Weekly Roundup – 4/1/12

Starbuggs? Strawberry Frappuccino Colored by Insects
In what the company, in a statement, says was a move intended to reduce its use of artificial ingredients, Starbucks has started using cochineal extract to supply its Frappuccinos’ strawberry hue. Cochineal extract is derived from grinding up insects, the dried bodies of cochineal bugs, found primarily in Mexico and South America. Cochineal dye has been used as a coloring agent since the 15th century.

I know it sounds gross, but this is also used in jam and some other things.

Harry Potter breaks e-book lockdown
When the Harry Potter books finally went on sale in electronic form on Tuesday, it was as if Harry himself had cast the “Alohomora” spell on them — the one that unlocks doors.

In a break with industry practices, the books aren’t locked down by encryption, which means consumers can move them between devices and read them anywhere they like.

If “Pottermore,” J.K. Rowling’s new Web store, proves a success, it could provide a model for other authors and publishers and undermine the clout of Amazon.com Inc., which dominates e-book sales.

This is huge for the Harry Potter franchise. It shows that they are moving ahead.

Google to Launch Third-Party
The Google comment system, which will almost certainly rival that of Facebook, will have deep links to Google’s network of services and websites, indexing comments in Google Search, and most significantly, the system will be available for use on third party sites.

I’m not surprised at all. Seems like Google and Facebook are copying each other these days.

Newt Gingrich cuts staff, aims for Tampa
After twice resurrecting his campaign from dire situations, Gingrich has effectively skipped big primary states since his loss to Mitt Romney in the Florida and Nevada primaries. He focused on the South but won only two states in the entire GOP primary contest: South Carolina and his former home state of Georgia.

Honestly, if I were Gingrich, I’d drop out. It’s hard to beat Mitt Romney now.

Supreme Court questions validity over Obama healthcare law
The legal challenge has been brought by 26 US states which say the individual mandate violates the principles of freedom and liberty enshrined in the US constitution.

Backers of the law see the provision, which does not take effect until 2014, as crucial for reducing the numbers of Americans living without health insurance.

As the latest session got under way, protesters for and against the law once again held demonstrations on the steps of the court in Washington DC, reflecting the bitterly divisive passions aroused by the law.

People shouldn’t be penalized if they don’t have healthcare.

Apples Are Growing in American Homes
Half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product, according to CNBC’s All-America Economic survey.

That’s more than 55 million homes with at least one iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac computer. And one-in-10 homes that aren’t currently in that group plan to join it in the next year.

But Apple doesn’t have to worry about brand saturation any time soon. Americans don’t stop with just one device. Homes that own least one Apple, own an average of three. Overall, the average household has 1.6 Apple devices, with almost one-quarter planning to buy at least one more in the next year.

I personally own three Apple devices (MacBook Pro, iPhone, and iPod Touch.) Total for our household = 6 (the family’s iMac, my mom’s iPhone, and my sister’s iPod.)

Witness details Trayvon Martin’s killing
The witness recounted seeing two men on the grass, one on top of the other. “And at that point, not looking out the window, I heard the yell for help, one yell for help, and then I heard another … excruciating type of yell. It didn’t almost sound like ‘help.’ It just sounded so painful. But I wasn’t watching out the window during that. And then the next time I looked out the window, there’s the same thing: two men on the grass, one on top of each other. I couldn’t see a lot of movement. It was very dark, but I felt like they were scuffling. And then I heard the gunshots, which, to me, were more like pops than they were like a bang.”

The witness recalled hearing more than one shot. “It definitely was more than one pop noise, so I don’t know if it was an echo or anything else. But it definitely made more than one pop.”
The witness said the shots were audible as one man was on top of the other. But the witness recalled not having been able to see clearly which man was on top because it was dark.
Within a couple of seconds after the shots, one of the men “was walking toward where I was watching, and I could see him a little bit clearer. Could see that it was a Hispanic man. He didn’t appear hurt or anything else.”

But the man, who by now had left the grass and was walking on the sidewalk, did seem worried, “with his hand up to his forehead,” the witness said. “Now, a couple of seconds later, in the dark, you see that person that’s alive walk away; you know, obviously, OK, he must’ve got up and he walked away, where the other person is still laying there, face down.”

This is why George Zimmerman needs to testify before a grand jury. Zimmerman has been saying one thing. Now, this witness is saying another. There needs to be some justice here. It’s not fair for Trayvon or his family.

