The Internet Is For Porn (So Let’s Talk About It)

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Is this the Beginning of the End of the URL Bar?

Is this the next generation of Internet browser?  Chrome may have always been minimal, but its next incarnation is reportedly leaving out one of most well recognised features of web browsers since their introduction in 1993 – the URL bar.

The ability to directly address a website has always been one of the most essential features of a web browser.  However, both Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox are considering leaving the URL bar out altogether, with options to hide it in their latest browser versions.
Google have already trimmed a number of unnecessary features and merged buttons together to save space for web content in Chrome, and Mozilla and Microsoft are also following this minimal trend towards feature reduction.  In this new world, it seems every pixel counts, and all of the major players are sacrificing what they can in order to create an elegant interface.
Google’s initial intentions to remove the URL bar came to light in February this year, with the first version now implemented in Canary versions of Chrome 13.  The user now has the ability to hide the URL, clicking on a tab to reveal a URL bar that will disappear again when the mouse pointer moves away.  This gives web designers 30 more pixels to work with, which while not much, is becoming more of an issue on smaller screens like those on tablets.

Mozilla Labs have announced an experimental add-on for Firefox 4 and Firefox 5, which also aims to do away with the permanent URL bar.  Less Chrome HD 1 has a similar effect to the hidden URL bar in Chrome, although it is displayed as soon as the cursor is moved to the top of the screen.

How to Make Your PC as Fast as the Day You Bought It

One of the most frustrating things in life is a slow computer. 
Every few years, we buy an expensive new PC and love how fast it starts up, runs programs, and loads websites.  Inevitably though, it starts to slow down until eventually we are pulling our hair out waiting for it to do routine tasks.
Why is this?  It turns out the answer is actually quite simple and you don't even need to be "technical" to understand the causes and solutions.
The good news: It's not the computer hardware that's the problem.  In most cases, the hardware you have is perfectly capable of being restored to its original glory and kept in fast running condition with minimal effort.
Rather, the problem lies with changes that occur to the PC's software.  The two most common causes of slowdown (along with easy solutions) are:
1. The most common problem: registery errors
Every time you (or your kids) load a program, game, or file, your PC's software registery is updated with new instructions needed to operate that item.  However, when the item is removed, these instructions usually remain on your PC.  Every time you run your computer it tries to execute these instructions but, because the related program can't be found, it causes a registry error.  Your PC is doing a lot more work than it should be and the result is a significantly slower computer.
One of the best ways to manage this is with a neat little tool from Support.com, a Silicon Valley based company.  It's called ARO 2011 and it scans, identifies, and fixes registry errors--resulting in a computer that's a lot more like it was when you first bought it.  On top of the amazing results it offers, it's so easy to install and use that it was recently awarded a coveted 4.5 star rating (out of 5) by CNET's editorial staff and has been downloaded more than 30 million times.
You can now get a free working version of the software which will quickly scan your entire PC and identify all of the registry errors that may be bogging it down.  The free version also scans for junk and checks your PC's baseline security status.  It will eliminate the first 100 errors for free, and if you have more errors that you want to clean up or want to set the program to run on a regular basis (which is recommended), you can easily upgrade to the full version for just $29.95.  After that, registry errors will no longer be a problem.
To get the free version simply click here.
2. Spyware and viruses
Spyware and viruses are software programs that are loaded on your computer without your knowledge or permission.  They have various purposes, including:

• Changing the default search engine in your browser.
• Tracking your Web surfing habits and showing you targeted advertising.
• Using your email program to send out spam to other email addresses.
• Stealing your personal information.

Most spyware and viruses get onto our computers through files that we download from the Internet or as attachments to emails.  They tend to take up a lot of computing power and, as a result, will significantly slow down your computer.
The simple rule of thumb to follow is to never download any free software programs from companies you do not know and trust, especially screensavers, emoticons, and the like.  In addition, you should never open any attachment to an email unless you are 100 percent certain you know and trust the sender.  In addition, make sure you have a good anti-virus/spyware removal software running at all times.
Follow the above advice and your PC should stay fast and safe.

Facebook Scams You Need To Know About: The 9 Most Common Hacks And Attacks

Facebook recently launched a new security wall to block scammers, but many are worried these measures won't stop spam from spreading and that determined con artists will simply find new ways to get at unsuspecting users.
We've all seen suspicious posts on Facebook--a friend's curiously impersonal message that's riddled with odd typos, the irresistible app offering a chance to see who has viewed your profile, and more. These scams are sometimes obvious and easy to avoid, other times nefarious and simple to fall for. Despite Facebook's security features, safe social networking rests in the user's own hands.
We've put together a list of some of the most common Facebook scams and what happens if you fall for them. Take a look through the slideshow (below) and vote for the worst scam. Then, view our slideshow of 9 Facebook privacy tips to beef up your personal social networking safety.

Glencore International broken down

Glencore International AG (management buy out of Marc Rich & Co AG) is a Swiss-based company, which is one of the world’s largest suppliers of commodities and raw materials, and is also among the world’s largest privately held companies.
As of 2006, it was Europe’s sixth-largest company in terms of turnover.1 According to The Sunday Times,2 the company had USD 10.9 billion in shareholders’ equity at the end of 2006 and is completely owned by its management.
With production facilities around the world, Glencore supplies metals, minerals, crude oil, oil products, coal, natural gas and agricultural products to international customers in the automotive, power generation, steel production and food processing industries.
The company has 50,000 employees across the world.

