Hedge fund paid Obama adviser Summers $5.2 million (Reuters): "Reuters - Lawrence Summers, a top economic adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama, was paid about $5.2 million in compensation by hedge fund D.E. Shaw during the past year, according to financial disclosure forms released on Friday by the White House."
Sent to you by wwn via Google Reader: Skakel makes plea to governor - Stamford Advocate via skakel - Google News on 2/14/09 Skakel makes plea to governor Stamford Advocate, CT By Edmund H. Mahony HARTFORD -- Convicted killer Michael Skakel has asked Gov. M. Jodi Rell to appoint an independent law firm to examine whether a book deal signed by a senior prosecution investigator caused the investigator to act in a fashion that ... Things you can do from here: - Subscribe to skakel - Google News using Google Reader - Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Sent to you by wwn via Google Reader: Lee reaches out to ag business - Bizjournals.com via "chris lee" - Google News on 2/18/09 Lee reaches out to ag business Bizjournals.com, NC Congressman Chris Lee, R-Clarence, on Wednesday announced creation of an Agriculture Advisory Board comprised of Western New York agriculture leaders. A statement from Lee’s office said the board “will provide expert insights and assist in developing ... Things you can do from here: - Subscribe to "chris lee" - Google News using Google Reader - Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
NPR and This American Life have put together several programs that do a great job of explaining some of the more esoteric and complex circumstances that have contributed to the current economic crisis. The first program is "The Giant Pool of Money." The second is "Another Frightening Show About the Economy." Following up on the excellent work done by the reporters who assembled the first two programs NPR has created a podcast called "Planet Money."
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WWN
FROM MEDIABISTRO TVNEWSER
Meet the new $10 million man.
Fox News will announce later today that Bill O'Reilly has signed on to anchor The O'Reilly Factor for another four years, which will pay him in the neighborhood of $10 to $12 million annually. Howard Kurtz got the scoop and an interview with the "pugnacious pundit." The new TV deal means O'Reilly will most likely give up his radio show. O'Reilly tells Kurtz, "My duties at Fox are expanding. I just can't work 60 hours a week." Kurtz writes:
'The O'Reilly Factor' has been the top-rated program in cable news for nearly eight years, with the host's high-decibel commentary generating both loyal fans and fervent critics. The program has been averaging more than 4 million viewers nightly since last month -- an unheard-of figure in that corner of the cable world.So, will O'Reilly continue into a second McCain or Obama term?
I'm not going to be Andy Rooney, much as I respect him. There comes a point where what you're doing isn't worth it anymore. I don't need any money.As for what The Factor will look like in the months and years to come, O'Reilly tells the Daily News' Richard Huff, "We're working on upgrading the show, and taking the show in a different direction. We'll do a whole bunch of new, exciting stuff."
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
[From O'Reilly, Four More Years with Fox News]
FROM MEDIABISTRO TVNEWSER
So, will MSNBC's Chris Matthews be moving from the anchor chair to the political arena? The question has certainly been asked before (in February, and April, and May, and August...), but there appears to be new details as this election winds down.
The New York Times' Bill Carter writes on The Caucus blog about a dinner last week between Matthews and one of Sen. Barack Obama's biggest fundraisers, UBS president Robert Wolf.
Said Matthews of the dinner: "Bob is a wonderful guy, and he told me we were going to talk about the political year and business and nothing about any election prospects."
Wolf said, "It came up, but when you have 12 guys at a dinner you move from topic to topic."
Once the election ends in two weeks, the Senate talk may pick up. TVNewser has learned that Democratic donors have received exploratory calls regarding a possible foray into politics for Matthews.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
[From Matthews Senate Run Talk Continues]
FROM REDSTATE
Our friend from Hymietown is still the same guy
Washington, D.C. (October 14, 2008) -- Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) Executive Director Matt Brooks issued the following statement today on remarks made by Rev. Jesse Jackson:
"Jesse Jackson confirmed the Jewish communities long-standing concerns with Barack Obama's policies on Israel and the Middle East," said Brooks.
As reported by the New York Post, Jackson said at the World Policy Conference last week, that Obama would bring "fundamental changes" to US foreign policy in the Middle East. The Post also reported that Jackson said, "'decades of putting Israel's interests first would end. Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades would lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House."
Obama national campaign co-chairman Gen. Tony McPeak echoed Jackson's sentiments in a 2003 interview with The Oregonian. McPeak said progress had not been made in the Middle East peace process because of the Jewish community in New York City and Miami. "We have a large vote -- vote, here in favor of Israel. And no politician wants to run against it," said McPeak.
"That those with such virulent anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views support an Obama presidency continues to be deeply troubling to the Jewish community. It highlights why Obama continues to have problems in the Jewish community," said Brooks.
[From Jesse Jackson: Obama will break power of Zionists]
FROM REDSTATE
No, really. Guess.
I'd like you to pay close attention to the bolding on this article about infamous Democratic ally ACORN's ongoing voter registration fraud drive in Ohio:
Voter Fraud: Men Admit ACORN Encouraged Them To Submit Fraudulent Forms
Cuyahoga County, OH - 19 Action News has learned of breaking developments in possibly hundreds of questionable or duplicate voter-registration forms submitted by an advocacy group that has been accused of election fraud.
In sworn testimony before the Cuyahoga County BOE Monday morning, Freddie Johnson and Christopher Barkley admitted they submitted multiple voter registration cards and were encouraged to do so by ACORN.
The men say they were out on Public Square when they were approached repeatedly by ACORN group workers who told them they would be fired if they didn't meet a quota of registrations for the day.
(Via Ace of Spades HQ)
I put the above text in bold because it neatly punctures one of ACORN's favorite excuses: which is to say, that they themselves are the victims of unscrupulous, evil employees that are recklessly doing this on their own. This one got old about the fifth or six time somebody got convicted... and now that we're hearing that the group is actually encouraging voter registration fraud via a quota system, well, strike out "old" and substitute "ancient."
