Dr. Yang Yongxin has been charging parents $805 per month to shock their kids:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/14/china_electro_regime/
The new element 112 will be named "Copernicium" in honor of Copernicus:
Article link
Kansas State undergraduates are trying to design a low-cost solar-powered lantern:
Article link
Pres. Obama proposed a $12 billion program for community colleges to offer training to millions of students who cannot afford four-year Universities and to enable older workers to get new skills for the workforce:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/14/AR2009071400819.html?wpisrc=newsletter
I think that it is great that median home prices in San Diego have gone up three months in a row...but that is too bad for our friends from the Bay Area who are trying to buy a house here!
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/bn15prices1263/
Stimulus money will provide the money for a lot of long-delayed construction projects in San Diego and be a great boost to San Diego's economy, which should also help home prices:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1n15stimulus00148-millions-stimulus-funding-headed/?metro&zIndex=132240
The company that got the $300 million algae biofuel deal with ExxonMobil is from San Diego, more than doubling their workforce. The founder graduated from UCSD and the work will be done in San Diego:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1n15algae001356-deal-blooms-algae-biofuel-research/?uniontrib
Cisco report warns that criminals are rapidly finding new ways to exploit people via mobile phones, social networks and text messages:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/sms-smartphone-attacks-rise-223?source=IFWNLE_nlt_mobilehdwr_2009-07-15
HTC smartphones running Windows Mobile are vulnerable to attacks taking advantage of a weakness in their bluetooth security. Attackers have access to all information on the phone and can upload malicious code to the phone. HTC smartphones running Android or other non-Microsoft operating systems are not in danger:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/htc-smartphones-left-vulnerable-bluetooth-attack-213?source=IFWNLE_nlt_mobilehdwr_2009-07-15
Nortel's bankruptcy proceedings has resulted in plans to layoff 480 people at their location in France. However, workers forced Nortel management into talks over layoff terms *by threatening to blow up their factory*. I know that workers in France have been successful in reducing layoffs and getting better layoff terms by kidnapping their bosses (I don't understand why that is such an accepted practice there), but threatening bombings seems way over-the-line to me:
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLF23298620090715
Nokia says that they might buy more Nortel assets as they come on the market. The article also mentions how Nokia has the right to raise its bid if anyone tops its $650 mil bid for Nortel's CDMA/LTE assets:
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idCAN1428331220090714?rpc=44
Nokia warned that they might have to lay off more Nortel workers if they get into a bidding war for Nortel. The private equity firm has apparently topped Nokia's $650 million bid for Nortel's CDMA/LTE assets by about $5 million:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/666315
Dell executives indicated that they will be releasing a smartphone, but they will not manufacture it:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2350191,00.asp
RIM Executives were stumped at their annual shareholders' meeting when a child asked them if they were going to make a BlackBerry for kids that his Mom would let him get:
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE56E0AA20090715
The first pets-only airline (flights go to NY, LA, Chicago, Denver, and DC) is already booked solid for the next two months:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1n15petair223445-first-pets-only-airline-could-be-/?uniontrib
LA blogger who leaked the new Guns N' Roses songs was sentenced to two months of home confinement:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1n15blogger001357-blogger-punished-posting-music/?uniontrib
No wonder Goldman Sachs was in a hurry to repay the billions it received in bailout money--that freed them from restrictions on giving bonuses and they will have set aside at least $11.4 billion for its workers! One month after paying back the bailout money it will give an average bonus of $770,000 to its employees, with executives getting millions...their pay already going back to about what it was at the height of the boom!
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1b15goldman223219-bonuses-blooming-goldman-sachs/?uniontrib
Destroying a singer-songwriter's guitar and refusing to pay for the repairs has led to a YouTube sensation and great publicity for the singer and the El Cajon-based company Taylor Guitars:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/15/1b15guitars223219-united-faces-music/?uniontrib
New York man pushed his 6-year-old son out of way of a speeding car, which then hit him (his son had to watch him die!). The hit-and-run driver was going at least 60 mph when he killed the father. The driver had gotten into an argument with his wife and drove 10 blocks before killing the hero father, and kept hitting other people (at least 12 others) and cars for 4 more blocks until his car wouldn't run anymore:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/07/13/2009-07-13_dad_dies_pushing_bicycling_son_6_out_of_way_of_crazed_hitrun_driver_in_bronx_hor.html
6 Responses to "LOTD for July 15"
July 15, 2009 at 3:22 PM
July 15, 2009 at 5:09 PM
July 15, 2009 at 5:43 PM
July 15, 2009 at 6:48 PM
July 16, 2009 at 12:17 AM
July 16, 2009 at 5:04 AM