Monday, February 9, 2009
Amazon Kindle 2 announced
Amazon Kindle 2 announced: $359 on February
Just as expected, Amazon announced the second-generation Kindle ebook reader with the exclusive Stephen King novel UR today -- the page actually went live during the press event. The new version will still cost $359, but it's much thinner than the angular original -- in fact, it's thinner than an iPhone at just .36 inches. Arguably the biggest new feature is Read to Me, which can read any content on the device back to you in a decent-sounding computerized voice, but there's also seven times more storage, a sharper 16-level e-ink display that turns pages 20 percent faster, 25 percent longer battery life, and a new five-way joystick that improves navigation. Amazon's Whispernet service is also getting a feature bump, adding in Whispersync bookmarking -- if you start reading a book on one Kindle, you can pick up again on any other Kindle automatically. Sadly, it's still only available in white -- the pink Kindle here is just a one-off made to promote UR. Video after the break.
A few more informations:
Amazon is still working on international release, but has nothing to announce at this time, and wouldn't even confirm a launch this year.
Battery is non-removable.
There will be no Kindle 2-exclusive content, and some of the software improvements will be pushed to the original Kindle -- Whispersync is a shoe-in, text-to-speech is a no.
We spent some time playing with the Kindle 2 hands-on -- check it out right here below
The Kindle 2 is here folks -- it should look pretty familiar at this point! Feast your eyes on the photos. We're building out with more photos and video, so stay tuned. We played for the unit for the briefest of moments, but it really does feel great in hand. The brushed metal back is great, the device is incredibly light and comfortable to hold, and the keyboard is fairly usable. We're not convinced the five-way joystick is the best they possible could've worked into this space -- a d-pad seems much more logical -- but it's responsive and comfortable enough to twiddle with for what it is. Here's some thoughts:
The five-way rocker is definitely a step up in terms of navigation -- it makes getting around page way eaiser by allowing you to skip through individual words, and you can actually navigate simple web pages the way you're used to.
The new dictionary pop up (it brings up your definition on the bottom of the screen as you're scrolling through text) is a huge win. It was a pain before, but looking up words is now super easy. Unfortunately -- according to Ross Rubin -- footnotes are still handled in the slow, laborious way they've always been.
Text-to-speech is a nice touch, but it's still hard to get over that computer voice. We can see using this to hear a recipe or short news article, but we're not convinced it'll be enjoyable for a full novel.
Screen refresh is way, way faster than the old model (they say 20 percent). The difference is welcome and noticeable. Moving through documents and back and forth between pages is a snap now. If you've been frustrated with the slowness before, this will be a big relief.
The size difference is pretty remarkable. If you loved the crazy old design, you'll be disappointed, but the tradeoff in thickness is probably worth it. Furthermore, the new button placement is a big improvement, one which will likely make those accidental page turns a thing of the past.
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No Stimulus- Americans for Prosperity
Inhofe Statement on Stimulus Compromise
Senator Inhofe issued the following statement Friday night after the announcement of a compromise on the Senate stimulus bill.
"While I appreciate the efforts of my colleagues to bring down the price tag of this bill, the fact is we still face a trillion dollar spending bill. Making it worse, the bill is 93% spending and only 7% stimulation. Over the past few days I have fought to include more in the way of real stimulus through higher percentage of infrastructure and defense spending, while working to cut much of the typical government waste often found in a bill of this size. Yet Democrats have blocked these efforts.
"The good news tonight is that the American people are catching on to the fact that this is the largest spending bill in history and are becoming more and more vocal in their opposition. My offices in Oklahoma and Washington DC have been flooded with emails, phone calls and faxes overwhelmingly opposed to this trillion dollar legislation. They can rest assured that my vote remains an unwavering ‘no.'"
Inhofe Joins Republicans in Presenting "No Stimulus" Petition
Earlier on Friday, Senator Inhofe joined Republican Senators in a press conference to present over 68,000 petitions from Americans urging Congress not to pass the stimulus that will drastically increase federal debt and spending.
"We know what stimulus is and this is not stimulus," Senator Inhofe said. "This bill is 93% spending and only 7% stimulation. We can do better than this."
The text of the petition stated: "Congress should not enact an expensive spending bill under the pretense of stimulus or recovery. We cannot spend our way to prosperity, and such an expansion of the federal government will put a crushing burden on taxpayers in the long-term."
Link to AFP's No Stimulus Website: http://nostimulus.com/
Americans For Prosperity's Letter to U.S. Senators on the Stimulus:
AFP Key Vote Letter on the Stimulus and Our Petition
http://www.americansforprosperity.org/020509-afp-key-vote-letter-stimulus-and-our-petition
Dear Senator:
On behalf of the members of Americans for Prosperity, I am writing to urge you to vote against the so-called American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Congress should not enact an expensive spending bill under the pretense of stimulus or recovery. No matter which amendments pass, the fundamental approach of dramatically increasing federal debt and spending is a mistake. We therefore urge you to vote NO and will rate a vote against the so-called stimulus as a Key Vote for Prosperity in our Congressional ratings.
As I write this letter, more than 42,000 Americans have signed a petition on our web site, NoStimulus.com, and thousands more will likely sign it before you read this letter. They represent a growing majority of the American public who agree with the petition text:
"Congress should not enact an expensive spending bill under the pretense of stimulus or recovery. We cannot spend our way to prosperity, and such an expansion of the federal government will put a crushing burden on taxpayers in the long-term."
