1. GrandCentral Web site to jump the tracks  permalink

GrandCentral Web site to jump the tracks
Michelle Meyers / CNET News

Google on December 31 will shut down site for GrandCentral, which it acquired and reworked into Google Voice. Users should back up old messages now.

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Michael Arrington / TechCrunch
GrandCentral Web site to jump the tracks Google To Shut Down GrandCentral Website   —  Google Voice was GrandCentral before Google acquired that company back in 2007. Like most Google acquisitions it took a long time to fully rebuild the service on Google's infrastructure, and even today Google Voice is still in private beta. But lots of changes are coming. Google Voice should roll out publicly shortly. Users may be able to port ...

Pete Cashmore / Mashable!
GrandCentral Web site to jump the tracks GrandCentral Website Shuts Down Next Month: Download Your Data and Contacts   —  Google has already transitioned GrandCentral users over to Google Voice , and now comes the final step in that move: Google is shuttering the GrandCentral website and telling users to download any old messages and contacts they have on that site. The GrandCentral site will be closed on the last day of the year – December 31st – and a ...

2. The Problem With The Linux Community  permalink

The Problem With The Linux Community
Linuxtoday.com

"While I'm very positive about the openSUSE team I must say that I am a lot less sanguine about some in their community. Some fans (or really fanatics) came out in force ready to attack the reviewer (me), to question my skills and even my sanity, to attack Ladislav Bodnar for posting the review, to blame the hardware, anything at all but the ...

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Jack Wallen / GHacks technology news
The Problem With The Linux Community Purchase music from Amazon on your Linux machine   —  For most lovers of music on the go, the default seems to be the combination of iTunes and iP* (where * is either hone or od). This is great for Apple and Windows users. But where do Linux users get their new music? Oh sure you can purchase the CD, rip it, and copy it [...]

Juliet Kemp / LXer Linux News
The Problem With The Linux Community Automatic Linux Laptop Backups   —  Laptops are often disconnected from networks, which makes running automated network backups a bit challenging. But in Linux there is always a way, and Juliet Kemp shows how to set up hands-off worry-free automatic laptop backups.

3. NASA signs 'The Rock' to make it seem cool  permalink

NASA signs 'The Rock' to make it seem cool
Chris Matyszczyk / CNET News

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who plays an astronaut in the new movie "Planet 51," is NASA's latest endorser, reminding people just how useful space travel really is. The Rock? Really? Originally posted at Technically Incorrect

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Chris Jacob / Gizmodo
The Rock Explains How NASA Helps Our Rock   —  Cross promotions sometimes don't make much sense . I've got nothing against Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for agreeing to pitch NASA to youngsters, but really, there are better ways to capture youth attention. The Rock just wants to make sure we remember that NASA's responsible for the rubber soles on our shoes, and the (apparently humorous) ...

Bob Sassone / TV Squad
NASA signs 'The Rock' to make it seem cool Even outside of her show Tina Fey digs at NBC   —  Every week we can be guaranteed that Tina Fey and the people at 30 Rock will make fun of NBC in some way, whether it's product placement or The Jay Leno Show or last night's line about the green NBC peacock in the corner of the screen. Fey also isn't shy about dumping on NBC when she's away from the show either. The other night she gave a speech ...

4. McAfee warns about '12 Scams of Christmas'  permalink

McAfee warns about '12 Scams of Christmas'
Larry Magid / Safe and Secure

Shoppers and retailers aren't the only ones gearing up for the holidays. Criminals are out in full force with plenty of scams to separate you and your money

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5. Seize Seesmic Twitter app on BlackBerry, Android  permalink

Seize Seesmic Twitter app on BlackBerry, Android
Jessica Dolcourt / Android Atlas

Twitter service Seesmic expands from the desktop with two new apps for Google Android and BlackBerry phones.

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Www.reuters.com
Seize Seesmic Twitter app on BlackBerry, Android Gameloft says it, others reining in Android plans   —  BARCELONA (Reuters) - French mobile phone games company Gameloft said it and other software developers were cutting back investment in developing games and other applications for Google's Android platform.

