Hamster a murder suspect ?

Hamster labeled a murder suspect. A funny report for my readers...

Suspect ... the blunder that saw a hamster linked to a murder

A BLUNDER in a television news report has seen a hamster labelled as a murder suspect.

WFSB TV in Hartford, Connecticut was reporting on police interviewing a suspect in the 2000 disappearance of teenager Molly Bish.

The anchor told viewers a man being held in a Florida prison on suspicion of murder had been linked to kidnapping the 16-year-old.

But instead of showing a picture of the man, Rodney Stanger, the television station showed a picture of a hamster.

"The possible suspect Rodney Stanger seen here ... well this is not Rodney Stanger obviously," the newsreader said.

"Well we're going to get his picture. He's currently in a Florida jail accused of murdering his girlfriend."

Mr Stanger is awaiting trial in the slaying of his longtime girlfriend Chrystal A. Morrison, 50, last year, the Worcester Telegram reports.
Bonnie M. Kiernan, Ms Morrison’s sister, said days before her death Ms Morrison called and dropped cryptic hints that her boyfriend may have killed Molly.

Molly went missing while on lifeguard duty at Comins Pond in Massachusetts in June, 2000.
(http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25006273-13762,00.html)

Is this "Saintly" figure spooky or what......

'Saintly' figure appears in fishy family photo

Another story from downunder. Is this spooky or what...

February 05, 2009. By Nikolaos Stavrou. NEWS.com.au

Saintly spectre ... a close-up of the photo shows a ghostly image

• Photo shows grandad with "saintly" figure
• Men told the figure is St Teresa of Avila
• Mary and Jesus apppear in lava lamp

IT’S an intriguing story likely to confirm whether you’re a true believer or a true sceptic.

Twin brothers Phil and Mick Cahalane, 45, possess a family photo they claim shows their great-grandfather with the image of a “saintly” figure.

The photo, which was allegedly taken more than 100 years ago in Scotland, was first sighted by the Sydney pair as children when their mother produced it at a family gathering, The Mount Druitt Standard reports.

“What I heard was that he had gone on a boat trip out in the ocean somewhere and a really bad storm came through as he was fishing,” Phil, who lives in Quakers Hill, said.

“He started praying because he thought he was going to die. The storm passed and because he thought it was safe, he kept fishing, and that’s when he caught most of his fish.
“When he got to land he took a photo with all the fish he caught and this image showed up in the photo.”

The boys were told the figure was St Teresa of Avila . For the full story and more pictures go to The Mount Druitt Standard.
(http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25011557-13762,00.html)

Sporting Gadgets to keep you on track..fit and healthy

The best sporting gadgets to keep you on track

February 02, 2009. By Stephen Fenech, The Daily Telegraph. A friend sent me this article from Australia and I thought many of my readers would be interested. Check it out.

IF exercising more was your New Year's resolution, these gadgets may help keep you on track.

Nike + iPod Sport Kit
Price: $48
From: Nike or Apple, 13 36 22
Web: nike.com.au

NOW there's a way for iPod runners to keep track of their performance. The Nike + iPod Sport Kit consists of a small receiver that connects to Apple's iPod Nano, and a small sensor that can be placed inside a range of specially designed Nike running shoes.

During your run, the sensor sends data to the Nano to record the time, distance travelled, pace and calories burned. Users can set open-ended runs or select a workout with specific goals. And because it's connected to the iPod, Nano runners can also listen to their favourite tunes and even program a power song for motivation.

Once a workout is completed, runners can dock their iPod to a PC to upload the data to nikeplus.com, where the information can be viewed in chart form for analysis and comparison.

Sony B Series NWZB133FR Walkman
Price: $49
From: Sony, 1300 720 071
Web: sony.com.au

IT'S not always ideal lugging a large music player with you when you go to the gym or out for a run.