Winning Mega Millions ticket for $640 mil jackpot sold in Maryland
Forget about how the $640 million Mega Millions jackpot could change the life of the winner. It’s a collective wager that could fund a presidential campaign several times over, make a dent in struggling state budgets or take away the gas worries and grocery bills for thousands of middle-class citizens.

And it’s a cheap investment for the chance of a big reward, no matter how long the odds — 1 in 176 million.

That’s just insane.

Weekly Roundup – 3/25/12

Victory for Mitt Romney in Republican Primary
Mr Romney has won 47% of the votes, compared with 35% for Rick Santorum, with nearly all votes counted.

Ron Paul polled 9% in Illinois and Newt Gingrich was on 8%; neither candidate campaigned extensively in the state.

“I’m running for president because I have the experience and the vision to get us out of this mess,” said Mr Romney, as his victory became evident.

It’s really hard for anyone to beat Romney at this point.

Mississippi teen gets two life sentences after pleading guilty to hate crime
Dedmon, a slight, blonde man wearing a blue jumpsuit, looked down as prosecutors described the killing. Dedmon admitted that he and a group of white teens were partying in Puckett, a small town outside the capital city, when he suggested they find a black man to harass and went to Jackson because of its majority-black population. They found Anderson before dawn outside a hotel. He was beaten before Dedmon ran over him.

Why can’t everyone get along? Dedmon deserves the life sentences.

Future iPhone May Be Made Out of Glass
Some problems immediately come to mind. While the glass material used in modern smartphones is quite tough, a smartphone made entirely out of glass could easily be damaged in a fall. Furthermore, the iPhone is chock-full of sensors, some of which might have problems functioning in a (transparent) glass enclosure – though Apple’s application addresses this problem by suggesting some parts of the glass case can be made opaque.

Great… iPhones are fragile enough as it is. This is a stupid idea.

Florida Protesters Could Deny Justice for Trayvon Martin
The case is as follow; Trayvon Martin was walking back from the store when Zimmerman spotted him. Zimmerman called 911 and told the operator he saw someone suspicious in the neighborhood. A police car was dispatched. A physical confrontation ensued, causing more 911 calls, this time from neighbors. At some point Zimmerman shot Martin, who died at the scene. Zimmerman told the police he shot Martin in self-defense, and the police took a report, but did not arrest Zimmerman.

Because Martin is black, and Zimmerman white, the claim of racism began almost immediately, both aimed at the police and Zimmerman. But in the rush to declare a racial bias, within two hours of the incident, the snowballing of racially motivated protests, the true issues at hand has not been thoroughly examined by many in the African-American community.

The first issue is that Zimmerman was not arrested, claiming self-defense. In the state of Florida exists the “Stand Your Ground” law. This law states that you can use deadly force if you believe that your life is in danger. African-Americans have dismissed the self-defence claim as a poor excuse because Martin was not armed, but this is the result of unfamiliarity with the law.

Under ‘Stand Your Ground’, you do not have to be physically attacked — you just have to believe that your life is in danger. If I’m walking home after a night on the town and someone stops me and demands my wallet, I can shoot them. If they turn out not to be armed, I’m not going to be arrested. In this case, Martin did not approach Zimmerman, but we do not know what occurred immediately before he was shot. Without witnesses accounts, Zimmerman’s word did not serve the police with grounds for arrest.

Which brings us to the second issue; The protesters are confusing the police with the district attorney. In the days that followed the shooting, the 911 call was released. Here are an outtake of Zimmerman’s words:

“This guy looks like he is up to no good. He is on drugs or something […] These a**holes always get away.”

Zimmerman was told not to pursue Martin, but did so anyway. As a neighborhood watch member, Zimmerman was not supposed to be carrying a gun, and he was known to have made 41 911 calls at different times—usually about a black person he suspected of ill intent. The victim, on the other hand, did not have a weapon, had no record, and had every right to be in the neighborhood. All this adds up to suspicion of bias in the police. But that is the wrong assumption.

This is very messed up. Zimmerman should be charged because he shot someone who had no intention of shooting him. If Martin wanted to walk around the neighborhood at night, he should have the right to.

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Weekly Roundup – 3/18/12

Yahoo Sues Facebook For Patent Infringement
The lawsuit, filed in a San Jose, California federal court, marks the first major legal battle among technology giants in social media and a major escalation of patent litigation that has already swept up the smartphone and tablet sectors and high-tech stalwarts such as Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.

