Ecuador president: Snowden can't leave Moscow

PORTOVIEJO, Ecuador (AP) ? Edward Snowden is "under the care of the Russian authorities" and can't leave Moscow's international airport without their consent, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa told The Associated Press Sunday in an interview telegraphing the slim and diminishing possibility that the National Security Agency leaker will end up in Ecuador.

Correa portrayed Russia as entirely the master of Snowden's fate and said Ecuador is still awaiting an asylum request from Snowden before deciding its next moves.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has distanced himself from the case since Snowden arrived in Moscow last week, insisting the 30-year-old former NSA contractor remains in the transit zone of the capital's Sheremetyevo Airport and that as long as he has not legally entered Russia, he is out of the Kremlin's control.

At the same time, the Kremlin said Sunday that it will take public opinion and the views of human rights activists into account when considering Snowden's case, a move that could lay the groundwork for him to seek asylum in Russia.

"This is the decision of Russian authorities," Correa told the AP during a visit to this Pacific coast city. "He doesn't have a passport. I don't know the Russian laws, I don't know if he can leave the airport, but I understand that he can't. At this moment he's under the care of the Russian authorities. If he arrives at an Ecuadorean Embassy we'll analyze his request for asylum."

Last week, several members of Russia's Presidential Council for Human Rights spoke out in support of Snowden, saying he deserved to receive political asylum in the country of his choice and should not be handed over to the United States. And a handful of protesters picketed outside the Moscow airport in what appeared to be an orchestrated demonstration on Friday, holding signs reading "Edward, Russia is your second motherland" and "Russia is behind Snowden."

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Ekho Moskvy radio that while Snowden is not Russia's concern, the Kremlin is aware of the viewpoints of Russian experts and representatives of human rights organizations.

"Public opinion on the subject is very rich," Peskov said in the radio interview. "We are aware of this and are taking it into account."

Correa said he had no idea Snowden's intended destination was Ecuador when he fled Hong Kong for Russia last week. He said the Ecuadorean consul in London committed "a serious error" by not consulting officials in Ecuador's capital when the consul issued a letter of safe passage for Snowden. He said the consul would be punished, although he didn't specify how.

Analysts familiar with the workings of the Ecuadorean government said Correa's claims that the decision was entirely Russia's appeared to be at least partly disingenuous. They said they believed Correa's administration at first intended to host Snowden, then started back-tracking this week when the possible consequences became clearer.

"I think the government started to realize the dimensions of what it was getting itself into, how it was managing things and the consequences that this could bring," said Santiago Basabe, an analyst and professor of political sciences at the Latin American School of Social Sciences in the Ecuadorean capital, Quito. "So it started pulling back, and they'll never tell us why, but I think the alarm bells started to go off from people very close to the government, maybe Ecuador's ambassador in Washington warned them about the consequences of asylum for Snowden."

Correa said Snowden must assume responsibility if he broke U.S. laws, but added the broader legitimacy of Snowden's action must be taken into consideration. He said Ecuador would still consider an asylum request but only if Snowden is able to make it to Ecuador or an Ecuadorean Embassy to apply.

The U.S. is seeking the former NSA contractor's extradition for leaking secret documents that, among other things, detail U.S. surveillance of international online activity. On Sunday, German magazine Der Spiegel reported that classified documents taken by Snowden also revealed U.S. spies had allegedly bugged European Union offices.

Correa never entirely closed the door to Snowden, whom he said had drawn vital attention to the U.S. eavesdropping program and potential violations of human rights. But Correa appeared to be sending the message that it is unlikely Snowden will ever end up in Ecuador. He repeatedly emphasized the importance of the U.S. legal process and praised Vice President Joe Biden for what he described as a courteous and appreciated half-hour call about the Snowden case on Friday.

He similarly declined to reject an important set of U.S. trade benefits for Ecuadorean exports, again a contrast with his government's unilateral renunciation of a separate set of tariff benefits earlier in the week.

"If he really could have broken North American laws, I am very respectful of other countries and their laws and I believe that someone who breaks the law must assume his responsibilities," Correa said. "But we also believe in human rights and due process."

He said Biden had asked him to send Snowden back to the United States immediately because he faces criminal charges, is a fugitive from justice and has had his passport revoked.

"I told him that we would analyze his opinion, which is very important to us," Correa said, adding that he had demanded the return of several Ecuadoreans who are in the United States but face criminal charges at home.