Liz Gannes / GigaOM
Seize Seesmic Twitter app on BlackBerry, Android Twitter: “Really Cool” Ads and Commercial Accounts Coming Soon   —  Twitter COO Dick Costolo, speaking today on a panel at TechCrunch’s Real-Time CrunchUp event in San Francisco, shed some light into the micromessaging service’s revenue plans, promising that it will begin taking a cut of its partners’ advertising revenues “early next year.” Meanwhile, it will “foster mechanisms ...

6. Another peek at Wired's tablet edition  permalink

Another  peek at Wired's tablet edition
Peter Kafka / CNET News

What will Conde Nast magazines look like once they show up on tablet computers made by Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and others? This video gives you an idea.

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Brian X. Chen / Wired
Another  peek at Wired's tablet edition Video Demonstrates Wired’s Concept iTablet App   —  Who takes Apple’s rumored touchscreen tablet seriously? Wired’s parent company Condé Nast. Earlier this week, the corporation revealed its plans to work with Adobe to repurpose magazine content for upcoming digital devices, including the Apple tablet (if it is indeed real). The first mag to get the tablet treatment, of course, is ...

7. U.S. Mazda2 launching at Los Angeles Auto Show  permalink

U.S. Mazda2 launching at Los Angeles Auto Show
Wayne Cunningham / Crave

Mazda will show off the U.S. version of its Mazda2 model at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. Originally posted at The Car Tech blog

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Joe Wilcox / Betanews
10 things about Microsoft's PDC 2009: The good, the bad and the ugly   —  By Joe Wilcox , Betanews Microsoft's 2009 developer conference wrapped up yesterday in Los Angeles. Not since PDC 2003 has Microsoft talked so much and said so little. As I listened to the keynotes and have reviewed the sessions, words "series finale" repeatedly popped into my head -- like a TV show coming to its end after a long run. Good or ...
Ian Betteridge / Technovia :    Extremely Telling

Mark Frauenfelder / Boing Boing
World Hello Day Shortbread Matt Logue's "Empty Los Angeles" photography book   —  Matt Logue says: I just completed a self-published book depicting an uninhabited Los Angeles, and it got an honorable mention in the photography.book.now competition at blurb.com!  The photos were made over a period of 4 years, beginning in 2005, at a variety of locations around LA. Empty Los Angeles...

8. Reporters' Roundtable Podcast: Tech biz turkeys  permalink

Reporters' Roundtable Podcast: Tech biz turkeys
Rafe Needleman / Reporter

Why is it that as Thanksgiving approaches, when we should be focusing on the good things in our lives, journalists take the opportunity to talk about what's bad? I don't know, but I do know that I'm not immune to the trend. This week on the Reporters' Roundtable: tech business turkeys! Unlike the Real Deal podcast Thursday in which Tom Merritt ...

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Electronista
Reporters' Roundtable Podcast: Tech biz turkeys Microsoft roadmap puts Windows 8 in 2012   —  Microsoft should once again release its next mainstream version of Windows about three years after the last, a roadmap obtained this week reveals. The schedule has the major revision, tentatively titled "Windows 8," launching in 2012 or about three years after Windows 7. It will purportedly keep in step with a rhythm developed by Microsoft that ...

Www.tonic.com
Reporters' Roundtable Podcast: Tech biz turkeys Tech Awards Recognize Science in Service to Humanity   —  The Tech Museum in San Jose, Calif., is appropriately located in the Silicon Valley, where the transformation of idea into innovation and invention has unfolded countless times, bringing to reality solutions to problems ranging from the mundane (how do we entertain ourselves this afternoon?) to the magnificent (how do we bring communications ...

9. Smoking Near Apple Computers Creates Biohazard, Voids Warranty  permalink

Smoking Near Apple Computers Creates Biohazard, Voids Warranty
Consumerist.com

Unless you've recently arrived in 2009 on a time machine, you know that smoking isn't good for you. Did you know, however, that smoking isn't good for your computer, either? It's true, at least according to Apple. Two readers in different parts of the country claim that their Applecare warranties were voided due to secondhand smoke. Both readers ...

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Soulskill / Slashdot
Some healthy advice: Don’t smoke near your Mac Apple Voiding Smokers' Warranties?   —  Mr2001 writes "Consumerist reports that Apple is refusing to work on computers that have been used in smoking households. 'The Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, [the warranty has been voided] and they refuse to work on the machine "due to health risks of second hand ...