Or maybe "criminal conspiracy." That's a fun one.
Moe Lane
PS: Hot Air has a local video report. Some good stuff, but it autoloads.
[From Cuyahoga County Voter Registration Fraud testimony. Guess who?]
FROM GIZMODO
You already know about all of the different ways to watch TV online. Now you just want links to your favorite shows (plus all those new ones) as quickly as possible so you can ditch your TiVo and TV once and for all. Our Internet TV remote has the best links to every prime-time show currently streaming online at full length. Bookmark it and check back often, we'll update it as new shows come out...
NBC
30 Rock
The Biggest Loser
Chuck
ER
Friday Night Lights
Heroes
Knight Rider
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Life
My Name is Earl
The Office
Saturday Night Live
The Tonight Show
ABC
Boston Legal
Brothers & Sisters
Dancing With The Stars
Desperate Housewives
Dirty Sexy Money
Eli Stone
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Grey's Anatomy
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Life On Mars
Lost
Opportunity Knocks
Private Practice
Pushing Daisies
Samantha Who?
Ugly Betty
CBS
The Amazing Race
The Big Bang Theory
Big Brother
Cold Case
Criminal Minds
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Eleventh Hour
The Ex List
Flashpoint
Gary Unmarried
Ghost Whisperer
Greatest American Dog
How I Met Your Mother
Jericho
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Mentalist
Million Dollar Password
NCIS
The New Adventures of Old Christine
Numb3rs
Rules of Engagement
Survivor
Swingtown
Two and a Half Men
The Unit
Without a Trace
Worst Week
FOX
American Dad
America's Most Wanted
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
Bones
Cops
Do Not Disturb
Family Guy
Fringe
Hell's Kitchen
Hole in the Wall
House
Kitchen Nightmares
MADtv
The Moment of Truth
Prison Break
The Simpsons
TALKSHOW with Spike Feresten
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
til Death
The CW
4REAL
90210
America's Next Top Model
Easy Money
Everybody Hates Chris
The Game
Gossip Girl
In Harms Way
Privileged
One Tree Hill
Reaper
Smallville
Supernatural
Valentine
Comedy Central
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report
South Park
MTV
The Hills
A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
Cribs
[From Internet TV Universal Remote: Quick Links to All Free Shows [Free Tv]]
FROM TECHCRUNCH
Bessemer Venture Partners is launching an incubated startup called MashLogic into private beta today, with the audacious promise of helping people “take back the web.”
They say (and they’re not alone) that the web today is driven by page view economics and search engine optimization goals, which leads publishers to link to themselves too often. The result is a less than optimal web experience.
There are Greasemonkey scripts that strip out these inefficient links, and various services like Adaptive Blue are adding browsing and link options for users via a plugin. Another startup, Sphere, acquired by AOL earlier this year, is a pop up window triggered by users that shows other content they might be interested in based on an index of the current page. It worked, well enough to get them acquired at least.
MashLogic is a more direct approach. Users must download a Firefox plugin to use it, but there’s no toolbar. Instead, you simply change the settings to tell it what kind of information you’d like to have included on web pages. Links to Wikipedia is an easy one. But it also has company links to LinkedIn to show you people there you might know. And a currency converter. Etc. It’s like a frickin Swiss Army Knife for hyperlinks.
One setting I like - the ability to remove all links on a page, and then only MashLogic links appear. For a lot of sites, the user experience is vastly superior. You can also create blacklists of domains that won’t show up in links on the page, even if the original publisher put them there.
Once you’ve got the tool configured, smart links will start popping up all over the place. Professional Athletes get their playing stats, Politicians get a real time poll of their progress towards the White House. Currencies are *zap* converted. You can even see a map for any street address.
Their goal is to save you from having to go back to the search engine to find the next thing you’re intersted in but isn’t linked on the site.
So far in my testing, they’ve nailed it. Instead of linking Bessemer Venture Partners in the first paragraph to Crunchbase or their website, I left it blank. The result was a great MashLogic Link bringing in Crunchbase information and other information relevant to Bessemer. If a user doesn’t like that info, they can just make a few changes and go right to Wikipedia, or a search engine, or wherever.
And if you mouse over a link to a sound or movie file, it will play the file right in the popup.
We have 500 beta installs available now, here. Once they’re gone, you’ve got to find someone who’ll be willing to hand one over. Lucky for all of us we have InviteShare to bring givers and takers together. MashLogic should be up and running there by morning.
The Business Model:The easy money will be by adding links to ecommerce items, leading to affiliate fees from splits. But the service will also be a central hub of data and linking activities, which can be monetized in different ways as well.
MashLogic is also encouraging distribution to users from publishers. Yeah, you heard that right. The idea is that if everyone is going to be using this, you’ll do better by getting it to users first, pre-stocked with your sites as resources. Those users can change all of those settings, but many won’t. And your passionate readers will find themselves flying back to your content, no matter where on the web they’ve wandered off to. Once enough users find that they love this product, licensing it directly to the browsers may makes sense. And then the revenue opportunities sort of hop into the pot themselves.
I’m putting this on my must-have list of Firefox addons.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
[From MashLogic: Take Back The Web (By Getting Awesome Links)]
FROM MY GOOD FRIEND HOWARD MORTMAN'S EXTREME MORTMAN.
The so good folks at So Good blog alert us to this fabulous development…
Of course, if the campaign turns even nastier, we’ll likely see this next …
[From What’s The Toy That Comes Inside The Cereal Box — A 527?]