Seems like Facebook is under fire lately.

Full Titanic wreck site mapped
Researchers have pieced together what’s believed to be the first comprehensive map of the entire 3-by-5-mile (5-by-8-kilometer) Titanic debris field and hope it will provide new clues about what exactly happened the night 100 years ago when the superliner hit an iceberg, plunged to the bottom of the North Atlantic and became a legend.

I’d like to see this map. It’s interesting to see all of this unfolding.

Virginia’s jobless rate hits 3-year low
The unemployment rate declined in January even though non-farm payroll employment fell, which normally happens from December to January, particularly in the trade sector as retailers cut back on holiday staffing, the Virginia Employment Commission reported. All of the state’s major industry sectors saw declines from December to January as payroll employment dipped by about 64,500 jobs to 3.65 million.

Ugh.

VCU dances past Wichita State into NCAA third round
VCU Mania is officially back in session, thanks to the Rams’ thrilling 62-59 upset victory against No. 5 seed Wichita State Thursday in Portland’s Rose Garden arena. A No. 12 seed has won in 22 of the last 24 tournaments.

I wish they didn’t lose to Indiana. Sigh…

10 things the internet killed
The book-form of Encyclopaedia Britannica has been in print since 1768, but will stop being available when the current stock runs out. Digital versions of the encyclopedia will still be offered. Is it a bad sign that we’ll no longer have the heavy books to consult? Look on the bright side, now you’ll have extra room on your bookshelf for more books…err…iPads.

The world is changing as we know it. I miss the old days.

New iPads hit stores Friday
It will cost the same as the iPad 2 — from $499 to $829 based on storage capacity and Wi-Fi capability. Apple also will be slashing the prices of the iPad 2 by $100, making a 16GB Wi-Fi only model $399 and putting it closer to the price point of some less expensive tablets, such as Amazon’s Kindle Fire, that have hit the market in the past year.

Is it really worth all that $$$ to purchase an iPad? I can get a laptop/desktop PC with 3x the amount of storage, a CD drive, and USB ports for that money. Geez.

Afghanistan massacre: Hamid Karzai chides US on probe
Men, women and children were shot and killed at close range as the soldier apparently went on a rampage in villages close to a Nato base in the remote Panjwai district of southern Kandahar province.

This is so sad. Something should have been done to prevent this.

George Clooney arrested in Sudan protest
“We are protesting to make sure the Sudanese government knows that the world is watching,” McGovern said. “The United States Congress is watching. And we will be back again and again until they stop using food as a weapon; stop slaughtering innocent men, women and children; and stop spitting in the face of the world community.”

I support those protesting the Sudanese government. It’s just not right.

New Pinterest Profile Pages
In this grab, there four centered columns vs. the former five, although if you stretch your browser’s window, you can accommodate more. The tab on the left detailing who is following you and who has recently repinned your photos and videos is gone. Instead, a horizontal bar on the top of the page details that information. You’ll also note that there’s more blank space on the side and top, giving the page a less cluttered look. In another change, the default for the profile page shows recent pins, rather than Pinboards.

I really like the new look. Very clean.

How Iceland is building its economy with social media
Overall, the Internet has played a big role in modern day Iceland. The government recently asked citizens to post online comments and feedback about what they thought of its new constitution proposal. And although the president actually said he wouldn’t be running for re-election earlier this year, he changed his mind after Icelanders gathered thousands of signatures online as a part of an effort to keep him in office.

This seems like a good idea. I wish we could do that here.

KONY 2012: How Social Media Fueled the Most Viral Video of All Time
Just watch the video.

Kony 2012 Director Is Detained and Hospitalized
“Police said they received several calls Thursday at 11:30 a.m. of a man in various stages of undress, running through traffic and screaming,” the NBC affiliate reported. A police spokeswoman, Lt. Andra Brown, told reporters: “During the evaluation we learned we probably needed to take him to a medical facility because of statements he was saying.”

I’m not sure what to think. Either all the stress has gotten to him or he got extremely drunk the night before.

Weekly Roundup – 3/4/12

Sorry for being a week late on this. I recently started a new job and have been very busy.

Pentagon Report: Partial Remains Of Some 9/11 Victims Went To A Landfill
Partial remains of several 9/11 victims were incinerated by a military contractor and sent to a landfill, a government report said Tuesday in the latest of a series of revelations about the Pentagon’s main mortuary for the war dead.