"I greatly appreciated the call," he said, contrasting it with threats made by a small group of U.S. senators to revoke Ecuadorean trade privileges. "When I received the call from Vice President Biden, which was with great cordiality and a different vision, we really welcomed it a lot."

Ecuadorean officials believe Russian authorities stymied the country's efforts to approve a political asylum application from the former NSA systems analyst, according to government officials with direct knowledge of the case.

Those officials said Ecuador had been making detailed plans to receive and host Snowden. One of the officials said Russia's refusal to let Snowden leave or be picked up by Ecuadorean officials had thwarted the plans. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the case by name.

One of the officials said Snowden had intended to travel from Moscow to the Ecuadorean capital of Quito. The official said Ecuador had also asked Russia to let Snowden take a commercial flight to meet Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino in Vietnam or Singapore, where Patino was on an official trip.

The Russians rejected all of Ecuador's requests to let Snowden leave Moscow, or to let an Ecuadorean government plane pick him up there, the official said.

Asked Sunday about those accounts, Correa responded, without elaborating, "We don't have long-range aircraft. It's a joke."

Snowden's path to Ecuador would have gone through Cuba, which said little about the case all week, including whether it would have allowed him to use its territory to transit.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro praised Correa's rejection of U.S. trade pressure, expressing his "sympathies" for the Ecuadorean leader in a Sunday editorial in the state press.

_______ Gonzalo Solano contributed from Quito, Ecuador. Lynn Berry in Moscow contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ecuador-president-snowden-cant-leave-moscow-145434970.html

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'Glee' star Matthew Morrison engaged

Celebs

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

2 hours ago

Dave M. Benett / Getty Images Contributor

Matthew Morrison and Renee Puente.

"Glee" star Matthew Morrison is engaged to his girlfriend Renee Puente, a fact he confirmed with a simple tweet, saying he was going to "marry my best friend!"

The news initially came out during Elton John's White Tie and Tierra Ball on Thursday, an event the couple often attend. Coldplay singer Chris Martin dedicated John's "Your Song" to the couple, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and then sang the tune with John himself.

The proposal appears to have been done earlier; E! Online reported that the couple arrived at the event with her already wearing a "huge sparkler" in the appropriate left-hand finger.

Morrison tweeted the news Thursday morning.

They reportedly began dating in 2011, and this will be a first marriage for both.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/glee-star-matthew-morrison-engaged-6C10480930

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Woman indicted in mailing of ricin-laced letters (CNN)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Obama: Mandela a beacon for the power of principle

U.S. President Barack Obama flanked by First Lady Michelle Obama, left, waves with South African President Jacob Zuma, second right, and his wife Tobeka Madiba Zuma, right, on the steps of Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday June 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

U.S. President Barack Obama flanked by First Lady Michelle Obama, left, waves with South African President Jacob Zuma, second right, and his wife Tobeka Madiba Zuma, right, on the steps of Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday June 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

U.S. President Barack Obama, center left, flanked by First Lady Michelle Obama, left, waves with South African President Jacob Zuma and his wife Tobeka Madiba-Zuma on the steps of Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday, June 29, 2013.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

FILE - This two-picture combination of file photos shows Nelson Mandela on Aug. 8, 2012, left, and President Barack Obama on May 31, 2013. It was as a college student that President Barack Obama began to find his political voice. Inspired by Nelson Mandela?s struggle against South Africa?s apartheid government, the young Obama joined campus protests against the white racist rule that kept Mandela locked away in prison for nearly three decades. Now a historic, barrier-breaking figure himself, Obama will arrive in South Africa Friday to find a country drastically transformed by Mandela?s influence, and a nation grappling with the beloved 94-year-old?s mortality. (AP Photo/File)

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) ? President Barack Obama says former South African President Nelson Mandela continues to shine as a beacon of the power of principle and standing up for what's right.

Obama says South Africa's transition from apartheid to a free nation has been a personal inspiration and an inspiration to the world.

He says the recent outpouring of love for the critically ill anti-apartheid icon shows the deep yearning for justice and dignity in the human spirit. He says that yearning transcends class, race and country.

Obama spoke at a joint news conference with South African President Jacob Zuma. The White House says Obama will meet Saturday with Mandela's family but won't visit him in the hospital, in line with the family's wishes.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-29-Obama/id-c5cdb35c30f140919e9d30b5a61dbe69

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This Climate Fix Might Be Decades Ahead Of Its Time

Global Thermostat's pilot plant in Menlo Park, Calif., pulls carbon dioxide from the surrounding air. The next challenge is to find uses for the captured gas.