Controversial involvements

According to an Australian Public Radio report, “Glencore’s history reads like a spy novel”.3 The company was founded as Marc Rich & Co. AG in 1974 by now-billionaire commodity trader Marc Rich, who was charged with tax evasion and illegal business dealings with Iran in the U.S., but pardoned by President Bill Clinton in 2001.4 He was never brought before U.S. justice before his pardoning, therefore there was never a verdict on these charges. In 1993 and 1994, Rich sold all of his majority share in Marc Rich & Co. AG back to the company.5 The enterprise, renamed Glencore, is now owned and run by his inner-circle of associates, including former Glencore CEO Willy Strothotte and present CEO Ivan Glasenberg. In 2005, proceeds from an oil sale to Glencore were seized as fraudulent, in an investigation into corruption in the Republic of Congo.6

Dealings with rogue states

ABC Radio also reported that Glencore “has been accused of illegal dealings with rogue states: apartheid South Africa, USSR, Iran, and Iraq under Saddam Hussein”, and has a “history of busting UN embargoes to profit from corrupt or despotic regimes”.3 Specifically, Glencore was reported to have been named by the CIA to have paid USD 3,222,780 in illegal kickbacks to obtain oil in the course of the UN oil-for-food programme for Iraq. The company denied these charges, according to the CIA report quoted by ABC.23

Investments in Colombia

Moreover, Swiss public television (TSR) reported in 2006 that allegations of corruption and severe human rights violations were being raised against Glencore on account of the alleged conduct of its Colombian Cerrejón mining subsidiary. Local union president Francisco Ramirez was reported to have accused Cerrejón of forced expropriations and evacuations of entire villages in order to enable mine expansion, in complicity with Colombian authorities. According to TSR, a representative of the local Wayuu Indians also accused Colombian paramilitary and military units, including those charged with Cerrejón mining security, of forcibly driving the Wayuu off their land, in what she described as a “massacre”.7

Investments in Bolivia

Through its Bolivian subsidiary, Sinchi Wayra (which it acquired in 2005), Glencore operates six businesses in Bolivia that mine and process tin, silver, gold and zinc.;89 notable among these has been Empresa Metalurgica Vinto, reportedly the world’s largest privately-run smelter complex, located in the department of Oruro, which was seized and nationalized by Bolivian President Evo Morales on February 9, 2007. At the time of the seizure there were no plans to compensate Glencore.10

Association with mining companies

Glencore is also noted for its association with the publicly traded Xstrata mining group, also headquartered in the Canton of Zug, Switzerland. Glencore is reported to serve as a marketing partner for Xstrata.211 As of 2006, Glencore leaders Willy Strothotte and Ivan Glasenberg are on the board of Xstrata, which Strothotte chairs.12 According to The Sunday Times, Glencore controls 40% of Xstrata stock and has appointed the Xstrata CEO, Mick Davis.213 Similar arrangements exist with Century in the U.S. and Glencore partial subsidiary Minara Resources Ltd in Australia.14 In 1993 several managers of Glencore left the company to establish their own trading and marketing company, Trafigura.
In May 2009, Glencore has announced it would manage Brazilian bankrupted agricultural products company Agrenco 15

Corporate assets

As of 2006, assets fully or partly controlled by Glencore include:16

Production facilities

1 The Prodeco stake has been sold to XStrata as part of XStrata’s 2009 rights issue. Glencore retains a 100% re-purchase option, it is expected to exercise this option in 2010.17

Other subsidiaries, participations and joint ventures

ca. 14%, controlling 40%2
Operates the Murrin Murrin project.
33.3% up until Q2/2006	BHP Billiton plc, Anglo American plc and Xstrata plc each own 33.3%

Apple iPhone 5 to Adopt Curved Cover Glass Design

Every time the grapevine comes out with something new, we tend to look at the details discussed and try to put together all possibilities that could come real when the device actually would come to our midst.  What we hear of late is that the iPhone 5 would possibly come with a curved design!

It is being said that Apple will adopt ‘curved cover glass’ form factor for their next generation iPhone. A Digitimes report almost confirms this. Further, it is not yet known as to what type of final design the curved cover glass iPhone would sport. Now, that makes us go back in time and think a bit about earlier rumors that had spoken about the iPhone 5 coming with a similar form factor as the earlier iPhone 4. We guess we will have to go by the new revelations now.
It is also being said that high capital could force glass makers to not commit investment on purchasing glass cutting equipment. However, Apple has reportedly bought 200-300 glass cutting machines so that glass makers can put them to use. Now that’s good strategy, indeed. Don’t you think so?
We believe the curved glass design is getting to be a reality, by all means. However, Apple hasn’t set any deadline for the mass production of the device. From what we get to know, the Cupertino major is “working with related suppliers including those involved in cover glass, glass cutting, lamination and touch sensors to improve yield rates”.

Beyonce's Pantsula moves on Run this world video

It's pleasing to see International artists like Beyonce Knowles spreading a proudly South African dance known as 'Pantsula'. In this video Beyonce demonstrates Pantsula!