Soulskill / Slashdot
Apple Voiding Smokers' Warranties?   —  Mr2001 writes "Consumerist reports that Apple is refusing to work on computers that have been used in smoking households. 'The Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, [the warranty has been voided] and they refuse to work on the machine "due to health risks of second hand ...

10. Nook  permalink

Nook
Www.barnesandnoble.com

Get bestsellers and new releases, your favorite eNewspapers, and eMagazines all delivered fast and free via 3G wireless or Wi-Fi. Browse the vast Barnes and Noble eBookstore and sample any eBook for free. Then buy it in seconds -- many bestsellers and new releases are just $9.99.

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Mike Sachoff / Top News Feed
Linkpost | Barnes & Noble Says No Nook For Holidays   —  Barnes & Noble said today it has sold out of its new nook e-reader due to high demand and shipments will not arrive in time for Christmas. “nook continues to be the fastest-selling product at Barnes & Noble, and pre-orders have continued to exceed our expectations,” Barnes & Noble said on its eReading blog . “While ...

PC World Latest
Linkpost | Sold-out! Grinch Steals Nook Christmas   —  No, Virginia, there is no Nook for Christmas. Shortage means you are more likely to find Santa Claus than a Nook e-reader under this year's Christmas tree.

11. Boycott Microsoft Bing  permalink

Boycott Microsoft Bing
Kristof.blogs.nytimes.com

Critics have accused President Obama of kowtowing to Chinese leaders, by failing to meet dissidents, toning down his criticisms and delaying a meeting with the Dalai Lama. On balance, I think that criticism is premature: Confrontation doesn’t help with China and can hurt, and so engagement becomes a fine line to navigate. The Obama visit wasn’ ...

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TechFlash
5 O’Clock Roundup: Nook sold out, Sony launches online store, Bing gets slammed NYT's Kristof: Boycott Bing   —  [ UPDATE, 8 p.m.: In a response to Kristof's post Friday evening, Microsoft said it's "committed to comprehensive results" and made it clear that it believes any problems are related to its search technology, not a purposeful attempt to omit controversial content. Microsoft's Adam Sohn cited "some queries that provide very balanced web results," ...

EWeek
The Story Behind the FAA Flight-Plan System Crash   —  When a Salt Lake City router went offline, only government telecom contractor Harris knew that the backup card was not immediately available and one technician had access to where it was kept. Meanwhile, hundreds of aircraft and thousands of passengers were thrown off schedule as the lack of an FAA filing system left pilots submitting flight ...

12. Magic Mouse Drivers for Windows Now Available  permalink

Magic Mouse Drivers for Windows Now Available
Chris Jacob / Gizmodo

Magic Mouse owners lusting for multi-finger gestures on a PC can stop wishing. Some good ol' fashioned hackery pulled Windows drivers from the latest Bootcamp update. You can grab them here , report back with results. [ Uneasy Silence , thanks Dan! ]

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Steven Bink / Bink.nu
Windows drivers for Apple's Magic Mouse conjured from the ether Windows Home Server Power Pack 3: November 24   —  We are announcing that the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 will be available in all shipping languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish) on November 24 2009. Power Pack 3 will be a free update to existing Windows Home Server users via Windows Update . Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 improves the Windows Home ...

The Tao of Mac
Windows drivers for Apple's Magic Mouse conjured from the ether Windows Mobile   —  The descendant of CE , oft-rebranded but never really overwhelming. Resources: Date Link Notes Nov 17 Windows Mobile Market Share Drops by About 30 Percent in 2009 Impressive. ☯ " Windows Mobile " was written by Rui Carmo for The Tao of Mac and was originally posted on Friday, 20 November 2009. Except as noted, it's ©2009 Rui Carmo ...

13. How-to: run Chrome OS as a virtual machine  permalink

How-to: run Chrome OS as a virtual machine
Paul Miller / Engadget

Itching for some Chrome OS ? Well, we all are, but you might be a bit disappointed at the fact that while Google has open-sourced its progress on the OS so far, the version that is currently available for download seems eons behind what Google showed off at its event yesterday. Still, if you just have to see it for yourself, the good news is ...