Courtesy of Global Thermostat

Global Thermostat's pilot plant in Menlo Park, Calif., pulls carbon dioxide from the surrounding air. The next challenge is to find uses for the captured gas.

Courtesy of Global Thermostat

Every year, people add 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the air, mostly by burning fossil fuels. That's contributing to climate change. A few scientists have been dreaming about ways to pull some of that CO₂ out of the air, but face stiff skepticism and major hurdles. This is the story of one scientist who's pressing ahead.

Peter Eisenberger is a distinguished professor of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University. Earlier in his career, he ran the university's famed Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and founded Columbia's Earth Institute. He was never one of those scientists who tinkered into the night on inventions. But he realized he didn't need to be.

"If you looked at knowledge as a commodity, we had generated this enormous amount of knowledge and we hadn't even begun to think of the many ways we could apply it," Eisenberger says. He decided he'd settle on a problem he wanted to solve and then dive into the pool of knowledge for existing technologies that could help him.

He started looking for a way to pull carbon dioxide right out of the air. "And it turned out the best device already exists," he says. "It's called a monolith. That is the same type of instrument that's in the catalytic converter in your car. It cleans up your exhaust."

Eisenberg's monoliths grab carbon dioxide from the air and release it again when you heat them up.

He teamed up with a colleague at Columbia, Graciela Chichilnisky, and formed a company to develop the idea. Global Thermostat got seed money from Edgar Bronfman, Jr. ? CEO of Warner Music Group and the former CEO of Seagram's, his family's business.

The company has built two pilot plants at SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif. But of course there are big issues to solve: What do you do with the carbon dioxide once you've captured it, and how do you make money?

"If they don't tell you you're crazy, you're not doing something worthwhile," says Peter Eisenberger, co-founder of Global Thermostat, a firm that's building a device to pull carbon dioxide from the air.

Chris Schmauch/Global Thermostat

"So we then we looked for ways to monetize CO₂ and found that lots of people wanted to use CO₂ as a feedstock to make a valuable product," Eisenberger says.

Growers pipe carbon dioxide into greenhouses. Oil companies pump it underground to help them squeeze out more oil. Soda companies use it to put bubbles in their drinks. These are mostly small-scale applications.

Maybe someday Eisenberg could get paid to clean up the atmosphere by sucking out the CO₂ and burying it underground, though there's no market for that now.

But using carbon dioxide to make fuel could someday be big. So Eisenberger's first project involves using CO₂ to feed algae that churn out biofuel.

"Our first demonstration plant is being erected right now down in Daphne, Alabama, with an algae company called Algae Systems, which sits on Mobile Bay," Eisenberger says. "They'll be floating their algae in plastic bags on the top of the water. We'll be piping in CO₂ that we pull out of the air, and the sun will do the rest."

Of course, this one project will have zero effect on how much carbon dioxide is in the earth's atmosphere. But Eisenberger has much grander ambitions.

"I believe we have something that's economically viable, so our company will be successful," he says. "But I'm really in this because I want to contribute to a long term solution that the world needs."

Eisenberger says if he can open the door to capturing carbon dioxide from the air ? and make the process cheap enough ? someday we could actually slow down, or possibly even reverse, the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Robert Socolow at Princeton University started hearing a buzz about this technology a few years back.

"It's catchy," Socolow admits. "It's attractive conceptually that one could basically pour carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for the next several decades and pull it out later and everything would be fine." But the appeal of the idea also worried him ? people might use the mere prospect of this technology as an excuse not to act.

So Socolow spearheaded a critique of the technique, on behalf of the American Physical Society.

Socolow's panel concluded that the technology would be hopelessly expensive, costing $600 for every ton of carbon dioxide it drew out of the air. And the scale would also be huge. In order to capture the emissions would waft into the air from a single coal-fired power plant, you'd need to build a structure 20 miles long and 30 feet high. "It's like the Great Wall of China," Socolow says.

The committee concluded that it would make a lot more sense to cut down on emissions first ? make our cars, homes and factories more efficient. Panel members also said it makes much more sense to capture carbon dioxide directly from smokestacks, where it's concentrated, instead of from the air.

Socolow says, maybe someday we'll have our emissions under control, and then we might need to remove some of the carbon dioxide that's already in the air with a capture technology. But, in his view, that's a long way away. "I locate it in the 22nd century," he says. In other words, this might be a good project for Eisenberger's great-great-great grandchildren.