Sony's new B Series has 1GB of memory, which is plenty of room to store hundreds of tunes before setting out. And because it weighs only 29g, it can easily be stored in a pocket or, thanks to its elongated shape, held comfortably in your hand.

It also has a rapid charger so three minutes of power can provide up to 90 minutes of playback.

Also on board is a bass booster and an FM radio, so users can hear live radio and even record their favourite songs to the device.

Casio Riseman G9200
Price: $399
From: Shriro Australia, 1300 768 112
Web: www.shriro.com.au

SWIMMERS who like to keep track of their laps in the pool or the length of their ocean swim can rely on Casio's Riseman to keep time, even at a depth of up to 200m.

But the Riseman is just as much at home out of the water with an altimeter that can measure time along with differences in altitude – a function that can be useful for sports such as rock climbing, mountain biking and skiing.

The Riseman also comes with a thermometer, barometer, solar power and an electroluminescent backlight with automatic illumination.

It tells the time, not just where you are but across 33 different time zones – a handy feature for frequent travellers.

The Riseman incorporates atomic timekeeping, which means it is calibrated with signals from atomic clocks in the US, Germany, England, Japan and China.

Wii Fit
Price: $129
From: Nintendo, 9730 9822
Web: nintendo.com.au

CAN a gaming console get you fit? Well, in the case of Nintendo's Wii Fit the answer is a definite yes.

The Wii has been a runaway success with its widespread appeal to gamers of all ages and skill levels, thanks to its movement-sensitive controllers and imaginative application into the games.

Wii Fit introduced a balance board that gives the user an all-new way to interact with the console by reading your body movements.

Players can get up off the couch and into shape and have fun at the same time. There are games to develop your sense of balance, along with yoga, strength training and aerobics.

It's like having your own digital personal trainer and it keeps track of your progress on your way to achieving your fitness goals.

The more you train, the more Fit Credits go into your Wii Fit Bank. As your Fit Credits increase, they can be used to unlock more games and activities.

Casio Pro Trek
Price: $629
From: Shriro Australia, 1300 768 112
Web: www.shriro.com.au

SAYING the latest watches can tell the time is like hearing the latest mobiles also make phone calls – we already know that.

It's the extra features that really make these products stand apart and that is definitely the case with Casio's Pro Trek watch. It's an ideal companion – with 200m water resistance and solar power for gym junkies or those people who just enjoy the great outdoors.

Pro Trek provides moon phases, tide graphs and a timer for yacht racing, which will go down well with swimmers and sailors alike.

There is also an altimeter, barometer, thermometer and digital compass so you can have the latest information, whether you're mountain biking, mountain climbing, bushwalking or relaxing on the beach.

(http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,24995664-5014239,00.html)

Google takes a peek under water.....

Ocean in Google Earth' lets users go underwater

February 03, 2009. By Agence France-Presse

Sea legs ... information caption for a giant clam on the Great Barrier Reef in 'Ocean in Google Earth' / Google

Underwater ... a view of the ocean floor near Hawaii modelled on data supplied by the US Navy / Google

• Google Earth launches underwater feature
• Users can track tagged animals by satellite
• Technology: Read more news and reviews »

SEARCH giant Google has launched a new service to let users explore the depths of the world's oceans from the comfort of their homes on dry land.

The "Ocean in Google Earth" feature will allow users to "dive beneath the water surface, explore 3D underwater terrain and browse ocean-related content contributed by marine scientists", Google said.

"Google Earth is equipping itself with a new dimension: depth," Jean-Francois Wassong, an engineer at Google France, said.

Nearly four years after Google Earth enabled users to zoom in to view streets, and later explore galaxies in the sky, the latest version of the software allows virtual travellers to dart across miles of unchartered territory underwater.

"Oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the planet's surface but only a little bit has been explored," said Florence Diss, head of Google's geographical partnerships, referring to findings that humans have examined just 5 per cent of world's seas.