FROM GIZMODO
With the accidental discovery of "black silicon," Harvard physicists may have very well changed the digital photography, solar power and night vision industries forever. What is black silicon, you say? Well, it's just as it sounds. Black silicon. It's what this revolutionary new material does that's important, starting with light sensitivity. Early indications show black silicon is 100 to 500 times more sensitive to light than a traditional silicon wafer.
To create the special silicon, Harvard physicist Eric Mazur shined a super powerful laser onto a silicon wafer. The laser's output briefly matches all the energy produced by the sun falling onto the Earth's entire surface at a given moment in time. To spice the experiment up, he also had researchers apply sulfur hexafluoride, which the semiconductor industry uses to make etchings in silicon for circuitry. Seriously, he did this just for kicks and to secure more funding for an old project.
“I got tired of metals and was worrying that my Army funding would dry up,” he said. “I wrote the new direction into a research proposal without thinking much about it — I just wrote it in; I don’t know why," he said.
The new experiment made the silicon black to the naked eye. Under an electron microscope, however, the dark sheen was revealed to be thousands, if not millions, of tiny spikes. As we said above, those spikes had an amazing effect on the light sensitivity of the wafer. Mazur said the material also absorbs about twice as much visible light as traditional silicon, and can detect infrared light that is invisible to today's silicon detectors.
And there's no change to the manufacturing process, Mazur said, so existing semiconductor facilities can create black silicon without much additional effort or, more importantly, money. [New York Times]
FROM GIZMODO
The many, many promises that Asus would release a touchscreen Eee by the end of this year have been fulfilled—by pasting an Eee sticker on a touchscreen all-in-one (also promised, though not with touchiness). This all-in-one touchscreen Eee, which you can pre-order in the UK for £399.99, is pretty hobbled: 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive and 15-inch screen running Windows XP. I can only imagine how atrocious the touch experience is, but we'll find out on Nov. 20, or thereabouts, according to Play. And it only kinda apes the old-school iMac aesthetic. [Play via Engadget]
[From The 10 best destinations for 2009 - Times Online]
Times Online
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The 10 best destinations for 2009
Times Online, UK -11 hours ago
... fans trip out on the futuristic fantasy of Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum; and everyone loses control at allnight street parties a million people strong. ...
|
The Heller Gun Decision Week 15--Legal and Political Developments ...
California Progress Report, CA - The NRA touts the fact that HB 1845 contains: (i) an anti-Katrina “Emergency Powers” provision prohibiting any government agency from arbitrarily ... |
[From The Heller Gun Decision Week 15--Legal and Political Developments ... - California Progress Report]
[From YouTube gets full-length CBS shows Star Trek, MacGyver and Dexter ... - Pocket-lint.co.uk]
NewsOXY
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YouTube gets full-length CBS shows Star Trek, MacGyver and Dexter ...
Pocket-lint.co.uk, UK -44 minutes ago
The first programmes to debut are 15 50 minute episodes from cult fave MacGyver, space-tastic Star Trek and nineties teen fave Beverly Hills 90210. ...
Star Trek and Beverly Hills 90210 come to YouTubeBrand Republic
YouTube beams up Star Trek for long-form video, prominent new adsCNET News
YouTube launches moron detectorThe Age
Portal IT -TelecomTV
all 151 news articles
FROM PEREZ HILTON:
Looks like you can lump Hollywood into that pile of crappy, greedy people mooching off of the American taxpayer.
On Saturday, the New York Times reported on the millions of dollars from states that have been going straight to the pockets of Hollywood studios to finance movies via tax breaks.
Hollywood is just as bad as those shady Wall Street finance people!
For example, Louisiana taxpayers funded $27 million of Brad Pitt's $167 million dollar movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The paper also notes that this is the state’s biggest movie payout to date!
Hollywood producers and studios claim that the state tax breaks allow them to keep entertainment jobs in the U.S. and create jobs.
But, au contraire!
The report points to the case of a straight-to-DVD Wesley Snipes and Cybil Shepherd-starring picture called Hard Luck filmed in the state of Rhode Island.
The seaside state gave Hard Luck $2.65 million in tax breaks, but Rhode Islander's only netted $1.9 million in return.
Why don't the politically 'active' stars take on their own greedy industry.
Ahem, Brad?
Did that Benjamin Buttons movie generate more than $27 million in revenues for Louisiana?
[Image via Doug Meszler/WENN.]
[From Brad Pitt Flick Costs Louisiana Taxpayers $27 Million!!!!!]
FROM GIZMODO:
While we have seen glimpses of how the F-35B—the short take-off vertical landing variant of the F-35 Lightning II—works, here's an amazingly detailed video showing its transforming capabilities in flight, which was posted anonymously in YouTube last week. According to Flight Global, this sophisticated war machine—which is now in its testing phase—won't see real action any time soon, as its engine is getting redesigned turbine blades. [Flight Global]
FROM CRAIG CRAWFORD'S TRAILMIX:
Barack Obama's summer landslide is now back in force, after slipping away by summer's end. Republican John McCain is running out of time to again reverse the Democratic tide.
A significantly revised CQ Politics Map now projects a runaway Obama victory, with only three toss-up states: Florida, Missouri and North Carolina. Full Story
CQ Politics Presidential Map
[From Obama's Slippery Landslide]
Electoral College Vote Projection:
Obama 311, McCain 174, Toss-up 53
From Gizmodo:
While the vast majority of iPhone customers opt for all-inclusive (but expensive) contracts, those miserly pay as you go customers that depend on the $20 MEdia Net unlimited data add-on to save money in the long term will be upset to find that, as of November 12th, they won't have that option. AT&T has decided to end the service, which was the sole reason that many people could justify paying the full price for an unsubsidized iPhone, because it was relatively unpopular. The announcement was made in a text sent to MEdia Net users:
AT&T Free Msg: Unlimited MEdia Net Packages will no longer be available as of 11/12. 1 MB and 5 MB MEdia Net packages still available. Call 611 for details
Hey, at least the message was free. The 1Mb and 5MB options will be little consolation to iPhone users, who can easily pass the 5MB barrier during a day of casual browsing and will then incur a hilarious $480 per gigabyte overage charge. Is this punishment for not heeding AT&T's spooky warnings last month? Reader Cyber Llama relates his situation, in which he's got lots of company:
Like many other iPhone users, I'm far, far too cheap to actually pay for the iphone Plan. At the 25 cents a minute rate, I only manage to do about 10 dollars worth of talking per month (most of my calls are probably a minute long on average) so with unlimited MEdia Net I get by at ~$30 a month. I'm quite sure I'm not a alone — lots of people don't want to pay for thousands of unused talk minutes and unlimited text messages that they will never use.