The Economist Punts Trevor Manuel As IMF Successor

23 May 2011

What with IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn having been jailed on sex assault charges, there’s speculation about who’ll be replacing him. Calls from non-European countries to instate a non-European head have become increasingly vocal, especially in the aftermath French Strauss-Kahn’s shenanigans – so it’s interesting that The Economist looked to Trevor Manuel, among others, as a potential succcessor.
Obviously, Manuel’s a little low on the list, coming in just ahead of the governor of the bank of Mexico according to British bookmaker William Hill, who put the odds together. Still – the dudes at the Economist are calling him a ‘plausible contender,’ and it’d be nice to see the former Finance Minister break the European streak.
Also I’ve got a betting pool set up behind the bar, let me know if you’re interested.
[Source: The Economist]

Burn Down The Herald: ANC Leader

23 May 2011

ANC Nelson Mandela Bay chairperson Nceba Faku encouraged more than 100 party members to burn down Port Elizabeth’s The Herald newspaper as he celebrated the party’s election victory outside the Port Elizabeth City Hall on Thursday night. Faku said the party was celebrating an “important battle that is between the ANC and the media”.
For the most part the IEC did a great job during the local government elections, bar a few minor incidents here and there. Some metro’s were so closely fought that some celebrating was to be expected.
The ANC just managed to retain control of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro with 51.9% of the votes and in the process shed a large percentage of the vote.
But burning a newspaper?

The primary battle of the ANC has been with the media, especially The Herald, in this region. Down with white political parties, down. Down with those who vote for white political parties, down.
The Herald dictated that [DA leader Helen] Zille and [Cope’s Smuts] Ngonyama would stand here today and run the metro. The Herald was on the forefront of that … passop [beware] The Herald, passop.
Go and burn The Herald. We will face a bullet with a bullet.

It appears that Faku already had some beef before the elections with the paper anyway and has reportedly earned a mention in the Kabuso forensic report into municipal land sales and tenders, commissioned by the provincial local government and traditional affairs department.
He finished his whinging to loud applause and said blacks who did not like other black people and their organisations should be driven into the sea, or go to Europe. “We need a Malema in this town, we need a Malema,” he said before handing over the microphone.
The Herald went to the courts to force department MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane, who doubles as ANC provincial spokesperson, to release the report.
SA National Editors’ Forum chairperson Mondli Makhanya said the group was horrified that a senior political leader in South Africa could call for the burning of newspapers and said it was the sort of thing that happened in Nazi Germany back in the 1930’s.
Herald Editor Heather Robertson expressed her feelings:

I am deeply disturbed by Mr Faku’s threat to burn this newspaper. It is shocking that he attacks all of us who work for The Herald on the night of what should be the ANC’s victory celebration.
Mr Faku clearly does not grasp the freedom of expression clause in the Bill of Rights, which was drafted by the ANC.

Mondli continued that Faku’s utterances were a criminal offence and should be treated as such. Unsurprisingly, senior ANC officials chose to distance themselves from the incident.
[Source: News24]

Monday Morning Spice

23 May 2011

The Parlotones Take Best Music Video At SAMAs – Saturday night saw the 17th South African Music Awards take place at Johannesburg’s Montecasino. The Parlotones, Prime Circle, Locnville, Jax Panik, Kurt Darren and Die Antwoord were among the winners. [channel24]

Arnold Has Two More Secret Kids - Randy Arnold Schwarzenegger has at least two more secret love children, a Brit actress alleged yesterday. Jane Seymour, who moves in the same social circles in Malibu, claimed it was common knowledge. She said: “I heard about two more children. I met someone who knows him well.. [thesun]

Apocalypse Not Now - Christian doomsday prophet Harold Camping looks likely to be less than rapturous after his prediction that the world would end on Saturday failed to materialise. The 89-year-old Californian preacher had prophesied that the Rapture would begin at 6pm in each of the world’s time zones, with those “saved” by Jesus ascending to heaven and the non-believers being wiped out by an earthquake rolling from city to city across the planet. [guardian]

Bids For Princess Beatrice’s Ridiculous Wedding Hat Top $120,000 – Auction bids for Princess Beatrice’s bizarre royal wedding hat exceeded £75,000 ($120,000) on Saturday as the online sale headed into its final 24 hours. Some 38 bidders were competing on eBay to get their hands on the “used” headpiece, which sparked controversy among fashionistas following William and Catherine’s big day. [nypost]

SA Govt Vows To Find Hammerl’s Body – The government will do everything in its power to repatriate the body of South African photojournalist Anton Hammerl, the department of international relations and cooperation said on Sunday. Local authorities were working closely with the Austrian government to find his body, said spokesperson Clayson Monyela. [mail&guardian]

‘The Tree Of Life’ Wins At Cannes – Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life has won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, which just handed out its awards. The reclusive director did not attend the ceremony, and the award was picked up by producers Bill Pohlad and Dede Gardner. The meditative drama stars Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn. [deadline]

O’Bama Comes Home - As the residents of Moneygall ready themselves to play host to Barack Obama on May 23, many hope the visit will bring the Irish village exactly what the President’s great-great-great-grandfather sought when he left there 150 years ago: prosperity. [time]

DSK’s Maid Vomited After Attack - The luxury-hotel maid who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss-Kahn was found by a supervisor in a hallway where she hid after escaping from the former International Monetary Fund director’s room. Hotel workers described her as traumatized, having difficulty speaking, and immediately concerned about pressing charges and losing her job, according to sources familiar with the investigation. [dailybeast]

DSK’s Wife Stands By Her Man – She was much more famous than her husband, and much wealthier, too. Now she joins the unhappy club of wives standing by their man in the face of a crescendo of tales of sexual betrayal, spurred in her case by extraordinary and tawdry criminal charges of attempted rape of a hotel maid. [newyorktimes]

