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04 Oct 2011 11:20

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Tech: What to expect at today’s post-Steve-Jobs Apple event

  • Apple’s big speech is a real turning point for the company. It’s the first major one since Steve Jobs gave up his role as CEO earlier this year amidst significant health problems, passing the role off to Tim Cook. Since then, new competition has started to heat up — most notably from Amazon, whose CEO Jeff Bezos has shown some of that old Jobsian sparkle of late. But without getting too far ahead of ourselves, let’s do a check of what to expect today:
  • one Don’t expect Steve Jobs, unless there’s a late-in-the-game surprise. Instead, Tim Cook will be the man of the hour, and it’ll be interesting to see how he pulls this off.
  • two There will be at least one new iPhone, most likely, possibly two. The long-gestating iOS 5 will also likely launch soon, complete with a better notifications system.
  • three The original iPod, which is officially a decade old, could disappear once and for all today. We could use that spinny thing for hours and not get bored! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Oct 2011 10:04

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U.S.: Texas inmate to be freed after DNA evidence exonerates him

  • He’s eager to be released, as you can imagine, after all these years. He’s kind of going to be Rip Van Winkle — he’s never held a cell phone; Reagan was president when he went in. There’s going to be a lot of adjustments, but he’ll be fine.
  • Houston lawyer John Raley, who works with the Innocence Project • Discussing the imminent release of convicted murderer Michael Morton, who is expected to be released today after DNA evidence exonerated him from the crime of killing his wife in 1986. DNA evidence implicates a convicted felon who has also been tied to a similar 1988 murder. Morton, meanwhile, was convicted on circumstantial evidence and otherwise had no history of violence. Enjoy your freedom, Michael — they have these things called iPhones now, and they’re awesome. (thanks Michael Cote for the tip) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Oct 2011 00:39

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World: “An important document”: What a letter from Hitler (circa 1919) looks like

  • The Museum of Tolerance to put Hitler’s letter on display: Written before his “Mein Kampf” manifesto, the letter mentions the “Jewish threat.” Deborah Lipstadt, a professor at Emory University, said that this letter is “important for helping us understand Adolf Hitler.”  source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Oct 2011 00:32

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Culture: Andy Rooney: sad to see him go, love to watch him tweet

  • sad news Andy Rooney’s retirement might come as a relief to some people who think he might be too hard on chocolate chip cookies, but you can’t deny the man’s media presence. He’s written many books in addition to appearing in 1,000 “60 Minutes” segments.
  • consolation  There are two really hilarious fake Twitter accounts for Rooney. A sample of their selection? “My great grandson is coming over tomorrow to attach my Twitter to my phone. Luckily, we recently got rid of our rotary and got a touchtone.” source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2011 21:44

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Culture: Anderson Cooper on hot seat after teen guest’s skateboarding injury

  • Sometimes, standing in a foot of floodwater is easier than hosting a daytime talk show. This is a lesson “Anderson” learned the hard way, after a teenage guest on the CNN über-anchor’s daytime talk show put himself in a coma — by attempting to do some crazy skateboarding ahead of an appearance on the “Oprah” heir apparent. (They asked him to do so, because the show was about studying the teenage brain.) For what it’s worth, Anderson is somber about how things went: “I was very saddened to hear the news of this accident, and want to express my deepest concerns for the teenager who was injured,” he said. “I take this situation seriously, and my thoughts and prayers for his health, well-being and recovery are with him and his family.” But the real problem, of course, is that Anderson the journalist would never do something like put a kid in danger for ratings. How do you justify such a thing? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2011 21:25

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U.S.: NYC Bus drivers want no part of Occupy Wall Street arrests

  • There’s NYPD brass with guns on buses saying ‘Move the bus, this bus is now under the control of the NYPD. What room to protest is there? It’s not a transit supervisor you’re dealing with.
  • New York Transport Workers Union Local 100 President John Samuelsen • Discussing the way that the Brooklyn Bridge Occupy Wall Street arrests went down, particularly how the NYPD commandeered buses to arrest protesters en masse. The union is seeking injunctions (preliminary and permanent) against the NYPD to prevent them from doing this again. “The actions of the NYPD on Oct. 1, 2011, amounted to a seizure of the bus drivers,” the union’s lawyer, Arthur Schwartz, claimed in court. Will be curious to see how this goes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2011 20:02

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Politics: Oops: Hank Williams Jr. isn’t “ready for some football” after comments

  • He compared Obama to Hitler. Now his iconic song is off “Monday Night Football” tonight. Hank Williams Jr. has been the voice of Monday Night Football for over 20 years, but a comment in this “Fox & Friends” segment, where he suggests that John Boehner playing golf with Obama “would be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli leader) Benjamin Netanyahu,” has cost Williams a spot on ESPN’s long-running franchise this week. (The “Fox & Friends” anchors immediately had a not-so-lovely look on their faces after Williams said that line — with not a little bit of anger, mind you.) Williams, despite being an on-air personality for ESPN and therefore banned from running for political office, has nonetheless expressed interest in running for the U.S. Senate in 2012. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2011 18:22

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Culture: Donald Lapre, “king of infomercials,” found dead in his prison cell

  • then Back in June, a prolific television pitchman named Donald Lapre (who dubbed himself the “king of infomercials”) was charged with 41 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering — the result of his scheme to market a bogus “Greatest Vitamin in the World.”
  • now Mapre was found dead in his prison cell in Arizona, of an apparent suicide. He was imprisoned for missing his initial court date for the charges; his trial had been scheduled for tomorrow. Authorities are investigating how he may have killed himself. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2011 17:25

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World: Amanda Knox acquitted of murder by Italian court

  • Amanda Knox acquitted: The climactic trial of the moment came to a conclusion today, as an Italian court acquitted Amanda Knox of murder. The judge did uphold a slander conviction over Knox’s claim that a bar owner committed the crime, but that sentence is already covered by her time served; she’s been imprisoned since 2007. It’s reported that some members of the jury, as well as some journalists in the room were moved to tears by Knox’s declarations of innocence, which sounds like a pretty bad time to a be a prosecutor. Knox is now free to head back home to her native Seattle, where a large contingent of supporters are expected to greet her. (Photo by Pier Paolo Cito/AP) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2011 16:31

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Politics: Memos reveal Obama warned not to visit Solyndra

  • A number of us are concerned that the president is visiting Solyndra. Many of us believe the company’s cost structure will make it difficult for them to survive long term. . . . I just want to help protect the president from anything that could result in negative or unfair press.
  • Investor and Obama fundraiser Steve Westly • From a memo sent to Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett in May, 2010. The document was released by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, charged with investigating the failed government loan. Whatever your political opinion on this issue, these are certainly the sorts of warnings you’d hope the administration would take seriously; there’s mounting evidence that people within the industry were skeptical of the company well in advance of the President’s visit. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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