With that in mind, it's easy to see why AT&T's decision fills me with more rage than a sack full of hungry badgers. To make matters worse, I called 611 and the customer service representative had the balls to say that the reason AT&T was doing away with the unlimited package was because "no one used it" and it "didn't make sense to have it".
I'm sure we'll hear more about this, as people tend to respond kind of seriously when you effectively brick their expensive new iPhone (or Palm, or Blackberry). Strangely enough the AT&T website doesn't yet reflect this change, but Ars corroborates. -Thanks, Cyber Llama
FROM TECH CRUNCH:
What has ex-Yahooer and Delicious founder Joshua Schachter been working on since leaving Yahoo last June? At least one project is a GreaseMonkey script that shows readers the political leanings of blogs and news sites on Memeorandum, a news aggregator.
Political sites are usually very biased, but the casual reader often doesn’t know which way a particular site tends to rant. With the new script, also available as a Firefix plugin, sites are shaded towards blue or red depending on their linking behavior.
Andy Baio, who’s been working with Schachter on the project, describes it:
The colors don’t necessarily represent each blogger’s personal views or biases. It’s a reflection of their linking activity. The algorithm looks at the stories that blogger’s linked to before, relative to all other bloggers, and groups them accordingly. People that link to things that only conservatives find interesting will be classified as bright red, even if they are personally moderate or liberal, and vice-versa. The algorithm can’t read minds, so don’t be offended if you feel misrepresented. It’s only looking at the data.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Channel 13 WHAM is reporting on the misterious move of former candidate for NY's 26th congressional district Jon Powers.
See also the 26th District Blog at: 26th DIstrict Blog
Jon Powers is proving to have been a completely manufactured candidate who "asked not what he could do for the 26th district but what the 26th district could do for Jon Powers." I hold back my greatest scorn for the party regulars who hoisted this hack on us, proclaiming him to be the district's savior. Shame.
The 1992 Republican National Convention Film "Keepers of the Flame," that served as the lead into George H.W. Bush's speech in Houston, Tx. Narrated by Robert Mitchum.
From Congressional Quarterly:
Just in time for the conventions and the final stretch to Election Day, our own presidential map game is now online.
CQ Politics offers three new interactive maps to navigate the presidential election:
The CQ Race Ratings map displays our competitiveness ratings by state (click any state for details). Right now, we've got Barack Obama at 255 Electoral Votes (15 short of the winning 270), John McCain at 213 and No Clear Favorite in six key states (Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada and Ohio).
Don't like our prediction? Try your own with the Scenario Builder map, where you can make your own projections on the election outcome.
And the Historical View map shows state-by-state election results since 1968.
Click Here to get started.
It's probably no big surprise but your political affiliation probably is a decent predictor of which cable news operation you prefer. Overwhelmingly Democrats prefer CNN and MSNBC while Republicans have a taste for Fox News.
wwn
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From Mediabistro
Every two years, the Pew Research Center looks at how people get their news. Throughout the day, we'll take a look at several facets of the latest study, which was released today.
• When it comes to audience breakdown by political lines, CNN and MSNBC showed more Democrat viewers while FNC, more Republican. But the minority party viewership is much stronger at Fox News than its competitors: 33% of Fox viewers are listed as Democrats, while 18% of CNN and MSNBC viewers say they are Republicans.
"Currently 51% of regular CNN viewers are Democrats, up from 45% two years ago. Nearly four-in-ten regular Fox News viewers are Republicans (39%), about the same as in 2006," reports the survey.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
[From Who Watches What: Party Lines & Cable News]
The AT&T Tilt users have been waiting for this for a while.
wwn
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From Gizmodo
AT&T and HTC have finally pushed out the Windows Mobile 6.1 update, which according to Softpedia, brings threaded SMS, video share calling, MS Voice Command, Remote Desktop Monitor and managed programs. Everyone with a Tilt should download this ASAP and get the benefit that fewer bugs provides. Our tipster also tells us that WM6.1 will be available on stock phones within 7-10 days as well. Does improve the video drivers any? [HTC - Thanks Ding!]
[From AT&T's Tilt Finally Gets Windows Mobile 6.1 Update [Windows Mobile 6.1]]
My first smart phone was a Treo. The Palm operating system was a dream but now is archaic. It's too bad that they were able to keep up with Microsoft's Windows Mobile or Apple's entre with the iPhone. Palm is coming out with a smart looking device that they have branded the Treo Pro. Unfortunately, I think that this is too late to help the once dominant smart phone manufacturer returned to its former glory. If it wasn't for their adoption of the Windows Mobile operating system Palm would be relegated to the trash bin of technology history much like the Newton.
wwn
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From Gizmodoa
Wow, check out the Treo Pro, previously thought to be the Treo 850. It's safe to say Palm is plunging ahead with the Centro's industrial design, but the stark (glossy?) black and white color scheme with the phone/end orbs make it slick, rather than kiddie cool. Unfortunately, the Palm OS (new or othewise) is nowhere in sight, just Windows Mobile. Here's a shot of the back, too:
Hard to tell how big it is—if it's Centro-sized or more like the Treo 800w, though it looks slightly more like the former in terms of design. [WM Experts]
[From Palm Treo Pro Revealed (Lookin' Good) [Palm Treo Pro]]
I haven't experienced any significant reception or connection problems with my iPhone 3G I've read all lot of posts indicating that there are a significant number of users struggling with dropped calls and overall poor data connection performance. With all the problems that Apple has with their relaunched Internet services, MobileMe, I'm wary of that consumers might be in for a world of headaches surrounding undisclosed issues with the hardware. Recently the firmware for all of the phones was upgraded to 2.0.1 and if this story is true a new firmware upgrade is on the horizon.