British Soccer Star Sues Twitter Over Super-Injunction Tweets – For weeks, British tabloids were prohibited from outing a soccer star who allegedly had a longtime affair with former supermodel and reality-TV star Imogen Thomas. It was due to something issued by British courts called a “super-injunction.” Of course, information wants to be free, so that little roadblock didn’t hold back the aptly named @InjunctionSuper. [wired]

New ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ Breaks Overseas Box Office Record – The reengineered “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel “On Stranger Tides” found its smoothest sailing overseas, where it took in a record $256.3 million at the international box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. That surpasses the previous record foreign opening of the sixth “Harry Potter” film, 2009′s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which earned $236 million internationally. [abcnews]

Iceland Airport Closes Due To Volcanic Ash – as of Monday morning in Australia, Iceland’s main international airport at Keflavik, just outside Reykjavik, is completely shut down due to the volcanic ash from the Grimsvötn volcano eruption, with all flights showing as cancelled. [ausbt]

Ukraine Parliament Havoc - Vice speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Adam Martynyuk took matters into his own hands during a recent debate when he throttled a deputy legislator. The fisticuffs began when Martynyuk refused to allow politician Oleg Lyashko to make a speech that he had not signed up for “in accordance with regulations,” according to the Kyiv Post. Video. [huffpo]

Swaziland Must Cut Spending, Says World Bank - Swaziland may be forced to devalue its currency unless the crisis-hit southern African kingdom can urgently cut government spending, a World Bank economist warned. ”It is getting to the point of reckoning — when Swaziland will no longer be able to sustain its deficit,” said World Bank economist, Jean van Houtte. [afp]

Apple Signing Big Labels To Cloud Service – Apple Inc. has reached agreements with three major record labels to let users of its new music service access their song collections from handheld devices via the Internet, people with knowledge of the deals said. The new iTunes offering will let users store content on Apple’s servers and access it using the Web, rather than loading songs into a device’s memory. [bloomberg]

The Royal Honeymoon Is Over - Britain’s newly married Prince William and his wife, the former Kate Middleton, have left the island nation of the Seychelles after a 10-day honeymoon, officials said Saturday. ”They left happy and clearly content with their stay,” said the head of the Seychelles tourism board, Alain St Ange, who saw the couple leave Friday. [associated]

It’s Not Gay If It’s A Three-Way - When Justin Timberlake signs on to host an episode of “Saturday Night Live,” a stand-out Digital Short is something of a given. Lady Gaga was bound to just be icing on the cake. So we weren’t surprised when reports emerged this week that Timberlake and Andy Samberg were spotted in New York, sporting their “Dick in a Box” costumes alongside “Mother Lover” co-stars Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson. But it was Gaga who played the leading lady in this latest installment of the chin-strapped duo’s saga, “Three-way. [zap2it]

Russell Brand Deported From Japan - Katy Perry was up in arms on Twitter yesterday, after officials in Japan deported her husband, British comedian Russell Brand, right out of the country. So why was the 35-year-old funnyman booted from the Land of the Rising Sun? Apparently old arrests on Brand’s record are to blame. Blind. [popeater]

David Beckham Launches ‘Bodywear’ Line - David Beckham has lent his face and body to Armani in the past, starring in the Italian label’s underwear ads to the joy of female fans worldwide, but it seems the star athlete has had enough of sharing revenues earned with his good looks. According to Women’s Wear Daily, Armani‘s turnover almost doubled during the time Beckham was spokesmodel for the brand. [luxuo]

Playboy iPad App Announced

20 May 2011

It’s called iPlayboy because, well hell, what else were they going to call it? The appeal here is not so much that you get to see tastefully nude photographs in glorious iPad detail as the fact that the application offers full access to the Playboy archives – you would own every Playboy issue ever. Welcome to the future.
I mean, obviously there’s some weirdness here – you’re using sexy Apple technology to read soft porn magazines, and even if you’re reading them ‘for the articles’, this doesn’t gell too well with Steve Jobs’ ‘freedom from pornography’ spiel when denying other risque apps. That said, back in ’72 Playboy seriously did motivate some pretty great journalism, and it’d be nice to have access to that again.
Subscriptions are looking to be around R55/month or R700/year, depending on how commited you are to these things.

[Source: iPlayboy]

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Test Flight [VIDEO]

20 May 2011

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, the commercial spaceflight vehicle, recently had its seventh test flight, dropped from a height of 15km to see if it could adjust speed and bearing with various wing configurations. Which sounds technically fancy, but really just looks insanely cool.
Say the dudes over at WIRED:

After establishing a stable glide, test pilot Pete Siebold raised the twin booms that comprise the tail of SS2 into the feather position. On an actual sub-orbital space flight, this would be done while still in space where there would be no aerodynamic forces on the vehicle.
…
The feather position allows the space craft to reenter the atmosphere at a slow enough speed to reduce the heating problems that can occur as friction with the atmosphere increases. It also simplifies the process compared to needing a precise glide angle for reentry in order to avoid skipping off of the atmosphere.

Which sounds fancy, but again guys: rocket ships. No need to over-sell.
[Source: WIRED]

How To Fight The War On SMS Spam

No, Barnyard Menlyn, I don’t want to see “Super Troupers” and no “i-save” I don’t want to reduce my car and household insurance premiums. And who the hell is “WIZZIT” and why should I possibly want to buy airtime from them? Even the DA and Irasa have been harassing me over the last few days. I get that campaigning is important, but where did they get my number from? And another thing: I will not type “STOP” and pay you R5 for the privilege of ending your campaign of terror against me.