By allowing users to explore underwater volcanoes, hunt for whales and learn more about shipwrecks, Google said the feature offered a platform for everyday people to link up with the scientific community.

The feature includes 20 different layers of content contributed by leading ocean explorers, scientists and researchers, such as photos and videos of "hot spots" around the world and information on marine protected areas.

It also has an animal tracking device in which users can follow animals that have been tagged by satellite.

Ms Diss said the decision to expand Google Earth to cover the world's oceans "is not about making money".

But she would not reveal the project's cost.

Since its launch in June 2005, Google Earth has been downloaded more than 400 million times.

The free software gives internet users access to satellite images and maps around the world.

Links

Ocean in Google Earth – http://earth.google.com/ocean/

(http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,25001084-5014239,00.html)

Video game of plane on Husdon River

Try your skill at landing a plane on the Hudson River

By Walker Simon in New York. Well, well, I was wandering how long it would take for this game to come out...AND HERE WE ARE......Once again a tragedy has been replicated into a fun video game.

Reuters

Jet ... a scene from Hero on the Hudson, a simple online game that lets players recreate last week's dramatic landing / news.com.au

FIRST came the heroics of landing a crippled passenger jet on the Hudson River in New York City. Now there are the video games.

Hero on the Hudson challenges players to steady a plane nosediving toward the busy river. In Double Bird Strike, the goal is to evade flocks of birds – a suspected cause of the US Airways jet's near-disaster on January 15.

Both are free online games created by units of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom. Free games, which make money by selling advertising, are seen as a promising segment of the $US22 billion ($34 billion) video game industry in the US.

Players can try to emulate the skill of pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who won acclaim for his smooth emergency landing on the Hudson River that saved all 155 people aboard.

Hero on the Hudson has been played more than 1.4 million times since it was launched on January 21, said Kate Connally, spokeswoman for AddictingGames. Average success takes three tries.

"If you land it correctly like the pilot did, then the passengers come out and cheer on the wing," she said.

"The payoff is the joy of having saved all the passengers."

The plane sinks with burbling sounds if you fail.

Double Bird Strike, which launched on January 18, may be trickier. Scott Roesch, general manager of creator atom.com, said it took him at least a dozen tries to succeed.

"The decision to launch the project was made within 24 hours. It really is a story of heroism," Mr Roesch said.

"The more we started to think about, the thing that the plane was hit by birds was amazing."

Among those playing Double Bird Strike, he said, are mothers at home. Before playing the game, viewers must watch a laundry detergent commercial featuring models on a catwalk.

In 2008, politics mixed with online gaming.

Several of the most popular games of last year, Mr Roesch and Ms Connally said, featured Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the outdoorsy governor of Alaska.

Hunting With Palin by atom.com was played more than 1.6 million times.

(http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,25001796-5014239,00.html)

Latest update on Windows 7....February 2009

Even in Test Form, Windows 7 Leaves Vista in the Dust

I was looking out for more information regarding where the new Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system stood. Fortunately, I came across an excellent article by Walt Mossberg
of the Wall Street. I'll let my readers make their own opinions.

This will be a big year for new operating systems. Apple plans a new version of its Macintosh operating system, to be called Snow Leopard. Palm plans an all-new smart phone operating system called Palm WebOS. But the new release that will affect more users than any other will be Windows 7, the latest major edition of Microsoft's dominant platform.

Microsoft hasn't announced an official release date for Windows 7, but I would be surprised if it wasn't available to consumers by this fall. The company has just released the first public beta, or test, version of the software, and I've been trying it out on two laptops. One is a Lenovo ThinkPad lent me by Microsoft with Windows 7 already installed, and the other is my own Sony Vaio, which I upgraded to Windows 7 from Windows Vista.

Personal Technology columnist Walt Mossberg provides a preview of the coming Microsoft Windows 7 operating software, which he says offers significant improvements over the unpopular Windows Vista.