I wonder if Apple slowly rolls out fixes and upgrades to the hardware so that they can cause problems for all those who have Jailbroken their phones.
wwn
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From Gizmodo
According to Businessweek, the solution to the iPhone 3G's chipset issues could be easier than most of us probably expected. Apparently, Apple set up the Infineon chip to demand more of a 3G signal than was necessary, which resulted in a switch back to the slower network if there are too many people in the area using an iPhone at the same time. This involves an issue with software on the chip which can probably be remedied through an upgrade instead of a costly and annoying recall. Businessweek claims that Apple and chip maker Infineon are hard at work on the fix and it could be released as early as the end of this month. [Businessweek via CNET]
[From Apple Working on Software Fix For iPhone 3G Reception Problems [IPhone 3G]]
I love my earbuds. The current ones I'm using I had custom ear molds created at an audiologist. But I'm always looking out for new better sounding and more comfortable ear buds. Just recently I had been turned on to Ultimate Ears. One of the reasons I was interested in products from Ultimate Ears is that they all offer a set of earbuds that are compatible with an iPhone. That is to say that they have an in-line microphone. Today I read this post that they had been acquired by per referrals giant Logitech. Hopefully, this will mean that their products will enter a wider distribution chain and be more readily available to consumers.
wwn
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From Engadget:
Filed under: Portable Audio
Logitech is getting into the earbuds game, announcing today that it's buying privately-held Ultimate Ears. Historically focusing on spendy in-ear monitors for live musicians, Ultimate Ears has recently hit the earbud game with full force, and Logitech seems to want a piece of that action. Plus the acquisition price of $34 million is like, what, profits from your last seven minutes of iPod dock sales, Logitech? Logitech and Ultimate Ears expect the deal to close in August. Permalink | Email this | Comments
[From Logitech snaps up Ultimate Ears, chasing this "portable audio" market we've heard so much about]
Now this is something I really want to try. I've had a Slingbox pro connected to a TiVo and a raw cable feed for the last year. I'm impressed with the basic technology but I've been less than impressed with the implementation. Setup is not as seamless and as easy as it could be and documentation is terrible. I'm glad to see that while the much-anticipated SlingCatcher still seems far from release that the people at Sling are still marching forward with development.
wwn
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From Engadget:
Filed under: Home Entertainment
SlingPlayer 2.0 was announced way back at CES 2007 (and, uh, re-announced this year) and it looks you'll finally be able to get a taste, public beta style -- but only a taste, since it's missing its most hyped feature, Clip+Sling. If you'll recall, C+S was supposed to let you nab up to 5 minutes of content and share it online with your friends, but it looks like only the local DVR features have made the cut, so while we're still excited about the new 60-minute buffer and EPG, it's not all we've been promised. On the bright side, the holdup isn't technical, it's legal, so once all the appropriate networked partnerships and contracts have been signed, you'll be clipping and slinging like there's no tomorrow. Other minor changes include a tweaked UI (skin support has been dropped) and (finally!) the death of Slingbox Finder IDs in favor of user accounts. Windows-only for now, with a video demo after the break -- let us know how you're doing in comments!
Read - Slingcommunity announcement
Read - Dave Zatz's takeContinue reading SlingPlayer 2.0 enters public beta -- without Clip+Sling
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[From SlingPlayer 2.0 enters public beta -- without Clip+Sling]
What I'd really like to see is the merger of some of the content. For instance XM's version of "public radio," should be replaced by NPR which is currently only available on Sirius. This merger of content would benefit the hundreds of thousands of vehicle owners who currently have manufacturer installed receivers that only receive the channels from one service or the other.
wwn
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From Engadget:
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
While the newly formed Sirius XM Radio has already promised the FCC that it'll deliver interoperable radios within nine months, CEO Mel Karmazin has now told investors that they can "assume" that the radios will actually be available "a number of months sooner" than that. Karmazin added, however, that we shouldn't expect them quite as soon as this holiday season, which nicely lines up for a debut at CES in January and an actual release shortly thereafter in the first quarter of the year. Unfortunately, Karmazin didn't spill any details on said radios, with him only going so far as to describe them as "very cool."
[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]
[From Karmazin promises interoperable Sirius / XM radios in less than 9 months]
I have to keep reminding myself that there is currently no better GSM alternative in the US than AT&T.
My recent experience purchasing an iPhone 3G was so painful I currently loath my carrier. I realize I'd feel the same no matter who the carrier is. The all are pretty bad.
wwn
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From VoIP & Gadgets Blog
According to USA Today, AT&T and Apple have agreed to extend their exclusivity relationship through 2009, meaning the next iPhone will be made specifically for AT&T service.
The report claims that Apple originally signed the deal with AT&T through 2008 and next year would start selling iPhones on other carrier services. But after AT&T offered a $300 subsidy on each iPhone instead of the revenue-sharing model that became such a hot issue last year, Apple decided it was in its best interests to stay on with AT&T for one more year and take the subsidy.
Undoubtedly some will say that AT&T may have made the best deal in quite some time and I tend to agree. But still others will say that Apple did the right thing in taking the money and although it's forced to sign up for another year with AT&T, it's still the right move.