It seems that other people are suffering a similar fate and Waspa says it is taking this very seriously.  The head of its code of conduct committee, Russel Stromin, had the following to say in a statement yesterday:

Consumers receiving unwanted SMS marketing messages from companies that they have not directly supplied with their cellphone numbers should report the spammer to Waspa.

The association takes consumers’ rights to privacy very seriously and forbids its members from sending unsolicited messages to consumers whose numbers they have acquired through third-party databases.

He also said that a business needs “explicit consent” from you to send you messages.

We can also seek to remedy our plight in the new Consumer Protection Act. The act states that any company wanting to contact customers directly (harass them) has to check their numbers against a new national opt-out register called the “Do Not Call Registry” (DNCR), but this has yet to come into force. Then there is also the Direct Marketing Assoctiaton (DMA) who keeps a database of members (spammers). You can click to “opt-out”. So between these three, you may eventually be freed.

For now you can contact Waspa via its website or on 011 476 7710 and the DMA here. I will be doing this shortly.

[Source : SAPA via News24, Waspa, Direct Marketing Assoctiaton]

Friday Morning Spice

20 May 2011

They Lied, Hammerl IS Dead – A statement on Facebook by the family of Anton Hammerl, a 41-year-old South African freelance photographer who has been missing in Libya for more than a month, said the family learned Thursday that he had in fact been killed April 5 by the forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. [newyorktimes]

ANC And DA Win Big - The ANC has maintained its control of most of the country’s major cities but the DA will govern Cape Town for a second term and has increased its support countrywide. A triumphant Patricia de Lille, who will be sworn in as mayor of Cape Town, said, “I feel very positive and confident. I did not go down to the gutter politics and campaigning of the ANC.” [timeslive]

DSK Gets Bail - Scandal-hit IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was last night bailed on sex charges – but then humiliatingly ordered to wear an electronic tag. The 62-year-old had to put up a £620,000 bond and was warned by judges he must stay at his student daughter Camille’s home under 24-hour guard – at a personal cost to him of £150,000 a month. [mirror]

Save The Date: The World Ends Tomorrow – Behind thousands of “Judgement Day” billboards from rural highways to city skylines and a small army of volunteers that have traipsed across the country preaching May 21 as the beginning of the world’s destruction is a frail, 89-year-old California multimillionaire who runs one of the largest Christian radio networks in the world. [huffpo]

Lance Armstrong’s Teammate Saw Him Doping – For the first time, former Armstrong teammate Tyler Hamilton reveals details never heard in public before of how and when he and some of the former members of the U.S. Postal Service team, including and led by Armstrong used banned substances, including EPO and testosterone, to gain an advantage in races that Armstrong won. [cbsnews]

Poachers Killed By Poachers In Kruger – Three suspected rhino poachers have been shot dead in the Kruger National Park, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Thursday. The poachers fired on the SANDF soldiers, who returned fire. An AK-47 assault rifle, a hunting rifle, two axes and two cellphones were found in the men’s possession. [news24]

Amazon E-Books Now Outsell Print Books - It had to happen eventually: Amazon.com announced Thursday that it is selling more Kindle e-books than printed hardcover or paperback books. Amazon said that since April 1, it has been selling 105 Kindle e-books for every 100 print books. Free Kindle books are excluded from that count; if free books were included, the number would be even higher. [computerworld]

Gwyneth Paltrow Is Into Her Gangsta Rap [Video] - Gwyneth Paltrow’s upper middle class upbringing prepared her well for life as a movie star, a rocker’s wife and as the author of a snooty newsletter… but a rapper? Gwyn shocked the audience on The Graham Norton show the other day when she admitted to being a big fan of 90s hip hop. And we’re not just talking Vanilla Ice. [msn]

Schwarzenegger Puts Movie Career On Hold – Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger delayed his Hollywood comeback Thursday as he braced for what could be a costly divorce prompted by revelations that he had an affair and child with a housekeeper who worked for his family for 20 years. Insert ‘I’ll be back’ joke here. [associated]

Shriver Lawyers Up – Maria Shriver has retained celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser to represent her in her split from Arnold Schwarzenegger. Wasser, 42, a mother of two, has been nicknamed a “disso-queen” for her reputation for handling marital dissolutions for some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names. [huffers]

Google Says Face Recognition Is Creepy - Don’t expect Google to recognize you. Eric Schmidt, the company’s executive chairman, said Google will not build a database of users’ individual faces, even though the technology is available to make it possible. Schmidt said the accuracy of facial recognition technology and its ensuing implications are “creepy”. [adweek]

Kate And Pippa Are ‘Very Competitive” – Stunning sisters Kate and Pippa Middleton presented a united front on the day of the Royal Wedding, with neither putting a foot wrong as thousands watched them walk down the aisle. You’d certainly never guess there was any sibling rivalry bubbling under the surface. [marieclaire]

Mercedes Benz Helicopter Unveiled – Eurocopter’s EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style helicopter made its world debut at the 2011 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. Conceived in a styling project led by the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Como, Italy, the interior of the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style is inspired by the automaker’s range of high-end vehicles. [luxuo]