I won't be doing a full, detailed review of Windows 7 until it is released in final form, but here's a preview of some of the main features of this new operating system and some of my initial impressions.

In general, I have found Windows 7 a pleasure to use. There are a few drawbacks, but my preliminary verdict on Windows 7 is positive.

Even in beta form, with some features incomplete or imperfect, Windows 7 is, in my view, much better than Vista, whose sluggishness, annoying nag screens, and incompatibilities have caused many users to shun it. It's also a serious competitor, in features and ease of use, for Apple's current Leopard operating system. (I can't say yet how it will compare with Apple's planned new release, as I haven't tried the latter.)

In many respects, Windows 7 isn't a radical shift from Vista, but is more of an attempt to fix Vista's main flaws. It shares the same underlying architecture, and retains graphical touches like translucent Window borders. But it introduces some key new navigation and ease-of-use features, plus scores of small usability and performance improvements -- too many to list here.

The flashiest departure in Windows 7, and one that may eventually redefine how people use computers, is its multitouch screen navigation. Best known on Apple's iPhone, this system allows you to use your fingers to directly reposition, resize, and flip through objects on a screen, such as windows and photos. It is smart enough to distinguish between various gestures and combinations of fingers. I haven't been able to test this feature extensively yet, because it requires a new kind of touch-sensitive screen that my laptops lack.

But even if your current or future PC lacks a touch screen, Windows 7 will have plenty of other benefits. The most important may be speed. In my tests, even the beta version of Windows 7 was dramatically faster than Vista at such tasks as starting up the computer, waking it from sleep and launching programs.

And this speed boost wasn't only apparent in the preconfigured machine from Microsoft, but on my own Sony, which had been a dog using Vista, even after I tried to streamline its software. Of course, these speed gains may be compromised by the computer makers, if they add lots of junky software to the machines. Windows 7 is also likely to run well on much more modest hardware configurations than Vista needed.

The familiar Windows taskbar is more customizable and useful in Windows 7. The program icons are larger, and can be "pinned" anywhere along the taskbar for easy, repeated use. There are also "jump lists" that pop out from the icons in the taskbar and start menu, showing frequently used or recent actions.

View Full Image

Associated Press. A screenshot shows several application windows on the desktop of the Beta version of the Microsoft Windows 7 software.

Windows 7 also cuts down on annoying warnings and nag screens. Microsoft notifications have been consolidated in a single icon at the right of the taskbar, and you can now decide under what circumstances Windows will warn you before taking certain actions.

Compatibility with hardware and software, which was a problem in Vista, seems far better in Windows 7 -- even in the beta. I tried a wide variety of hardware, including printers, Web cams, external hard disks and cameras, and nearly all worked fine.

I also successfully installed and used popular programs from Microsoft's rivals, such as Mozilla Firefox, Adobe Reader, Apple's iTunes, and Google's Picasa. All worked properly, even though none was designed for Windows 7.

But there are some downsides to Windows 7. First, you will only be able to directly upgrade Vista computers to the new version. People still using Windows XP will need to perform a more cumbersome multistep process. Microsoft is working on a method to help XP owners preserve all their data during this process.

Second, Windows 7 will eliminate some familiar bundled programs from Windows. Vista's Mail, Calendar, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, and Address Book programs are being removed. To get similar basic, free, programs, you'll have to download them from Microsoft's Windows Live service, or use alternatives from other companies. Microsoft defends this move as supporting consumer choice and better coordination with Web services, but it does remove out-of-the-box functionality from Windows.

Still, even in its preliminary form, Windows 7 looks very promising, and could well help expunge the bad reputation of Vista. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123258632983004629.html)

Was in London attending meetings and conferences

Are you a dual American/British citizen...Do you use use Bank of America debit card in London to get cash?

I will write and publish two major issues pertaining to the above issues that I observed while in London and I am sure will benefit many of my readers. I am back and will resume my postings...