Those people are dead wrong.
And The Digital Home got that right -- read on!TrackBacks | Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Apple Stays Exclusive with AT&T -- Boo!
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Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog[From Apple Stays Exclusive with AT&T -- Boo!]
What if the Federal and State gasoline taxes were "suspended," for the summer as some politicians had proposed?
Now that prices are falling would the added relief of a temporary tax suspension have acted as an economic stimulus at just the time it is need most?
We'll never know.
wwn
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Any German rearmament is always a worry.
wwn
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From Gizmodo
When Joachim Schoeneich of Neu Anspach Germany goes shopping for groceries with the fam from now on, he does so in style: with a tank. Or, more accurately, with a $47,376 six-ton British Army Fox FV721 armored reconnaissance vehicle. "We take the tank to go shopping and little trips," Schoeneich said. "It is a bit hard to find a parking place, but we get right of way at every junction." No kidding. It's too bad the gun doesn't work, but this thing's definitely intimidating enough without it. Well, that and the baby seat he installed for his kid. [Ananova via DVICE]
[From German Family Buys Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle For Grocery Runs [Wtf]]
Cool and dangerous?
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From Gizmodo
Fireplaces are great for ambiance, but generally not portable. Kooky German design firm Conmoto, who brought us the bookshelf fireplace back in December, has solved the portable problem with the Travemate Portable Fireplace. At 55 lbs. it will require a little effort to cart it from room to room, but we think the resulting night of intimacy, wherever it happens to be, will be well worth the strained back.
The Travelmate boasts some environmental benefits too. The small fuel tank uses bio-ethanol, which burns for 2.5 to 3.5 hours.
The aluminum and glass casing is also weather resistant, making this an acceptable addition to the backyard barbecue. That's a romantic barbecue, mind you. And it better be romantic, with a $3,300 asking price. [Unica Home via Inventor Spot]
[From Bring Romantic Business Time Anywhere with Portable Conmoto Suitcase Fireplace [Portable Fireplace]]
WTF? I thought that Apple was vetting these apps? Is AT&T presuring Steve Jobs when he's too sick to fight back? Are these bans universal? Are they unavailable outside the US?
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From TechCrunch
Another day, another capricious decision by Apple to pull a fairly innocuous application. This time it’s BoxOffice, a diabolical system for finding and displaying local movie times. Quoth the developers at Metasyntactic:Apple pulled the app yesterday without giving my any notification that they were doing it, or what their justification was for removing it.
I’ve tried to contact them about the issue, but it’s been a complete dead end. If anyone has a useful contact number for apple, please let me know.
I’m in regular contact with all my data providers, and none of them have had an issue with my app. Indeed, the response was the exact opposite. They like my app and have even asked if i would do custom application work for them in the future. Furthermore, all the data i use is licensed by the owners as ‘free for non commercial use’. i.e. precisely what BoxOffice is.
So i’m stuck here not knowing what has happened, or what i can do about it. If any of you have any ideas, please let me know. You can respond here, but i’d actually appreciate a reply at cyrusn@stwing.upenn.edu since i probably won’t check back here that often.
Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
[From Apple Pulls Another Innocuous iPhone App]
Not the easiest of processes but I got my hands on a cracked copy of NetShare and was able to install and use it to tether my iPhone and MacBook Pro.
I had to Jailbreak the phone, install OpenSSH and install a patched IPA file before NetShare would successfully install. Not an exercise for the faint of heart.
I'm happy to report that the screenshot is of my end result.
wwn
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I don't understand why Apple keeps yanking this App. Check out www.nullriver.com for more info.
Yesterday afternoon I attended the Chris Lee BBQ at the Greece Canal Park. In a toasty Millennium Lodge, Lee's supporters gathered to get their opportunity to talk to the candidate about the race and issues facing the district. Joining him was his wife Michelle and their young son.
Also on hand were the Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, State Senator Joe Robach, Monroe County GOP Chairman and State Assemblyman Hon. William D. Reilich, Town of Greece Supervisor Jack Auberger, Monroe County Clerk Cheryl Dinolfo, Monroe County Court Judge Hon. Elma E. Bellin and others.
After introductions by Auberger and Relich, Lee addressed his supporters on topics ranging from the economy to the Democrats vying to be his opponent in November.
The crowd seemed energized with the news of The Rothenberg Political Report's adjustment of its assessment of NY's 26th Congressional District Race to "Toss-Up/Tilt Republican." A change Rothenberg characterizes as a "move benefiting Republicans."
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I've tried a bunch but I keep coming back to twhirl. It's a common thing I hear from fellow twhirl users.
Here's a screen grab of Davis' Powers' website.
The Real Jon Powers
3rd time candidate Jack Davis has launched this attack site on Democratic primary rival Jon Powers. Things could get interesting around NYs 26th before it's all over.
A site called iPhone Guru had the following instructions.
Link: iPhone Picture Messaging How-To (Repost) | iPhone Guru.
I am going to try to explain how you *CAN* send MMS picture messages with iPhone. Simply select the photo you want to send in your iPhone's camera roll and address it to your recipient's 10 digit wireless number followed by the MMS server for their wireless provider. Example: Send the photo via email to 1234567890@mmsserveraddressgoeshere.com.
For example, if your intended recipient is a Verizon Wireless customer you would email the pictures to 8885551212@vzwpix.com. This is the email address for your recipient's Verizon Wireless phone. An easy way to obtain all of the email addresses for your friends' and family member's phones is to setup your email on your iPhone and have your friends and family send you a picture message first - not to your wireless number - but to the email address you've already configured on your iPhone. When you get their email, you'll notice that it is sent from the email address for THEIR phone. Just tap the blue circle with the white plus inside of it next to sender's email address and save that email address to the subsequent contact in your iPhone.