Reagan’s Daughter Poses Nude At 58 – Patti Davis, the rebel daughter of President Ronald Reagan who posed for Playboy magazine in 1994 when she was 42, is once again posing nude but this time it’s for More magazine. The 58-yea-old writer wants to celebrate having a body that she is finally proud of. Go Patti. [popeater]

Will Naomi Be Kate’s Bridesmaid? - IS Naomi Campbell set to be Kate’s bridesmaid? Moss is reportedly marrying boyfriend Jamie Hince in July. “Now that would be telling,” she says. “But I am so proud of Kate. I love Jamie and I can’t wait for the wedding. Jamie’s such a nice guy, he’s the one for her. It’s going to be an amazing day and I’m on the phone with her all the time.” [popyacollar]

Major Security Flaw Found In Android Phones

19 May 2011

Google has been hit with a string of security flaws lately and the internet giant has now been exposed yet again with a “significant security hole” being found in its smartphone operating system, Google Android. As usual with these things, it can allow attackers to gain access to users’ personal information without their permission.
The temporary flaw was embarrassingly discovered by three research assistants at Ulm University in the southern part of Germany and currently affects about 97% of Android users.
The funny thing is that the problem stems from a simple security flaw that leaves users susceptible to attack when they are connected to unencrypted Wi-Fi networks.
Essentially anyone else on that network could gain access to, modify or delete Android users’ calendars, photos and contacts information.
The easiest way to explain the flaw is to use interweb banking as an example – virtually all interweb banking is done over what is referred to in interweb jargon as HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure.
Currently Android is vulnerable to compromise because it uses the usual interweb interface of HTTP or, Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which is not as secure as the encrypted HTTPS network.
“It is quite easy,” the researchers explained in one of their blog posts, “The implications of this vulnerability reach from disclosure to loss of personal information.”
Essentially data can be accessed by applications or extensions of the operating system that collect data broadcast over unprotected Wi-Fi networks and which allow, for example, access to other people’s Facebook accounts.
Cleverly, Google was able to fix the problem quite easily on its end and avoid further embarrassment by adding the simple prerequisite that requires an HTTPS connection for calendar and contacts synchronisation instead of an unsecured connection.
Apparently this adaptation to their servers has avoided a notoriously tedious Android update process and all shall be OK in a few days time.
The modest researchers also took the opportunity to suggest to Google that they in future prevent Android devices from automatically remembering and logging onto unencrypted Wi-Fi networks.
[Source: CNNMoney]

Local Elections Wrap-Up

19 May 2011

The first results in last night were from a tiny ward in Randfontein, West of Joburg. In a ward with only nine registered voters, it wasn’t too difficult a job to do to count them. The ANC beat the DA four to three. The rest of the country, however, is a different story.
Officially voting ended at 19:00, but everyone who was in the queue before the cut-off was allowed to vote. By 22:00 there were still people in queues in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumulanga, said chief IEC officer, Pansy Tlakula. The IEC said that all went quite well and that of the 20 859 voting stations nationwide all, but one, were open by 09:30.
There were, however, some issues. There were a number of reports of faulty or missing ID barcode scanners, some light to medium intimidation, some stations not opening on time and oh, some voting tent burnings.
The eyes of the country are, of course, on Cape Town and the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, with the ANC saying they think they’d surprise many.
Helen Zille, said, however that she was not amused as she saw that there were people being handed only one voting paper, instead of the two required. She urged voters to let her know if there were unsavoury happenings afoot:

It was highly suspicious. When I pointed this out to the IEC they got a terrible fright and said it shouldn’t be like this.

In the Free State two presiding officers were fired as the one officer said that the station had run out of ballots, so he ran to his “friend” to get some more.
This wasn’t the only problem that Bloemfontein suffered. On Tuesday evening an election tent was burned and there was a very low turnout on Wednesday, due to intimidation.
Last night, in a press conference in Pretoria, Tlakula said that the IEC had to fire a total of six IEC officials, due to doubts over their impartiality. She said, however, that overall, the voting process went smoothly and she expected a turnout of at least 40%.
Meanwhile ANC election head, Fikile Mbalula said that he was confident of victory, despite fierce opposition campaigning.

We are not scared, we are actually happy that other parties were campaigning in the manner they were campaigning. This is in our blood, we are used to it, it’s in our DNA.
What we can say is that we are confident of an overwhelming victory.

More importantly, I’m sure you’re all curious to learn about my voting experience. Well I trundled off to Laêrskool Menlo Park, in the Eastern suburbs of Pretoria, at about 17:00. I was then sent to the wrong queue, of about 4 people. I then went to the correct queue, of naught people.
I learnt about firemen and astronauts and nurses (in Afrikaans, as this is Afrikaner valley don’t you know). I then put my scrawl on the paper and wended my way home, safe in the knowledge that I could legitimately bitch about the potholes in Mackenzie Street. Attached is an image that illustrates my voting experience.

