Folks in Harlem, USA are not happy with all the perpetrators in cities across the country and around the world saying that they’re doing ‘The Harlem Shake!’ In fact they feel its downright DISRESPECTFUL! If you want to see The Real McCoy, you betta ask somebody! And that somebody better be a Harlemite!
Hold Onto Your Seats, This Can Get SHAKY!!!
Congressman Keith Ellison went on Sean Hannity‘s Fox News program also known as the Republican channel last night and had what amounted to a showdown at the O.K Fox News Corral… the political version that is.
The Democratic congressman was introduced and already, from the introduction Mr. Ellison had something to say. He referenced a video clip Hannity showed, where Hannity depicted President Obama talking about the Sequester. But Hannity did not allow the president to talk uninterrupted. Apparently there were other comments and music being played in the background while Mr. Obama spoke.
Congressman Keith Ellison couldn’t wait for Hannity to complete introducing him to the misguided uninformed viewers of Fox. He lashed out at Hannity and controlled the fight for the next six minutes. Ellison called Hannity “the worst excuse for a journalist I’ve ever seen,” and accused the Fox host of engaging in “yellow journalism.
He also referred to Hannity as “deceptive,” said that Hannity had violated “every journalistic ethic I’ve ever heard of,” and called him “immoral.” And that was just the start. There was a time when the confrontation reminded me of what Piers Morgan experienced when he tried to interview the gun loving Alex Jones.
Watch the confrontation below.
Plans for the new Titanic were revealed at a press conference in New York on Tuesday by billionaire Clive Palmer and his Blue Star Line Company. According to the plans, the new Titanic will be an exact replica of the doomed ship that sank on its maiden voyage about 100 years ago.
Titanic 2 will make its maiden voyage on 2016 from Southhampton, England to New York, carrying 2,600 passengers in 850 cabins. It will employ about 900 crew members. The length will be three inches longer than the original at 883 feet and include 18 lifeboats — enough for everyone on board.
“The area [for] passengers will be authentic with the same design and facilities, but there will be modern things such as air conditioning and other features we are debating, such as Internet on the ship,” Palmer said at the press conference. “I’m against it. I think you should relax on vacation. There won’t be TVs in the state rooms though.”
They say curiosity kills the cat. But for these kids from the Congo, curiosity about this strange new being in their village resulted in an extended touch fest. I think the cat survived this one.
Marking the one year anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s murder, a group of mourners organized by Trayvon’s parents wore hoodies at a Million Hoodies Candlelight Vigil in New York’s Union Square. Among them was recording artist and actor Jaime Foxx, who sang “No Weapon Formed Against You Shall Prosper,” to the parents.
George Zimmerman, the man who killed the 17 year old on February 26th, 2012 was charged with second degree murder. The trial is expected to begin in June.
Six Islamic extremists, including mastermind Ramzi Yousef, were convicted of carrying out the 1993 bombing. ♦
Everything you may need to start knowing about Drones: Part 2
Spy in the Sky
And just because I feel The Murph does not get enough credit for his incredible transformations into the numerous impressions in his repertoire, I’d like to pay homage to his talents right now. Like to see it? Here it go : ) ♦
Later pilgrims…
We all know that Republicans are not being honest when they say President Obama is increasing the deficit. And what makes that lie even worse is when they try to tie the sequester into their false claim.
But facts don’t lie, and Rachel Maddow used one of her segments last night to debunk both Republican lies – that Obama has increased the deficit and that reducing the deficit is their reason for favoring the sequester.
Without further ado, Rachel Maddow…
You hear Congressional Republicans say it all day every day, that President Obama has no plan to avert the coming sequester. Well if these Republicans were tech savvy enough to navigate themselves to a computer, and able to do the google, I guarantee they would find this:
BARCELONA, Spain–After months of leaked pics and rumors, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 is now officially a corporeal thing of reality. It’s an 8-inch tablet that thanks to its size is ready to compete directly with the 7.9-inch iPad Mini. How successful it is at doing that will depend heavily on price.
The Mini currently starts at $329, a price that’s considered expensive for a tablet of its size. Despite its high asking price, though, the Mini has proven a consistently brisk seller. Samsung has yet to announce a price for the Galaxy Note 8, but if it wants to see it launch successfully, that’s a detail the company will have to get right.