You can use the list below to find the corresponding MMS server for your intended recipient’s wireless provider and append the MMS server behind the @ symbol following their wireless number (example: Sending a photograph via email to 8005551212@mms.att.net would work for a friend who does not have an iPhone but has wireless service provided by AT&T or Cingular)
Known wireless provider MMS servers within the United States:
Alltel = xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com
Amp’d Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vtext.com
AT&T = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.att.net
Boost Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@myboostmobile.com
Cingular (AT&T) = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.mycingular.com
Einstein PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@einsteinmms.com
Metro PCS = xxxxxxxxxxx@mymetropcs.com
Nextel = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.nextel.com
Sprint = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net
US Cellular = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.uscc.net
Verizon Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@vzwpix.com
Virgin Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vmobl.comInternational Wireless Providers:
Aruba setar = xxxxxxxxxx@mas.aw
Bell Canada: xxxxxxxxxx@1x.bell.ca
Cellcom = xxxxxxxxxx@cellcom.quiktxt.com
Digicel Aruba = xxxxxxxxxx@digitextaw.com
Digicel Curacao= xxxxxxxxxx@digitextcu.com
Digicel Barbados= xxxxxxxxxx@digitextbb.com
Digicel Bonaire= xxxxxxxxxx@digitextbo.com
Digicel Cayman= xxxxxxxxxx@digitextky.com
Digicel Grenada= xxxxxxxxxx@digitextgd.com
Digicel St. Lucia= xxxxxxxxxx@digitextlc.com
Digicel St. Vincent= xxxxxxxxxx@digitextvc.com
Fido = xxxxxxxxxx@fido.ca
Rogers Wireless (Canada) = xxxxxxxxxx@pcs.rogers.com
Suncom = xxxxxxxxxx@tms.suncom.comHere are some more (may include some just txt #’s sorry I can’t test them all):
3 River Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@sms.3rivers.net
Advantage Communications = xxxxxxxxxx@advantagepaging.com
Airtouch Pagers = xxxxxxxxxx@myairmail.com
Airtouch Pagers = xxxxxxxxxxr@alphapage.airtouch.com
Airtouch Pagers = xxxxxxxxxxr@airtouch.net
Airtouch Pagers = xxxxxxxxxxr@airtouchpaging.com
AlphNow pin@alphanow.net
Alltel = xxxxxxxxxx@alltelmessage.com
Alltel PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com
Ameritech Paging = xxxxxxxxxx@paging.acswireless.com
Ameritech Paging = xxxxxxxxxx@pageapi.com
Ameritech Clearpath = xxxxxxxxxx@clearpath.acswireless.com
Amp’d Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vtext.com
Arch Pagers (PageNet) = xxxxxxxxxx@archwireless.net
Arch Pagers (PageNet) = xxxxxxxxxx@epage.arch.com
Arch Pagers (PageNet) = xxxxxxxxxx@archwireless.net
AT&T PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@mobile.att.net
AT&T Pocketnet PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@dpcs.mobile.att.net
Beepwear = xxxxxxxxxx@beepwear.net
Bell Atlantic = xxxxxxxxxx@message.bam.com
Bell South (Blackberry) = number@bellsouthtips.com
Bell South = xxxxxxxxxx@sms.bellsouth.com
Bell South = xxxxxxxxxx@wireless.bellsouth.com
Bell South = xxxxxxxxxx@blsdcs.net
Carolina Mobile Communications = xxxxxxxxxx@cmcpaging.com
Cellular One East Coast = xxxxxxxxxx@phone.cellone.net
Cellular One South West = xxxxxxxxxx@swmsg.com
Cellular One PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@paging.cellone-sf.com
Cellular One = xxxxxxxxxx@mobile.celloneusa.com
Cellular One = xxxxxxxxxx@cellularone.txtmsg.com
Cellular One = xxxxxxxxxx@cellularone.textmsg.com
Cellular One = xxxxxxxxxx@cell1.textmsg.com
Cellular One = xxxxxxxxxx@message.cellone-sf.com
Cellular One = xxxxxxxxxx@sbcemail.com
Cellular South = xxxxxxxxxx@csouth1.com
Central Vermont Communications = xxxxxxxxxx@cvcpaging.com
Cingular Wirelss = xxxxxxxxxx@mycingular.textmsg.com
Cingular Wirelss = xxxxxxxxxx@mobile.mycingular.com
Cingular Wirelss = xxxxxxxxxx@mobile.mycingular.net
Clearnet = xxxxxxxxxx@msg.clearnet.com
Comcast = xxxxxxxxxx@comcastpcs.textmsg.com
Communication Specialists = xxxxxxxxxx@pageme.comspeco.net
Communication Specialist Companies pin@pager.comspeco.com
Cook Paging = xxxxxxxxxx@cookmail.com
Digi-Page / Page Kansas = xxxxxxxxxx@page.hit.net
GrayLink / Porta-Phone = xxxxxxxxxx@epage.porta-phone.com
GTE = xxxxxxxxxx@airmessage.net
GTE = xxxxxxxxxx@gte.pagegate.net
GTE = xxxxxxxxxx@messagealert.com
Houston Cellular = xxxxxxxxxx@text.houstoncellular.net
Infopage Systems pinnumber@page.infopagesystems.com
The Indiana Paging Co last4digits@pager.tdspager.com
JSM Tele-Page pinnumber@jsmtel.com
Lauttamus Communication = xxxxxxxxxx@e-page.net
MCI Phone = xxxxxxxxxx@mci.com
MCI = xxxxxxxxxx@pagemci.com
Metrocall = xxxxxxxxxx@page.metrocall.com
Metrocall 2-way = xxxxxxxxxx@my2way.com
Mobilecomm = xxxxxxxxxx@mobilecomm.net
Morris Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@beepone.net
Motient = xxxxxxxxxx@isp.com
Nextel = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.nextel.com
Nextel = xxxxxxxxxx@page.nextel.com
Nextel = xxxxxxxxxx@nextel.com.br
Ntelos = xxxxxxxxxx@pcs.ntelos.com
Omnipoint = xxxxxxxxxx@omnipoint.com
Omnipoint = xxxxxxxxxx@omnipointpcs.com
OnlineBeep = xxxxxxxxxx@onlinebeep.net
Pacific Bell = xxxxxxxxxx@pacbellpcs.net
PageMart = xxxxxxxxxx@pagemart.net
PageMart Advanced /2way = xxxxxxxxxx@airmessage.net
PageMart Canada = xxxxxxxxxx@pmcl.net
PageNet Canada = xxxxxxxxxx@pagegate.pagenet.ca
PageOne NorthWest = xxxxxxxxxx@page1nw.com
Primco = xxxxxxxxxx@primeco@textmsg.com
ProPage = xxxxxxxxxx@page.propage.net
Qwest = xxxxxxxxxx@qwestmp.com
RAM Page = xxxxxxxxxx@ram-page.com