Researchers currently working on carbon dioxide capture technologies say the American Physical Society critique has made it much harder for them to raise money. Klaus Lackner at Columbia University says he was turned down for a government grant. David Keith at Harvard and the University of Calgary says he struggled to get funding for his small company.

"It's a very powerful report from a very credible group of people, and it may well help to kill us and other efforts," Keith says.

Proponents of air-capture technologies say some of the panel's conclusions are just plain wrong ? especially the estimated cost of $600 per ton.

"We have had third party reports, independent people, evaluating our technology, and it's under $50 a ton," Eisenberger says. He hasn't actually demonstrated that cost yet, and he agrees that nobody should take his word for it. But he's stopped arguing with his critics.

"I'm just going to go do it," he says. "And doing it or not ? that's the answer."

Pursuing a big idea takes some hard-headedness and thick skin.

"If they don't tell you you're crazy, you're not doing something worthwhile," Eisenberger says. "Because what you do when you innovate is you disturb the existing order."

Fortunately, this won't be an academic argument forever. "That's the beauty of science. The people that take the time to come into the lab and see it working and do their own evaluation of the cost and the performance, they know it's not crazy."

If the researchers pursuing this technology can really make it inexpensive to draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, Eisenberger says it could be a game-changer.

We could start producing fuels with the carbon dioxide that's already in the air, instead of unearthing more fossil fuels. This won't happen quickly, though.

"The energy infrastructure of the world is $55 trillion," Eisenberger says. So a technology to replace that is "not like a new Google app."

Still, human societies have made such transitions before. "They just don't happen in a day," Eisenberger says. "But they happen."

There's certainly no guarantee that capturing carbon dioxide from the air would ever become a big enough enterprise to make a difference to Earth's climate. But it won't even be put to the test unless people like Eisenberger give it a try.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/06/27/189522647/this-climate-fix-might-be-decades-ahead-of-its-time?ft=1&f=1007

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Skype video messaging goes free and unlimited, send a video clip to all your friends!

Skype has pushed an update to their iPhone and iPad applications that brings with it free, unlimited video messaging. Previously, free video messaging was limited with premium accounts only having an unlimited allowance, but that time is now over. Video messaging rolled out gradually, with an initial launch tested with iPhone, iPad and Mac users before a global launch just a couple of weeks ago.

Video clips can be up to three minutes long, and the fact that all users can now send as many as they like has lots of positive implications for continued use of the service. A call is not always convienient, but there's something a lot more personal about seeing someone as they're speaking to you. Like they really, actually do want to talk to you.

Beyond opening up video messaging yet further, Skype has also thrown in a bunch of stability improvements for both audio and video calls, along with more reliable photo sharing and a bunch of bug fixes. I have to confess I've still not yet taken Skype video messaging for a test drive, how many of you have tried it? What do you think to it?

• Free - Skype for iPhone - Download Now
• Free - Skype for iPad - Download Now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/NFDyfTEoTYc/story01.htm

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Only four sign up for Green Deal

27 June 2013 Last updated at 10:16 ET

Only four people have so far signed up to a flagship government scheme to make homes more energy-efficient.

The Green Deal, which was launched six months ago, was designed to provide measures such as home insulation.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said just four households have "pending" green deal plans.

However, DECC said that with more finance providers in place, it expected a steady rise in numbers.

In total it said there had been 38,259 Green Deal assessments, where customers are given initial advice about what energy improvements they might be eligible for.

Of those, 241 households have confirmed they would like to proceed with work.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

It will take time as this brand-new market finds its legs.?

End Quote Greg Barker Minister for Energy and Climate Change

A spokesman for DECC told the BBC that "some" of the four people who have signed up to the Green Deal will have had building work completed, but he was not able to be more precise.

"A slow start should have been expected for the Green Deal, but it has clearly not fired consumers' imaginations," said Mike O'Connor of the watchdog Consumer Futures.

Finance

The government said there had been a delay in getting finance providers approved, with only five lenders signed up so far.

"The very first wave of Green Deal finance providers have only just got their individual finance terms and conditions in place," said Greg Barker, Minister for Energy and Climate Change.

But he said he expected 50 loan providers to be approved by the end of the year.

"It will take time as this brand-new market finds its legs, but I now expect the number of plans signed to start steadily rising," he said.

But Labour said the figures were proof that the scheme was not working.