[Source : News24]

Thursday Morning Spice

• May 19, 2011
• Seth Rotherham

Camps Bay Voting Station – a real pulse of the nation

Local Government Elections – With just 131 071 votes counted by midnight on Wednesday, the ruling party had 55,76% of the vote for wards and the Democratic Alliance came in at 33,48%. The ANC had 71 847 votes cast so far and the DA had 43 146, across various wards in the country. [mail&guardian]

Mandela Changed His Vote: Cope – “Mandela has voted Cope. I’m convinced,” said Preddy Mothopeng in a text message to Sapa on Wednesday. ”For the first time in his political career he made a secret vote, changing his voting announcement.” He said Mandela voted for his party because its leader Mosiuoa Lekota was still “serving” the cause they both believed in. [timeslive]

Schwarzenegger’s Son With Housekeeper Born Days After Shriver Son - A son fathered by Arnold Schwarzenegger with his housekeeper was born less than a week after Maria Shriver gave birth to another Schwarzenegger son, according to birth records. The mother was Mildred Patricia Baena, who worked for two decades as housekeeper for the Schwarzenegger family. [chicagotribune]

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Resigns – Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned Wednesday as head of the International Monetary Fund after explosive allegations that he had sexually attacked a cleaning lady in a midtown Manhattan hotel room. Mr. Strauss-Kahn, a former French finance minister, had been expected to declare his candidacy for the French presidency soon. He was seen as the figure most likely to oust President Nicolas Sarkozy. [newyorktimes]

Christine Lagarde Tipped To Replace Strauss-Kahn - Her straight talk has helped burnish Ms. Lagarde’s reputation as one of Europe’s most influential ambassadors in the world of international finance. And now it is helping to make Ms. Lagarde, 55, perhaps the leading candidate to succeed her friend and colleague Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) as head of the International Monetary Fund. [newyorktimes]

Housekeeper Will Testify Against Strauss-Kahn – We must be clear this is in no way connected to Schwarzenegger’s housekeeper. The maid who has accused International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault is “scared” but will testify against him, her lawyer says. He said there was “nothing consensual about what took place in that hotel room” in New York on 14 May. [bbc]

Strauss-Kahn ‘Aggressive’ With Callgirls – Dominique Strauss-Kahn was once a client of a notorious New York madam, one of whose call girls complained about his aggressive behaviour, it was claimed last night. Kristin Davis, 35, claims the IMF chief used the services of her Wicked Models escort agency twice in 2006, she told The Times. [dailymail]

Tiger Woods Out Of Top 10 - Woods, whose last win came 18 months ago at the Australian Masters, will drop to at least No. 11 in the next world ranking published Monday. It will be the first time he is out of the top 10 since he was No. 13 on April 6, 1997, the week before he won the Masters for the first of his 14 majors. [stuff]

Photos Capture Dramatic Rescue Of Jilted Bride – Dramatic photos tell the tale: A young woman in China dressed in a wedding gown tried to jump to her death from a high-rise but was saved by people inside the building. The 22-year-old had been recently jilted by her fiance, according to local media. [newser]

Bin Laden Tape Surfaces, Celebrating Revolutions - Al Qaeda released a posthumous audio recording by Osama bin Laden in which the Islamist group’s leader praised revolutions sweeping the Arab world, and called for more “tyrants” to be toppled. Islamists have often been conspicuous by their absence in the uprisings largely led by ordinary citizens angered by autocratic rule, corruption and economic mismanagement. [reuters]

Lady Gaga Is The Most Powerful Person In Entertainment - Move over Oprah! Lady Gaga has lobster clawed her way past the daytime talk show titan to be crowned the Most Powerful Person In Entertainment, topping the annual Forbes Celebrity 100 list. And she can thank Twitter and Facebook for that. [idolator]

LinkedIn Valued At $4.24 Billion - LinkedIn Corp.’s initial public offering roared out of the gates, pricing at $45 a share, the high end of underwriters’ expectations, and giving the professional networking website a value of $4.25 billion. But none of that deterred investors on Wednesday, who gobbled up shares of an offering led by Morgan Stanley, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. [wallstreetjournal]

Obama Selling Birth Certificate T-Shirts – The Obama campaign is selling T-shirts on its website that show Obama’s face on the front along with the words “Made in the USA.” On the back is an image of the president’s long-form birth certificate from Hawaii — the one the White House finally produced in April. [associated]

Sugar Ray Leonard Sexually Abused By Coach - The former boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard, regarded as one the sport’s greatest exponents, has revealed that he was sexually abused as a teenager by a prominent Olympic coach. Leonard, a stylish fighter who won titles in five different weight divisions, makes the claim against the unnamed coach in his autobiography, to be published next month. [independent]

Queen Refuses Pint Of Guinness - The Queen paid a visit to one of Dublin’s top tourist attractions – the Guinness Storehouse – as part of her state visit to Ireland on Wednesday, but she appeared to refuse the chance to sample a pint of the country’s national drink. [metro]

Egyptian Saif Al-Adel Is New Leader Of Al Qaeda - An Egyptian who was once a Special Forces officer has been chosen “caretaker” leader of al Qaeda in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death, according to a source with detailed knowledge of the group’s inner workings. Al Qaeda’s interim leader is Saif al-Adel, who has long played a prominent role in the group. [cnn]

Thursday Is “Vote For Table Mountain” Day - Table Mountain is at the bottom of the final 28, in the running to be one of the new seven wonders of nature. Table Mountain needs YOU to vote at least every Thursday. We need 30 million votes to make the final 7.  You can vote on the website or by SMSing the word ‘table’ to 34874 (SMS cost R2). You can vote once on the website and as many times as you want on SMS. come on, gang, let’s do this thing!  [votefortablemountain.com]

Tuesday Morning Spice

17 May 2011

IMF Chief Jailed Alone At Rikers Island – Denied $1 Million Bail - Haggard and unshaven after a weekend in jail, the chief of the International Monetary Fund was denied release on bail Monday on charges of trying to rape a hotel maid as allegations of other, similar attacks by Dominique Strauss-Kahn began to spill out. [cbs]