Central planning and bigger government cannot solve our problems. Excessive borrowing to fund consumption was a major cause of our current economic crisis. The first rule of holes is to stop digging, and more than $1 trillion of additional borrow-and-spend big government will only throw more good money after bad. Instead of trying to pick winners and losers from Washington, Congress should cut spending, strip down burdensome regulations and allow individuals and free enterprise to flourish.
We therefore urge you to vote no on the stimulus, regardless of which amendments pass and regardless of any individual provisions that may look attractive.
Sincerely,
Tim Phillips
President
Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation's premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit http://www.americansforprosperity.org/
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Tiger's a dad again, but when is he returning?
SAN DIEGO - Tiger Woods and his wife Elin have announced the birth of their second child, a boy named Charlie Axel.
The boy was born Sunday and is a brother to 19-month-old Sam Alexis.
"Both Charlie and Elin are doing great and we want to thank everyone for their sincere best wishes and kind thoughts," said a "thrilled" Woods on his web site.
Sam is very excited to be a big sister and we feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful family. I also want to thank our doctors, nurses and the hospital staff for their personal and professional care. We look forward to introducing Charlie to you at the appropriate time."
The next big news awaited from Woods, of course, is when he will return to golf. He has been out of action since undergoing reconstructive knee surgery following his amazing 14th major victory at the US Open last June.
He has been practicing for several weeks now and said last week it was going "full bore".
The Accenture World Match Play in Tucson is in three weeks and Woods is the defending champion, but with the possibility of having to play two rounds a day he may decide to wait until the US Tour comes to Florida, the state where he lives, next month.
"I have no restrictions - it's just a matter of getting my golf endurance up. I don't have my golf stamina back yet," he said on his web site. "I am excited about returning to competition. Early on I didn't miss golf because I enjoyed staying home with Elin and Sam and I knew I wasn't physically able to play.
"The truth is, I would have embarrassed myself. Now I'm getting my feel and practice back. It's just a matter of playing more on the course. I'm working hard to get myself back into tournament shape and will return as soon as I'm ready."
If he waits another month he could find he is no longer the world No. 1.
With his points average going down because of his long injury lay-off Sergio Garcia has moved to No. 2 and closed the gap to less than three points. Woods' lead was over 11 points last June.
More on Tiger Woods Golf
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Sunday, February 8, 2009
The internet movie database
IMDb Snapshot: New Photos and More
Movie and TV Stills: Monsters vs. Aliens, Whiteout, Easy Virtue
Celebrity and Event Photos: Confessions of a Shopaholic -N.Y. Premiere, "A Final Night with George W. Bush" - Opening Night, 6th Annual Leather And Laces Celebration
Top Trivia: Twilight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight (more trivia ...)
More Tops: Top Quotes - Top Goofs
BAFTAs, Oscar Poll and More in Road to the Oscars
We've got all the nominations for this year's BAFTA Awards -- that's the British equivalent of the Oscars, if you're not up on your acronyms -- where Kate Winslet is a double nominee in the Best Actress category. The awards will be handed out this Sunday in London, and we'll have the winners listed once they're announced. In the meantime, make your picks for the big awards in our annual IMDb Oscar® Poll (you'll have to be a registered user), download the IMDb Oscar Ballot to familiarize yourself with all the nominees, and check out our celeb-filled photo gallery. Looking for even more? Then visit the Road to the Oscars for all your awards season info.
IMDb Hit List
Interview: Coraline Animator Henry Selick from AVClub.com
Hollywood Turns to Unknown Actors from TheFirstPost.co.uk (Suggested by jamesmoggy)
Video: Woody Allen Discusses Ingmar Bergman from Movie City Indie
One-Man Movie Factories from Cinematical.com
Steven Spielberg, Guest Editor from EmpireOnline.com (Suggested by southpaw6)
Christian Bale and Kermit the Frog - Separated At Birth? from Oh No They Didn't (Suggested by aberg)
James Lipton Reenacts Christian Bale's Rant for Conan O'Brien from Hulu.com
Top 10 Celebrity Rants Caught on Tape from Wired.com (Suggested by ergreene)
Have an item you'd like to see featured on Hit List? Submit it here.
(IMDb cannot vouch for the user experience provided by external sites)
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TV Advertising for radio stations
When I was taught how to write radio ads by the clever Martyn Healy, the patient and brilliant Paul Renhard, and the inspirational Mike Bersin, they taught me the secret. Here it is, for free:
1. Discover “who we’re talking to” (people who want an entertaining breakfast show with the chance to win some cash).
2. Discover “what we want them to do” (listen to Chris Tarrant on Capital).
3. Discover “why they should do it” (because they could win £1,000).
4. Demonstrate this reason in a memorable way.
This clip contains three ads, based on the answers above. Feel free to press stop when the repetition begins to get a little annoying:
Chris Tarrant - Capital Radio
Yes, it’s very 1980s. But, successful? Did it communicate that you could win stuff and that the programme was entertaining? Were you left in any doubt about the radio station name, the frequency, the presenter, or the offer?
Compare with this:
Capital 95.8 FM
Three or four clips of music, over which is a rushed confusing story which doesn’t feature any radio personality or anything to convey it’s a radio station, and then three seconds of a radio station logo at the end. There are many such examples - some (for a former employer of mine) featuring dogs as well.
An admittedly amusing ad, which never failed to raise a giggle when played in front of clients. It was promoting a brand new radio station in the mid 1990s, Magic 105.4. Except the word ‘radio’ isn’t used once; the logo and frequency are two seconds at the end, and much though I love the creative in this ad, you really have to ask whether it conveys why you should tune over from Simon Bates on Radio 1.
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