"The Green Deal was billed as the biggest home improvements programme since World War 2, but these figures show it is failing," said Luciana Berger, shadow minister for energy and climate change.

"Households need help with their energy bills now - not in 10 years' time," she added.

Under the Green Deal, householders take out loans to finance improvements such as double-glazing, or more efficient boilers.

The idea is that the energy savings they make should more than compensate for the repayments.

The loan remains with the property, not the individual.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23081896#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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The China Edit | Gieves & Hawkes, Rising Retail Rents, I.T's New ...

?Styled in Britain, Owned In China? (New York Times)

?For more than two centuries, Gieves & Hawkes at No. 1 Savile Row in London has been creating suits for the men of the British royal family ? including the dark navy one that Prince William wore 2010 to announce his engagement to Kate Middleton. Yet today, in the upscale IFC Mall in Hong Kong, it is common to see a customer from mainland China trying on a double-breasted blazer similar to one owned by the prince and happily paying 12,000 Hong Kong dollars, or $1,550, for it. This quintessential British brand, owned by Trinity Limited of China, now has its largest customer base in China and has been gathering a tailor?s knowledge of these new clients? ?I want to maintain the British aristocratic accent but move the collection in a more international direction,? said Jason Basmajian, former artistic director of the Italian men?s wear house Brioni, who was appointed creative director of Gieves & Hawkes early this year.?

?Shop Rents Driven by Cashed-up Youth? (South China Morning Post)

?Shop rents in most mainland cities are expected to increase steadily as retail sales continue to grow on the back of a vast market of young, fashion-conscious shoppers who are willing to spend a significant proportion of their monthly incomes in stores, says property consultancy CBRE.?The trend will not be confined to the first-tier cities, and tier-two cities, which are on the radar of international retailers, are expected to see a steady rise in new entrants to their retail markets.?

?Hong Kong?s I.T Limited Will Open Three New Mainland China Outlets? (China Retail News)

?Hong Kong fashion apparel retailer I.T Limited plans to invest HKD300 million to enhance its position in Hong Kong while expanding its business map in mainland China by opening three new stores in Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin in July 2013.?In addition, its new store in Chengdu is expected to open at the end of 2013 or the beginning of 2014. The group?s largest project in 2013 is the new Galeries Lafayette project, which will be open in September in Beijing.?Located in Xidan, the new Galeries Lafayette is a joint operating project by I.T Limited and Galeries Lafayette Group. With an area of five million square feet, the new Galeries Lafayette department store will have specialty stores of various brands, including Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Chloe, and Givenchy. Those stores will cover 70% of the total area; while the remaining 30% will display products and brands sold via I.T.?By opening four new stores, I.T will have 11 stores in mainland China.?

?The ?China Price? Is Not Right? (Jing Daily)

?Foreign brands in China are expensive. This is not just in relation to China?s lower income level: due to a mixture of duties, taxes, logistics costs, and price positioning, the price of foreign brands in China typically ranges from 30 to 80 percent more expensive than in their home markets.?Among China?s sophisticated consumers, the price gap between China and the rest of the world has become common knowledge?especially among the aspirational and affluent white-collar workers who are expected to drive growth in the premium and luxury segments.?These consumers are increasingly global and savvy in their purchasing behavior, have the opportunity to shop abroad, and are increasingly doing so. In an ongoing SmithStreet study of Chinese luxury customers in Europe, for example, every single respondent has essentially stopped buying luxury goods in mainland China, citing price as the primary (and typically solitary) reason.?

?Americans Exit Harrods Top 10 As Chinese Flock To London Store? (Bloomberg)

?The days of Americans being the biggest overseas shoppers at London?s Harrods store are over.?While seven years ago U.S. visitors were the top foreign spenders at the purveyor of luxury fashions and specialty teas, they are now outnumbered by wealthy customers from China and the Middle East, according to Managing Director Michael Ward. ?It is probable today that America will not feature in our top 10 of overseas customers because of the growth of the east and the mineral- and oil-rich nations,? Ward, who has been in charge for more than seven years, said in an interview in his office at the 164-year-old store. China is ?by far No. 1.??

?

?

Source: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/06/the-china-edit-gieves-hawkes-rising-retail-rents-i-t-to-open-three-new-mainland-outlets-the-china-price-chinese-flock-to-harrods.html

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Research raises concerns over smoke detectors' effectiveness in waking children

June 27, 2013 ? Standard domestic smoke detectors may not always wake children in the event of a fire, according to research by the University of Strathclyde's Centre for Forensic Science and Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service.