Strauss-Kahn’s ‘Open Secret’ - Less than three weeks ago, Dominique Strauss-Kahn sat down in a Paris restaurant for an off-the-record lunch with two journalists from the daily Libération. The IMF chief outlined the three biggest personal hurdles in his relentless campaign to become president of France: “Money, women and being a Jew.” [guardian]

Mandela Allowed Special Vote At Home - South Africa’s aged ex-president Nelson Mandela voted at his home Monday for this week’s local elections, in a special arrangement for the infirm. The iconic 92-year-old anti-apartheid hero, is under home-based care after being hospitalised for two days in January for an acute respiratory infection. [afp]

Man ‘Cured’ Of AIDS After Bone Marrow Transplant - Timothy Ray Brown, 45, claims to be the first person in history to be completely cured of AIDs. Last December, Mr Brown – often known as ‘The Berlin Patient’ because he formerly lived in that city – had his case published in the peer-reviewed journal ‘Blood’. The researchers wrote that tests ‘strongly suggest that cure of HIV infection has been achieved’. [dailymail]

Couple Names Kid After Facebook ‘Like’ – Parents Lior and Vardit Adler have named their newborn daughter “Like” after Facebook’s “like” button, reports Galgalatz, an Israeli news outlet. According to a translation of the Galgalatz article, the parents were looking for a unique name for their baby girl and liked the sound of the word “Like.”  [huffpo]

Queen’s Visit To Ireland ‘Extraordinary Moment In History’ - More than 100 armed British police will take to the streets of Dublin on Tuesday to help protect the Queen as she touches down for her four-day state tour. It is the first time a British monarch has visited Ireland since 1911 and the city centre will be turned into a car free zone to prevent terrorist car bombs. [telegraph]

Space Shuttle Endeavour’s Final Lift-Off - After a two week delay caused by problems with a heating unit, the space shuttle Endeavour made its final historic launch Monday morning. ”3-2-1, shuttle endeavor leaves Kennedy Space Center on its final mission,” announced mission control during liftoff. [kwqc]

Steve Tyler Tried Gay Sex - Steven Tyler “tried” gay sex, “but just didn’t dig it,” he says in his memoir. “Gay sex just doesn’t do it for me.” He also cops to shooting heroin in his butt and carrying a concealed firearm because he thought the CIA was out to get him. Touring with Aerosmith, he used to require all green rooms to be outfitted with a 6-foot full-length mirror so he could do cocaine off of it. [gawker]

Space Shuttle Twitpic Launches Woman To Tweeting Fame - When Stefanie Gordon boarded her plane in New York City to visit her parents in Palm Beach, the captain noted there was a chance passengers would witness the space shuttle Endeavour’s last launch during the flight. But she never expected to play a role in documenting it. [mashable]

SA’s ‘Youngest Billionaire’ In Court - The court case of a man claiming to be South Africa’s “youngest billionaire” was postponed in the Orlando Magistrate’s Court on Monday. Lamba was arrested last Tuesday at Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Johannesburg, on 15 charges, including theft, fraud and culpable homicide. Nice. [news24]

All Data Recovered From Air France Crash - French investigators said Monday they have recovered all the flight data and cockpit voice recordings from the recorders of an Air France jet found in the Atlantic depths nearly two years after it crashed. The recorders were located by underwater robots and hoisted up from depths of nearly 4,000 meters earlier this month. [time]

‘Dougie’ Rapper M-Bone Slain In California Drive-By - M-Bone of the rap group Cali Swag District, which scored a hit last year with the song “Teach Me How to Dougie,” was killed in a weekend drive-by shooting as he sat in a car outside a liquor store. The 22-year-old Inglewood man, whose real name is Mante Ray Talbert, was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car shortly after 10:30 p.m. Sunday. [associated]

Madoff Wine Collection To Be Auctioned Online - Pair your next filet mignon with a red wine from disgraced financier Bernard Madoff’s exclusive cellar. U.S. Marshals announced Monday that Madoff’s wine and spirit collection will be auctioned online. Proceeds of the sales are to go to his victims. The auction is scheduled for Wednesday. [sacbee]

Winklevoss Whingers Lose Bid To Reopen Facebook Case – Twin brothers who accused Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg of stealing their idea for the social networking website lost their bid to have a federal appeals court void a settlement of their claims. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss had sought to reopen the cash-and-stock settlement, which has been valued at $65 million. [msnbc]

Donald Trump Not Running For President Anymore – Instead Focusing On His TV Career [VIDEO]

17 May 2011

In an incredibly patriotic move, Donald Trump yesterday announced that he no longer plans to run for the American presidency. Instead he will rather selflessly become part of the 12th season of The Apprentice once again because “it is for charity and for a great cause.” See the video statement inside. I love the applauding when he announces his decision not to run anymore. Awkward.

[Source: ABC News]

It’s Official – Graeme Smith Is A Stallion In The Sack

17 May 2011

A sharp-eyed 2oceansviber sent in a screenshot of a tweet posted by Graeme Smith’s irish fiance, Morgan Deane, which celebrates his prowess in bed.

Smith popped the question to Deane in early April.
We’re glad to have it confirmed by someone in the know that Graeme is not only a great opener, but a great finisher, too.
Follow Morgan Dean on twitter, here.