Rogers Canada = xxxxxxxxxx@pcs.rogers.com
Satellink = xxxxxxxxxx.pageme@satellink.net
SBC Ameritech Paging = xxxxxxxxxx@paging.acswireless.com
Skytel Pagers = 7digitpinnumber@skytel.com
Skytel Pagers = xxxxxxxxxx@email.skytel.com
Southern LINC = xxxxxxxxxx@page.southernlinc.com
Southwestern Bell = xxxxxxxxxx@email.swbw.com
Sprint = xxxxxxxxxx@sprintpaging.com
Sprint PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.sprintpcs.com
ST Paging pin@page.stpaging.com
SunCom = xxxxxxxxxx@tms.suncom.com
SunCom = xxxxxxxxxx@suncom1.com
T-Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net
T-Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@voicestream.net
Teletouch = xxxxxxxxxx@pageme.teletouch.com
TSR Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@alphame.com
TSR Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@beep.com
US Cellular = xxxxxxxxxx@email.uscc.net
US West = xxxxxxxxxx@uswestdatamail.com
Verizon Pagers = xxxxxxxxxx@myairmail.com
Verizon PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@vtext.com
Verizon PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@myvzw.com
VoiceStream / T-Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@voicestream.ne
t WebLink Wiereless = xxxxxxxxxx@airmessage.net
WebLink Wiereless = xxxxxxxxxx@pagemart.net
Wyndtell = xxxxxxxxxx@wyndtell.comThere are other options available…you can simply send a message to xxxxxxxxxx@teleflip.com and they will automatically detect the carrier. Read on to find out more about Teleflip and also learn the MMS server names of international service providers.
Teleflip is free to use. For more information: https://www.teleflip.com/blog/services/flipout/
Use at your own risk.
What a world we live in! Who needs energy drinks or Starbucks?
Just a couple decades ago the recreation go-go drug was the stuff of legend and wars. Cocaine's irresistible draw had the jet set racing around like jacked up squirrels. Today's pharmaceuticals make it far easier for people to keep going without the stigma Cocaine eventually had.
wwn
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Is someone you work with taking Provigil to give them an extra competitive edge? I’ve spoken with one executive who says he uses it regularly to work twenty hour days, and the buzz lately is that it’s the “entrepreneur’s drug of choice” around Silicon Valley. Over the last week two separate entrepreneurs have mentioned it casually in conversation, and one said he tried it once and loved it.
Provigil (aka Modafinil) is marketed by Cephalon in the United States and is available by prescription only. It’s only approved use in the U.S. is to treat narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder. But since the main effect of Provigil is to keep you awake and able to concentrate, a lot of people who get their hands on it use it to be able to work longer hours, even though it has not been deemed safe for that kind of use.
Recreational Provigil user testimonials are all over the web. Not only are people able to work with little or no sleep, the drug has the advantage of spurring weight loss and some users report a general mood enhancing side effect. The U.S. military has also reportedly tested it on helicopter and F117 pilots to see if they remain effective for up to 88 hours without sleep.
There are few side effects to Provigil compared to stimulants and it is supposedly not habit forming. That, of course, doesn’t mean it’s safe to take it just to be able to stay awake for 20 hours a day.
What’s so funny is that entrepreneurs apparently aren’t interested in typical drugs - instead they find the one that gives them a mental and stamina advantage. Perhaps some enterprising venture capitalist will start requiring founders of their companies to get a prescription in order to close on an investment.
Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
[From How Many Silicon Valley Startup Executives Are Hopped Up On Provigil?]
in my humble opinion this is the finest knife sharpening system available. The embedded diamonds on the grit surface gives this system and the ability to sharpen even your dullest knives.
wwn
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NetFlix is coming to the 360! COOL!
wwn
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Netflix is coming to the Xbox 360 this fall. Netflix subscribers will have instant access to over 10,000 movies and TV shows, streamed directly to the Xbox 360 console.
What’s more, with the new Live Party feature coming to the Xbox 360, you’ll be able to stream whatever Netflix content you’re watching to the rest of the people in your Live Party group — groups can contain up to eight people and everyone will be watching the movie or TV show at the same time, which oughta further alleviate the need to actually leave your house to interact with people face to face.
It’s unknown whether or not the other people in your Live Party have to be Netflix subscribers in order to view the streamed content. I’d think so, but it’d be nice if only one person in the group had to pony up for Netflix.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
[From Netflix Coming to Xbox 360 With Live Content Sharing]
Digg reports a firmware fix slipped into the new iPhone update via iTunes.
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Early adopters of iPhone 3G have discovered an updated firmware build hidden from iTunes' update system that appears to fix several issues, including the yellow screen tint that some believe is a flaw. [From Hidden iPhone 3G firmware "fixes" yellow screens]
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