The surprise disclosure was mentioned only briefly, with little detail, in a report by an independent panel that studied underlying management flaws at Dover Air Force Base mortuary in Delaware. A 2011 probe found “gross mismanagement” there, but until Tuesday there had been no mention of Dover’s role in handling 9/11 victims’ remains.

It’s sad to see that some of the victims’ remains are going to a landfill.

Gas Prices Rise
Gas prices are averaging $4.32 in California and $3.73 a gallon nationally, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. But as tensions with Iran and Syria continue and demand from countries like China rises, the price of gasoline has remained high. With summer approaching, prices are expected to go up around another 20 cents a gallon, the Times reported.

This really stinks. It might as well cost an arm and a leg.

Without Internet, Urban Poor Fear Being Left Behind In Digital Age
“The cost of being offline is greater now than it was 10 years ago,” said John Horrigan, vice president of policy research at TechNet, a trade association representing high-tech companies. “So many important transactions take place online. If you don’t have access to high-speed Internet, you’re missing out on a lot.”

About 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies — including Target and Walmart — only accept job applications online. High school students who have broadband Internet at home have graduation rates 6 to 8 percentage points higher than students who don’t, says a 2008 study by the Federal Reserve. Consumers can save almost $8,000 a year by using online resources to find discounts on essentials like apartment rentals, clothes, gasoline and food, according to an analysis last fall by the Internet Innovation Alliance.

Pretty much everything is done online now, especially searching for jobs, networking, transactions, and research. There needs to be resources for those who don’t have the luxury.

Limbaugh: Contraception advocate should post online sex videos
Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, already under fire from Democrats over his language in discussing a Georgetown University law student who testified about contraception, ratcheted up his rhetoric on Thursday, saying the student should post an online sex video if taxpayers are forced to pay for contraception.

Rush Limbaugh is a(n) [insert insult here]. Many people use contraceptives due to irregular balances in hormones or irregular periods. Fluke said nothing about having sex.

Twitter to sell users’ old tweets to marketers
Twitter, however, has decided to make it easier for these companies to mine billions of messages for valuable marketing data. The company will open its archives and sell its old tweets.

I am not surprised at all. More ads… oh joy…

Kirk Cameron defends views on gay marriage
When Piers Morgan asked the actor what he’d tell his kids regarding gay marriage, Cameron responded, “I’d tell my children what I believe myself…I believe that marriage was defined by God a long time ago. Marriage is almost as old as dirt and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve. One man, one woman for life till death do you part. I would never attempt to try to redefine marriage, and I don’t think anyone else should, either. So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No, I don’t.”

I can see where Kirk is coming from, but times are changing. If two people are in love and want to get married, then they should be allowed to.

Newt Gingrich: New Plan Could Cost Him the Presidential Nomination

Newt Gingrich says he wants to establish a colony on the moon, which could eventually become a U.S. state. He hopes to accomplish this by the end of his second term. He also plans on launching a new Mars rocket program, meaning that we could get to Mars in a significantly short period of time.

However, this may not happen.

In the recent Maine Republican Caucus, Gingrich won only 6.7% of the vote. Romney, Paul, and Santorum won 39.0%, 34.9%, and 18.1% respectively.

Also, he is not on the Missouri or Virginia ballot, in which the latter could potentially hurt his chances of grabbing the Republican Presidential nomination.

Gingrich told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that missing out on the Missouri ballot was not a mistake. “The Missouri primary doesn’t have any delegates attached to it.” According to the Huffington Post, the state’s 52 delegates will be apportioned at a caucus on March 17.

As for missing out on the Virginia ballot, Gingrich says it is an embarrassment since he now considers Virginia as his home state. In order to be on the ballot, a candidate must get 10,000 signatures from state residents.

Delegate count as of 2/24/12:

Mitt Romney: 105
Rick Santorum: 71
Newt Gingrich: 29
Ron Paul: 18

Missing out on Virginia’s 49 delegates, as well as farfetched proposals, could put a dent into Gingrich’s campaign.

Is spending too much time on Twitter unhealthy?

One of Twitter’s co-founders, Biz Stone, warned that spending 12 hours a day on the site is “not a good idea.”

“I like the kind of engagement where you go to the website and you leave because you’ve found what you are looking for or you found something very interesting and you learned something,” he told the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal on Wednesday. “I think it’s a much healthier engagement. Obviously, we want you to come frequently.”