However, given Samsung’s premium tablet pricing history, it’s doubtful the Note 8 will cost any less than the Mini, especially in international markets where it will double as an extremely large phone.
Read on for my first impressions of the device and look for it in the second quarter of 2013.
A comfy feeling
The Note 8 definitely feels different than a typical 7-inch tablet; it’s noticeably wider, of course, but still feels comfortable in my hands. It’s a simple, elegant design with really smooth edges and corners. The Note 8 feels to be made of the same stuff as the Note 10.1, with a bit more metal thrown in for durability sake. It’s also fairly thin, and at only 0.74 pound, it’s only slightly heavier than the iPad Mini.
From left sit three bottom bezel buttons: a menu key, home key, and the back key. Samsung has also added the ability to use the S-Pen with the three buttons, something that was missing on the Note 2.
The 5-megapixel back camera is located directly in the top middle of the back, which probably lowers the chance an unwanted finger will enter the frame with taking a picture.The front camera, however, sits off to the top-right corner on the front. On the bottom edge are two speaker grills, a Micro-USB port, and a slot for the S-Pen.
On the right edge sits a SIM card slot (more on that later) and a microSD card slot under it. On the left edge is an IR blaster, supporting Peel’s Smart Remote software, along with a volume rocker and power/sleep button.
The S-Pen of course returns with its pressure sensitivity in tow. Writing on the tablet with it felt a lot less cumbersome compared with on the 10.1-inch Note, but it wasn’t quite as conducive to writing as the Note 2 is.
New and refined options
The Galaxy Note 8 will ship with Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), with Samsung’s ever-present TouchWiz UI over it. While in most international markets the Note 8 will include 3G (HSPA+ 21) capability, in the U.S. it’ll strictly be a Wi-fi-only tablet. It’s actually not uncommon to see tablets with phone capabilities in international markets. While the Asus PadFone line has seen success in Asia, Asus has no plans to release it in the U.S. The 3G version will have support for the GLONASS satellite navigation system.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
If you’re at all familiar with the Galaxy Note 10.1, the Note 8’s software suite won’t surprise you. S Note makes a return and there’s some new functionality with Flipboard where hovering the S-Pen over tiles delivers headline previews. Samsung claims it also has a one-year Android exclusive with Awesome Note, a feature-rich list-making app.
While the Note 10.1 only supported dual-screen functionality with six different apps, Samsung has now increases support to many more. Also, its “reading mode” feature optimizes the display’s contrast to be more appropriate for e-book reading.
The sharp, colorful 8-inch screen measured 1,280×800 pixels with a 189 ppi, and Samsung’s TouchWiz UI makes yet another tablet appearance. Swiping felt responsive whether when using the S-Pen or my fingers, and apps seemed to load without much delay.
Hardware features
The Note 8 houses an unidentified 1.6GHz quad-core A9 and 2GB of RAM. Tablet mainstays like 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS are included as well as a gyroscope, accelerometer, and a digital compass. The tablet will come in both 16GB and 32GB varieties.
First thoughts
I’m going to be honest: without a price, it’s difficult to have a strong, concrete opinion of the Note 8. While it’ll be offered as a phablet internationally, in the states it’ll be in full-on Wi-Fi tablet mode. As an 8-inch tablet, it’ll compete directly with the 7.9-inch iPad Mini. If I can stifle the cynical part of my brain for a minute, I’d say the success of the Mini can be directly attributed to its size, weight, and app offerings. Samsung seems to have delivered on the former two with the Note 8, but is unfortunately still reliant on the Google Play store for the latter. While the store continues to improve its offerings every day, it’s still nowhere near as compelling as Apple’s App Store.
Samsung has yet to announce a price, and the company isn’t in the habit of aggressively pricing its premium tablets, and that likely won’t change anytime soon. With an SD card slot, a home button, and native Jelly Bean support, the Note 8 offers a compelling package. Also, its S-Pen stylus offers a level of functionality the iPad can’t match, and those looking for a highly functional electronic daily planner will want to give it a serious look. Just don’t expect the same level of app support you’d find on the iPad Mini.