The study of 34 children -20 girls and 14 boys- aged between two and 13, found that 80% slept through smoke detector alarms. Each child was tested six times and only seven of the children woke during any of the tests.

Only two children woke on every occasion and none of the 14 boys in the research woke at all.

While the findings do not call into question the value of smoke alarms in alerting people to fires, nor their capacity to help save lives, the fact that the children failed so often to wake up on the activation of the alarms does raise concerns.

Professor Niamh Nic Daeid, of Strathclyde's Centre for Forensic Science, who led the research said 'While the results of this study remain preliminary given the number of children involved, they do highlight concerns that cannot be ignored about the effectiveness of smoke detectors in waking children."

"Further research is required to build on the findings to date and investigate robust solutions to the issues highlighted."

Dave Coss, East Midlands Regional Fire Investigation Dog Handler and Watch Manager with Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, conducted the study as part of his Masters degree taken at the University of Strathclyde.

Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service reinforces the importance of having a working smoke alarm on every level of the home and that the research finding emphasise the importance of having a pre-planned and practised escape route or plan that everyone in the home, whether a family member or overnight guest, is aware of. This plan must account for waking, alerting and evacuating all children in the home.

The Service also continues to campaign and work towards domestic sprinklers being fitted into all new domestic dwellings and retrofitted into the homes of those most vulnerable to fire, as and where appropriate.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/mstauAWBoR4/130627131827.htm

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Imagination Tech reveals Warrior CPU core to fight (uphill) battle against ARM

This news isn't remotely surprising, given Imagination Tech's recent acquisition of CPU designer MIPS, but reporting it still gives us a little flutter of excitement. And for good reason: Imagination has just revealed that its first MIPS-based CPU core, which should be able to run Android, will be introduced by the end of this year, and that it'll go by the totally appropriate codename of Warrior (or, less dramatically, "MIPS Series5"). The core's first battle will be to prove that the MIPS architecture really can be a competitive alternative to ARM (which uses a similar low-power RISC architecture) and that Imagination didn't just blow $100 million on hot air. Speaking of which, the attached press release comes with plenty of bold claims, including a statement that the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Warrior will offer "best-in-class performance and efficiency," and a promise that Imagination "will change the landscape for CPU IP." We have no idea how all of this is going to play out, but we fully intend to be ringside when it does.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/gaSJ6aCLy-M/

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A Different Life

Hey can I reserve a female? Also does it have to be a character with gifs or just a pic?

As for her description I was wondering if she could be the one that loves too easily but also has a dark side to her. If it's not okay I'll change it.

Password: daebak!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/IXiK0Yq-8gI/viewtopic.php

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According to a report by Juniper Networks, mobile malware has grown by 614 percent over the last yea

According to a report by Juniper Networks, mobile malware has grown by 614 percent over the last year. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, 92 percent of it is on Android...

Source: http://gizmodo.com/according-to-a-report-by-juniper-networks-mobile-malwa-582739672

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Seed giant Monsanto's fiscal 3Q profit slips 3 pct

Monsanto's fiscal third quarter earnings slipped 3 percent, as hits to the agricultural product maker's cotton and soybean segments weighed on results.

The St. Louis company also said Wednesday that it tried to plant a seed for future growth by eating some drought-related expenses in the recently completed quarter.

Monsanto said the 2012 drought that parched stretches of the United States forced it to use South American greenhouses more to produce corn seeds. That contributed to a 7 percent increase in cost of goods sold in this year's quarter. Monsanto decided to eat the higher expenses tied to seed production instead of passing them along through price hikes.

CEO Hugh Grant told analysts during a Wednesday morning call the company saw that as "an investment in our customer base," one they hope helps customer sentiment and profitability next year.

The move was more than just a public relations stunt, according to Morningstar analyst Jeff Stafford. He said Monsanto has turned off some farmers in the past by introducing new seeds at very high prices.

"They are acutely aware of driving prices year over year and what that means in their relationship with farmers," he said.

Overall, Monsanto earned $909 million, or $1.68 per share, in the quarter ended May 31, down from $937 million, or $1.74 per share, a year ago.

Earnings totaled $1.66 per share, not counting a tax matter resolution.

Revenue inched up less than 1 percent to $4.25 billion. In contrast, Monsanto's revenue had soared 17 percent in last year's quarter when the mild spring that preceded the drought allowed farmers to sow crops earlier.