Stone also stated how Twitter makes an impact on communication and connecting with others.

“Maybe I’m just being hallucinogenically optimistic, but the idea that once we’re connected we’ll be able to move together, suggests we’ll be able to get a lot more done in a lot shorter time.”

Weekly Roundup – 2/26/12

I decided that I am going to take more initiative in posting and do a weekly roundup of things that happened earlier in the week. I saw one of my Facebook friends do this, and I thought it would be a great way to stay on top of what’s going on.

Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Driver For Women’s Magazines

“Beginning this summer, Pinterest became the top social referrer for marthastewartweddings.com and marthastewart.com, sending more traffic to both properties than Facebook and Twitter combined. Pinterest is on track to become the second highest traffic driver (after Google) to Cooking Light‘s website, up 6,000% from just six months ago. The social bookmarking site already drives 10 times the amount of traffic to Cooking Light compared to Facebook.”

I am not surprised at all. Whenever I sign onto Pinterest, it looks like Martha Stewart took over my home page.

Conrad Murray loses request to be released on bond

“During his trial, Murray gave a documentary crew access to his defense team, and he gave a series of interviews chronicling his relationship with Jackson. Pastor cited Murray’s apparent lack of remorse over Jackson’s death and admonished him for neglecting to acknowledge the dangers of administering propofol outside a hospital setting during those interviews.”

Propofol is such a harmful drug that shouldn’t be taken outside of a hospital setting. Murray deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. If you commit the crime, you do the time.

IKEA furniture assembly vlog proves its instructions are totally indecipherable

“Admitting to these confusing furniture assembly instructions, the Swedish company has begun posting video tutorials on YouTube to help frustrated consumers put together its products. The first in the anticipated series is the MALM bed frame, a four and a half minute video that contains pop up tips relating what the instruction pictures are supposed to signify in real life. See that figure of the arrow pointing two sticks together? You’re supposed to pile them on top of each other then screw those together, silly! A cutesy, upbeat tune also accompanies the video to alleviate the possible pain you might be having in real time.”

IKEA is definitely trying to be ahead of the game, but they should have someone to talk you through the videos.

How companies learn your secrets

“The desire to collect information on customers is not new for Target or any other large retailer, of course. For decades, Target has collected vast amounts of data on every person who regularly walks into one of its stores. Whenever possible, Target assigns each shopper a unique code — known internally as the Guest ID number — that keeps tabs on everything they buy. “If you use a credit card or a coupon, or fill out a survey, or mail in a refund, or call the customer help line, or open an e-mail we’ve sent you or visit our Web site, we’ll record it and link it to your Guest ID,” Pole said. “We want to know everything we can.”

Creepy.

Trial over lawsuits from Gulf oil spill delayed, allowing another week for settlement talks

“A judge is pushing back the federal trial over the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history by a week, saying Sunday that BP PLC was making some progress in settlement talks with a committee overseeing scores of lawsuits, according to people close to the case.”

I hope this trial brings some relief to those who were affected by the oil spill.

Google to test driverless cars on Nevada roadways

“Self-driving cars have the potential to significantly increase driving safety,” a Google spokesperson told Mashable. “We applaud Nevada for building a thoughtful framework to enable safe, ongoing testing of the technology and to anticipate the needs and best interests of Nevada citizens who may own vehicles with self-driving capabilities one day.”

I’d love to see this because I hate driving, but I’m hesitant to try it out. What if there’s some sort of technological glitch?

Octavia Spencer is the best supporting actress

“Octavia Spencer continued her awards-season dominance on Sunday night when she took home the trophy for best supporting actress for her role as a spunky maid in “The Help.” Spencer had already won in the same category at the Critics Choice, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Image and Screen Actors Guild awards for her portrayal of Minny.”

Well deserved. I’m glad she won.

We’re getting less friendly on Facebook

“The report released Friday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that people are managing their privacy settings and their online reputation more often than they did two years earlier. For example, 44 percent of respondents said in 2011 that they deleted comments from their profile on a social networking site. Only 36 percent said the same thing in 2009.”

It’s good that people are taking more action towards privacy settings.

Jon Huntsman Is Out of the Presidential Race

Jon Huntsman announces he will now endorse his GOP rival.

Golden Globes Nominees and Winners

Which movie took home the big prize?