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Www.infoworld.com
Now You Can Download Google Chrome OS for Free! Why Chrome OS will fail -- big time   —  The Chrome OS is here -- sort of. This week, Google was kind of enough to give the world a sneak peek at its nascent desktop operating system. And after months of speculation (and more than a few bogus screenshot galleries), I can finally say that I've seen the future ... and it's not Chrome OS.

Brian X. Chen / Wired
Now You Can Download Google Chrome OS for Free! Why Google Should Cool It With Chrome OS   —  Sometimes you have to take a step down to step up. That’s what Google should’ve done with its open source PC operating system Chrome OS, which the corporation demonstrated Thursday. Instead, Google is positioning Chrome OS against Microsoft with a lightweight OS shipping with netbooks next year. Chrome OS will function as a modified ...

14. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 White Unlocked Import  permalink

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 White Unlocked Import
Www.mobilecityonline.com

Feature: 8+ Megapixel Camera, A2DP, Bluetooth, Calendar, Camera, Candy Bar Form, Edge, Email Client, GPS / Location, High-Speed Data GPRS, Megapixel Camera, Memory Card Slot, MP3, Smartphone, Speaker Phone, Touch Screen, Video Capture, Video Clip, Wi-Fi

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Jamie Lendino / Gearlog
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 heading to AT&T Hands On: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10   —  I had a chance to test out Sony Ericsson's new Xperia X10 (codenamed "Rachael") for a few minutes at last night's Pepcom in NYC. The Xperia X10 is a slim, sleek slab with an expansive 4-inch capacitive touch screen with 854-by-480-pixel resolution. That's the same pixel count but slightly larger than the 3.7-inch screen on the Motorola Droid. ...

SAUL HANSELL / NYT
Sony Ericsson's Infinite Hope for a Turnaround   —  Sony Ericsson hopes to differentiate its new smartphones with an "Infinite Button" that links entertainment and communications. But will it ever be sold in the United States?

15. The Saboteur goes gold despite developer going dark  permalink

The Saboteur goes gold despite developer going dark
Ben Gilbert / Joystiq

Though The Saboteur developer Pandemic Studios is losing its 200-person staff , the company's final game has just "gone gold" across Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. In a post on the studio's forums , Community Manager Mathew Everett noted that while "this has been a very difficult week for Pandemic Studios," The Saboteur will still be " ...

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Owen Good / Kotaku
The Saboteur goes gold despite developer going dark After a Trying Week, Saboteur Goes Gold   —  Pandemic Studios, scene of deep job losses and the effective closure of the studio earlier this week, pumped out one final piece of happy news - The Saboteur has been gone to gold master - with an apropos and semi-ironic signoff. Says Mathew Everett, the Pandemic Community Manager, in a message on Saturday afternoon: I am very proud to ...

Erica Westly / Fast Company
The Saboteur goes gold despite developer going dark Can Protein Sciences Produce a Swine Flu Vaccine in Time? Update: Likely No   —  UPDATE: A FDA advisory panel has ruled that Protein Sciences' insect cell-based flu vaccine requires more safety tests before being made commercially available in the U.S. The panel said the vaccine appeared to be as safe and effective as more traditional egg-based flu vaccines, but there were concerns over a few patients who had adverse ...

16. Uh-Oh: Gameloft moves away from Android development  permalink

Uh-Oh: Gameloft moves away from Android development
Www.mobilecrunch.com

The sudden surge in interest in Android (largely due to all of the hype surrounding the Droid) has caused a lot of developers to reconsider the platform. Atleast one major development house, however, isn’t impressed.

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Greg Kumparak / MobileCrunch
Uh-Oh: Gameloft moves away from Android development   —  The sudden surge in interest in Android (largely due to all of the hype surrounding the Droid) has caused a lot of developers to reconsider the platform. Atleast one major development house, however, isn’t impressed. Earlier today, Alexandre de Rochefort, Finance Director of Gameloft, told an investor conference that the company had “ ...

Macworld
2010: The Year Android Will Shake Its Money Maker Gameloft to cut back on Android development   —  Mobile games developer Gameloft has announced it's cutting back on development for the Android, citing a lack of revenue.