Analysts expected earnings of $1.61 per share on $4.41 billion in revenue for this year's quarter, according to FactSet.

Several analysts cited a lower tax rate as the main factor behind the better-than-expected earnings.

Monsanto Co. makes seeds for crops like corn, soybean, cotton and wheat and crop protection chemicals like the herbicide Roundup. The agricultural giant produces genetically engineered seeds used by farmers for their pest resistance and ability to produce bigger crops.

Many U.S. farmers credited genetic modifications in corn with saving last year's crop from all but total devastation as half of the nation endured the worst drought in 60 years. But these crops also have drawn criticism from organic food advocates who say they are harmful to people and the environment. Last month, protesters organized "March Against Monsanto" rallies in several countries over genetically modified food.

Monsanto has maintained that its seeds improve agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy.

Corn, which is used for food, fuel, animal feed and soda syrup, is by far Monsanto's largest unit, and revenue from that segment climbed 3 percent to $1.56 billion in the quarter.

But revenue from its soybean and cotton segments both fell. The company saw fewer acres of cotton planted.

Stafford said Brazilian farmers helped pressure the soybean segment because they stopped paying royalties on a brand of seeds.

Revenue from the company's agricultural productivity segment, which includes herbicides, climbed 9 percent to $1.19 billion.

Monsanto, which has touted its corn seed and international growth prospects, said late last month that it expects earnings growth of more than 20 percent in fiscal 2013 from its on-going businesses. It forecast annual adjusted earnings, which exclude some one-time items, of $4.50 to $4.55 per share and reaffirmed that prediction on Wednesday.

Analysts expect, on average, earnings of $4.58 per share.

Shares of Monsanto fell 56 cents to close at $100.84 Wednesday. Its shares had peaked for the past year at $109.33 in mid-May. Monsanto shares are up 7 percent so far in 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seed-giant-monsantos-fiscal-3q-profit-slips-3-184619223.html

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The Ice Cream of the Future of the Past Is Your Deal of the Day

Still upset about the slow death and bankruptcy of Dippin' Dots, the ice cream of the future? Check out this officially licensed DIY Dippin' Dots kit, which is only $4 from Toys 'R' Us right now. Four bucks! Thats less than a cup of ice cream pellets at the ballpark.

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/mLlUEhpWV-s/the-ice-cream-of-the-future-of-the-past-is-your-deal-of-532497410

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Beyond silicon: Transistors without semiconductors

June 21, 2013 ? For decades, electronic devices have been getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller. It's now possible -- even routine -- to place millions of transistors on a single silicon chip.

But transistors based on semiconductors can only get so small. "At the rate the current technology is progressing, in 10 or 20 years, they won't be able to get any smaller," said physicist Yoke Khin Yap of Michigan Technological University. "Also, semiconductors have another disadvantage: they waste a lot of energy in the form of heat."

Scientists have experimented with different materials and designs for transistors to address these issues, always using semiconductors like silicon. Back in 2007, Yap wanted to try something different that might open the door to a new age of electronics.

"The idea was to make a transistor using a nanoscale insulator with nanoscale metals on top," he said. "In principle, you could get a piece of plastic and spread a handful of metal powders on top to make the devices, if you do it right. But we were trying to create it in nanoscale, so we chose a nanoscale insulator, boron nitride nanotubes, or BNNTs for the substrate."

Yap's team had figured out how to make virtual carpets of BNNTs,which happen to be insulators and thus highly resistant to electrical charge. Using lasers, the team then placed quantum dots (QDs) of gold as small as three nanometers across on the tops of the BNNTs, forming QDs-BNNTs. BNNTs are the perfect substrates for these quantum dots due to their small, controllable, and uniform diameters, as well as their insulating nature. BNNTs confine the size of the dots that can be deposited.

In collaboration with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), they fired up electrodes on both ends of the QDs-BNNTs at room temperature, and something interesting happened. Electrons jumped very precisely from gold dot to gold dot, a phenomenon known as quantum tunneling.

"Imagine that the nanotubes are a river, with an electrode on each bank. Now imagine some very tiny stepping stones across the river," said Yap. "The electrons hopped between the gold stepping stones. The stones are so small, you can only get one electron on the stone at a time. Every electron is passing the same way, so the device is always stable."

Yap's team had made a transistor without a semiconductor. When sufficient voltage was applied, it switched to a conducting state. When the voltage was low or turned off, it reverted to its natural state as an insulator.

