EO Newsroom: New Images - A View of Earth from Saturn

Although the Earth Observatory typically reserves “Image of the Day” space for publishing data and images acquired by Earth-observing satellites, we are sometimes so enthralled by the spectacular images acquired by spacecraft observing other parts of the solar system that we want to share these 'otherworldy' views with our visitors. And if you are looking for remotely sensed images of the Earth, this view is the most remotely sensed image we have ever published!"

Dell to choose Ubuntu

Several sources within Dell have told DesktopLinux.com that Dell's desktop Linux pick is going to be Ubuntu, and that Ubuntu 7.04 will be available preinstalled on three Dell desktop and notebook lines by the end of May.



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Dvorak Uncensored » RIAA to net radio: Even if you play only independent non-RIAA music, you still have to pay us! It’s the law!

Dvorak Uncensored » RIAA to net radio: Even if you play only independent non-RIAA music, you still have to pay us! It’s the law!: "RIAA to net radio: Even if you play only independent non-RIAA music, you still have to pay us! It’s the law!"

unfortunate placement of yahoo ad

Title says it all!



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14 Year Old Teenager in 1901 Makes Predictions About Life in 2001

In the year 1901 Arthur Palm, a fourteen-year-old student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, published an article in his school newspaper (the Excelsior) describing the world of 2001. Below is an excerpt of his article as featured in the book Yesterday's Future: The Twentieth Century Begins (Voices of the Wisconsin Past).



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Mayor White: Electricity deregulation 'a rip-off' | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Mayor White: Electricity deregulation 'a rip-off' | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Mayor calls electricity deregulation 'a rip-off'
White and Rep. Sylvester Turner say low-income customers unfairly carry the burden

By ANNE MARIE KILDAY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle"

Before a crowd of about 400 people complaining about high electricity rates, Houston Mayor Bill White said deregulation of the electric utility industry was "a rip-off" for Texans.

Houston Rep. Sylvester Turner urged the crowd to let other lawmakers know they support his measure to cut rates by 15 percent, restore a low-income assistance fund and allow the state Public Utility Commission to review the sale of Dallas-based Texas Utilities.

White and Turner spoke Saturday afternoon at a town hall meeting sponsored by ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, at Barbara Jordan High School.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Texas' retail electric rates last month were about 9.14 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with the national average of 8.14 cents. States with higher rates were Hawaii, at 18.33 cents per kilowatt-hour, and northeastern states, where rates ranged from 10.95 cents in Maine to 13.95 cents in New York.

Electric rates for Texas residential customers increased in January, as many utilities were freed from state regulation.

The Perfect Bacon Sandwich Decoded: Crisp and Crunchy - New York Times

The Perfect Bacon Sandwich Decoded: Crisp and Crunchy - New York Times

First Sign of Water on Planet Outside Our System

First Sign of Water on Planet Outside Our System: "First Sign of Water on Planet Outside Our System
Anne Minard
for National Geographic News
April 10, 2007

For the first time, astronomers have detected water in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system.

Astronomer Travis Barman announced today that he has discovered water around planet HD209458b by combining theoretical models with observations from the Hubble Space Telescope."

Dvorak Uncensored » Princeton scholar and decorated Marine added to the secret “no fly list” because he spoke out against Bush!

Dvorak Uncensored » Princeton scholar and decorated Marine added to the secret “no fly list” because he spoke out against Bush!: "Princeton scholar and decorated Marine added to the secret “no fly list”"

A top Constitutional scholar from Princeton who gave a televised speech that slammed President George W. Bush's executive overreach was recently told that he had been added to the Transportation Security Administration's terrorist watch list. He shared his experience this weekend at the law blog Balkinization.

"I was denied a boarding pass because I was on the Terrorist Watch list," he said.

When inquiring with a clerk why he was on the list, Murphy was asked if he had participated in any peace marches.

"We ban a lot of people from flying because of that," a clerk said.

Murphy then explained that he had not marched, but had "in September, 2006, given a lecture at Princeton, televised and put on the Web, highly critical of George Bush for his many violations of the Constitution."

The clerk responded, "That'll do it."

A Setback Then a Reprieve for Vonage in Courts - New York Times

A Setback Then a Reprieve for Vonage in Courts - New York Times: "April 7, 2007
A Setback Then a Reprieve for Vonage in Courts
By LAURIE J. FLYNN

Vonage Holdings, the Internet phone company, had a wild ride in the courtroom yesterday.

First, a federal judge in Alexandria, Va., barred Vonage from signing up new customers for its Internet phone service.

Then hours later, a federal appeals court gave Vonage a temporary stay of that injunction, allowing the company to continue to enroll customers while it sought to overturn the lower court ruling.

"

Hackers Dissect Apple TV to Create the Cheapest Mac Ever -

Hackers Dissect Apple TV to Create the Cheapest Mac Ever -: "Hackers Dissect Apple TV to Create the Cheapest Mac Ever
Rob Beschizza Email 04.06.07 | 2:00 AM

Inside the Apple TV

Apple TV is dead, long live the Mac Nano. Sort of.

Just two weeks after Apple released its streaming media box to the public, hackers successfully installed OS X, Apple's desktop operating system, on the $300 device, making it the cheapest PC Cupertino has ever sold."

Vonage barred from signing new customers - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe

Vonage barred from signing new customers - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe: "Vonage barred from signing new customers

Internet phone company Vonage Holdings Corp. will be barred from signing new customers as punishment for infringing on patents held by Verizon Communications Inc., under an injunction ordered today."

Patrick boycotts Senate's first Muslim prayer

from HoustonChronicle.com -- Republican Sen. Dan Patrick on Wednesday boycotted the first prayer delivered in the Texas Senate by a Muslim cleric, and then praised religious tolerance and freedom of speech in an address at the end of the day's session.

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The Mobile Phone Industry Must Die. DIE!

The Mobile Phone Industry Must Die. DIE!:
ARTICLE DATE: 03.26.07
By John C. Dvorak

Let me preface this entire column by saying that I hate mobile phones and think they are the bane of modern society. I personally seldom carry one and when I do it's a prepaid cheap disposable. My mobile phone bill amounts to around $20 a month using this practice. What's yours? Furthermore, almost everyone carries a phone nowadays, so when I need to make a call I can just ask to borrow one. Most everyone obliges. And I'm not practicing this because I'm cheap. It's the principle."

French Train Breaks Rail Speed Record - New York Times

April 4, 2007
French Train Breaks Rail Speed Record
By ARIANE BERNARD



BEZANNES, France, April 3 — A French high-speed train broke the world speed record on rail today, reaching 357 miles (574.8 kilometers) an hour in a much publicized test in eastern France, exceeding expectations to travel at 150 meters per second, or 540 kilometers an hour.

The train, code-named V150, is a research prototype meant to demonstrate the superiority both of the TGV high speed train and of its likely successor, the AGV, which is also manufactured by the French engineering group Alstom. The performance on Tuesday came close to but did not break the world speed record for any train, set by an electromagnetic train in 2003.

The French railroad company SNCF and Alstom publicized the event as a test of “French excellence,” building on national pride for the 25-year-old bullet train.

TiSP: Going with the flow

How TiSP Works: "TiSP: Going with the flow
TiSP Kit

Google TiSP (BETA) is a fully functional, end-to-end system that provides in-home wireless access by connecting your commode-based TiSP wireless router to one of thousands of TiSP Access Nodes via fiber-optic cable strung through your local municipal sewage lines."