17. Glenn Beck Stakes Out a More Activist Role in Politics  permalink

Glenn Beck Stakes Out a More Activist Role in Politics
BRIAN STELTER / NYT

The conservative firebrand Glenn Beck is planning voter registration drives and rallies, but he is cautious about how he might directly support particular candidates.

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Mediabistro.com
Glenn Beck Bites Back   —  He'll be at The Villages retirement community in Florida this afternoon announcing "The Plan " for his show in 2010, but if you missed it from earlier this week, here's Glenn Beck striking back at South Park, The New Yorker , Playboy , "The Daily Show" and SNL, over unflattering stories and portrayals -- including a Beck impression by Eric ...

Mediabistro.com
What's Glenn Beck Planning?   —  Glenn Beck will be in Florida tomorrow wrapping up a two-day, seven-city speaking and book-signing tour. During his stop at The Villages retirement community north of Orlando, Beck promises to reveal how his Fox News show will look come January, which is the one-year anniversary of the show: New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media .

18. Swag Saturday: Tekken 6  permalink

Swag Saturday: Tekken 6
Ben Gilbert / Joystiq

Here it is, folks: your chance to beat up relatives all throughout the holiday season, albeit from the relative safeness of Tekken 6 's confines! For this week's Swag Saturday , we're giving out a copy of Tekken 6 for the Xbox 360 to one lucky commenter who tells us which fictitious holiday character (think: Santa, the Easter Bunny) they'd like ...

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SFGate
Sacramento State defeats Oregon State 65-63   —  Sacramento State led by 22 points at halftime and withstood a furious rally to defeat Oregon State 65-63 on Saturday. Sultan Toles-Bey led Sacramento State with 17 points and six rebounds. Justin Eller scored 12 points off the bench and Michael Selling had 10... Oregon - California State University Sacramento - United States - California - ...

Daniel Feit / Wired
Swag Saturday: Tekken 6 Hands On: Samurai Shodown Tries 3-D Swordplay   —  OSAKA — The Samurai Shodown series was one of SNK’s biggest successes back in the 1990s, adding medieval weapons to the crowded 2-D fighting genre with a cast of characters rooted in Japanese history and mythology. The newest game is called Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny (Samurai Spirits Sen in Japan) and it’s coming to the [..

19. Where's YouTube on Popcorn Hour?  permalink

Where's YouTube on Popcorn Hour?
Digital.limberis.com

On November 18, 2009 Syabas, makers of the award-winning Popcorn Hour product line, uploaded a message to their Media Service Portal that said, “As of Wednesday, December 2, 2009, YouTube will no longer be available to Popcorn Hour users.”

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Jordan McCollum / Andy Beal
YouTube Says Popcorn Hour Is Over Closed Captioning Brought to You by YouTube   —  Google announced that closed captioning is coming to YouTube. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know it was already there in many videos where the creators took the time to add the subtitles for the hearing- or speaker-impaired. But now, for selected participating partners (mainly universities), YouTube itself will be adding the captions. The captions will be ...

Laura June / Engadget
YouTube Says Popcorn Hour Is Over Robots perform synchronized interpretive dance for the holidays, fill us with cheer   —  You know what we love? Dancing robots and Christmas tunes. So combining the two and throwing the video up on YouTube would be akin to heaven, right? Well, as you'll see in the amazing video after the break: it doesn't get much better than this. In fact, it might even be enough to clear the "bah humbug" out of us for good. Continue reading Robots ...

20. Saturday giveaway: Kodak 5250 all-in-one printer, just for you  permalink

Saturday giveaway: Kodak 5250 all-in-one printer, just for you
Www.crunchgear.com

Good afternoon, readers! What does Santa have in his bag for you today? Interestingly enough, he was unable to bring his bag because this printer is far too big for it. We present, for your inspection, the Kodak 5250 all-in-one: a scanning, printing, faxing, photofinishing machine that can best the big boys in the printer race.

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John Biggs / CrunchGear
Saturday giveaway: Kodak 5250 all-in-one printer, just for you   —  Good afternoon, readers! What does Santa have in his bag for you today? Interestingly enough, he was unable to bring his bag because this printer is far too big for it. We present, for your inspection, the Kodak 5250 all-in-one: a scanning, printing, faxing, photofinishing machine that can best the big boys in the printer [...]