Furthermore, there was no "leakage": no electrons from the gold dots escaped into the insulating BNNTs, thus keeping the tunneling channel cool. In contrast, silicon is subject to leakage, which wastes energy in electronic devices and generates a lot of heat.

Other people have made transistors that exploit quantum tunneling, says Michigan Tech physicist John Jaszczak, who has developed the theoretical framework for Yap's experimental research. However, those tunneling devices have only worked in conditions that would discourage the typical cellphone user.

"They only operate at liquid-helium temperatures," said Jaszczak.

The secret to Yap's gold-and-nanotube device is its submicroscopic size: one micron long and about 20 nanometers wide. "The gold islands have to be on the order of nanometers across to control the electrons at room temperature," Jaszczak said. "If they are too big, too many electrons can flow." In this case, smaller is truly better: "Working with nanotubes and quantum dots gets you to the scale you want for electronic devices."

"Theoretically, these tunneling channels can be miniaturized into virtually zero dimension when the distance between electrodes is reduced to a small fraction of a micron," said Yap.

Yap has filed for a full international patent on the technology.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/JY7mkn1cLuE/130621121015.htm

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Britain faces major obstacles to RBS break-up plan

By Matt Scuffham

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain would face big obstacles to a break up of state-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland and such a step might not achieve its ultimate aim of boosting lending to the economy, analysts and investors said.

Britain's government has come under pressure to consider splitting the 82 percent state-owned bank partly because prospects for returning it to private ownership soon still seem remote five years on from its 45.5 billion pound ($71.25 billion) rescue in the financial crisis.

The plan, backed by former British finance minister Nigel Lawson and outgoing Bank of England governor Mervyn King, has gained support because it has taken longer for RBS to return to financial health than expected while lending to the economy across British banks as whole remains sluggish.

But analysts and investors believe a break up would be a costly, complex and lengthy process that would not necessarily benefit the economy or taxpayers.

"The decisions to seriously consider a break-up into good/bad bank will further increase the uncertainty about the future shape of RBS, especially as the Chancellor (George Osborne) expects the bank to support core UK businesses," said Espirito Santo analyst Shailesh Raikundlia.

One of RBS's ten biggest investors warned the move could damage the wider economy.

"RBS's record on new lending in the UK mortgage market is already very strong," the investor said. "It is possible that the capital strain of a split could produce the reverse effect from that intended, that is it could actually cause less lending to the UK economy."

Finance minister George Osborne has said the government would investigate the case for hiving off RBS's toxic loans into a "bad bank", leaving a "good bank" better placed to lend to British households and businesses. Osborne said any break-up would not involve taxpayers putting in further funds.

Both Ireland and Spain have gone down the "bad bank" route to tackle their banks' bad assets.

COST AND COMPLEXITY

The Conservative-led coalition is considering hiving off RBS assets worth between 100 billion pounds and 120 billion pounds, according to one source familiar with the matter.

Ulster Bank, owned by RBS, could have its non-core assets and commercial real estate assets moved into the bad bank following a break up, along with some UK commercial real estate assets of RBS, the source said.

Osborne, himself, had previously rejected the idea, also citing the cost and complexity involved. Critics have pointed out that it would cost billions of pounds just to buy out the bank's minority shareholders, which would have to happen before the break-up could take place.

In his annual speech to City of London financiers on Wednesday, Osborne said, with hindsight, RBS should have been broken up five years ago. He stopped short of criticizing his Labour predecessor, Alistair Darling, who was in power at the time, admitting he had not proposed such a move in opposition.

The Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, which was set up by Osborne to review the industry, had called on the Treasury to produce a report on the pros and cons of a break-up by September, a recommendation the Chancellor has heeded.

Osborne said Britain would establish an RBS "bad bank" if the review concluded the move would support the British economy, be in the interests of taxpayers and accelerate the bank's return to private ownership.

The review will be undertaken by the Treasury with external support and will report back by the autumn. It is not yet clear whether that support would come from individuals or a financial institution.

RBS has already undertaken a mammoth restructuring, overseen by outgoing Chief Executive Stephen Hester since its rescue, shedding some 900 billion pounds of non-core assets but it still has assets worth around 1.2 trillion pounds.

In contrast to RBS, the government has said it is ready to start selling its holding in rival Lloyds , also bailed out in the crisis, allowing it to claim partial success in returning the banks to health ahead of the next election in 2015.

(Reporting by Matt Scuffham. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britain-faces-major-obstacles-rbs-break-plan-155807328.html

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