Look for the Note 8 to launch worldwide sometime in the second quarter of 2013 with CNET’s full review of the device.
After all the delay, the name calling and the accusations that Hagel was part of a secret non-existent organization in the middle east, Republicans finally ended their pointless filibuster of the President’s nominee and voted with Democrats 58-41 to approve Chuck Hagel as the next Secretary of the Defense.
Kind of make you wonder what all the fuss was all about.
It is quite understandable that questions will be asked of any nominee, but what Republicans did with Chuck Hagel including filibustering his appointment, was unprecidented and had absolutely no legitimate purpose. After it’s all said and done, Chuck Hagel will be sworn in on Wednesday.
Dell’s Project Ophelia is an Android-powered 3-inch dongle that slots into the HDMI port of any TV or monitor, giving you PC functions anywhere without carrying a laptop.
BARCELONA, Spain–The days of carrying a bulky laptop around with you might be over if Dell has any say in the matter. Project Ophelia is an Android-powered device that plugs into any TV or monitor, giving access to local files, desktop remote access and any of the apps, movies and TV shows in the Google Play store. Better yet, it’s as small as a USB flash drive and will cost less than $100.
The idea is simple: rather than take your laptop everywhere with you, you can simply plug the dongle into the HDMI port of whatever screen you find. You’ll be presented with the same Android interface you’ll see on tablets. If you’ve got the right set of tools installed, you can use it exactly as you would use your laptop.
You’ll need to connect a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to navigate around Android. Install office tools like QuickOffice Pro — using the built-in Wi-Fi — and you’ll be able to get on with your work. Ophelia has 8GB of internal storage for your files, but you can expand that with the microSD card slot, although Dell wasn’t able to confirm at the time of writing whether you can install apps to an external card.
PocketCloud’s Remote Desktop service lets you access your home or work PC from Android or iOS devices. David Nagy from PocketCloud showed me an example of the software in action, and explained that with PocketCloud on Ophelia, you’ll be able to use this little gadget to access and use your normal PC as though you were sat in front of it, even allowing you to download and upload files.
It’s fully Google-accredited, too, so you’ll have access to the hundreds of thousands of apps available on the Google Play store. Want to take a break from work? Fire up Netflix and enjoy the Full HD output. Ophelia will hopefully be compatible with touchscreens too, so you’ll be able to enjoy the vast array of touch-based games.
To look at, Project Ophelia is completely unremarkable. It’s roughly the same size and looks basically the same as a regular USB flash drive or wireless dongle. It’s what’s inside that makes it special. It’s essentially packing the same components you’d find stuffed inside a tablet. A 1.6GHz dual-core Cortex A9 processor powers the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean software, which I found to be reasonably responsive on the 55-inch LG TV I used it with.
Clicking between the home screens was fairly swift, with only a minimum of delay when opening menus. It should have plenty of power for essential work, but I’d like to see Dell offer more potent components down the line for those of us with more-demanding needs.
As well as allowing people to effectively carry their whole computers round in a 3-inch dongle, its low price could make it an attractive option in schools, who are looking to equip students with personal computers. David Angwin, Marketing Director for Dell Wyse — the branch of Dell responsible for Ophelia — explained that its low power requirements means it could run off solar panels, offering education services in developing countries where the electricity supply is often poor.
Project Ophelia is due to become available later in the year (it will also be given a proper name) and will be “sub $100.” Exactly how much less remains to be seen. If you’re tired of lugging a heavy laptop around and look forward to the day you can get on with work on any screen you come across, you’d be right to be excited about Ophelia.
Shawarma Lamb with Couscous Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup couscous
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
Zest and juice of 2 lemons, divided
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds top round lamb steak, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Directions:
1. Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add couscous, cover tightly, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff, and add carrot, parsley, 2 tbsp. oil, and zest and juice of 1 lemon.
2. Cook onion in remaining 2 tbsp. oil in a large frying pan over high heat until edges are charred, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic, lamb, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, until lamb is cooked through and browned, about 10 more minutes.
3. Divide couscous among 4 plates and top with lamb mixture. Mix yogurt with remaining lemon zest and juice and serve with lamb.Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.
