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."

Dvorak Uncensored - Interior Department Falsifying Scientific Data For Political Friends

Dvorak Uncensored � Interior Department Falsifying Scientific Data For Political Friends: "Interior Department Falsifying Scientific Data For Political Friends"

Pandora founder talks about the danger facing internet radio- game over?

A ruling from an obscure, 3-person panel from the Library of Congress threatens the existence of Pandora, and every other internet radio service out there. The plan from the Copyright Royalty Board is to increase the fees to internet radio operators so high that they will effectively be out of business. Here's our video interview with Tim...



read more | digg story

Samsung Booth Babe

A Fee Per Song Can Ruin Us, Internet Radio Companies Say

March 19, 2007
A Fee Per Song Can Ruin Us, Internet Radio Companies Say
By ROBERT LEVINE

New-media companies and record labels are feuding again. But this time, it is the digital companies that warn they may be driven out of business.

Several Internet radio companies are arguing that a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board, a three-member panel under the Library of Congress, would make it almost impossible for them to stay afloat.

Under the ruling released on March 2, Web broadcasters must pay each time a listener hears a song, at a rate that began at 0.08 cent in 2006 (the ruling applies retroactively) and rises to 0.19 cent in 2010. Besides increasing the charge for each song, the ruling established a $500 minimum payment for each Web channel — making it difficult for companies like RealNetworks and Pandora to offer as many different kinds of music as they do now.

Captain America Killed | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Captain America Killed | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: "Captain America Killed

Captain America, the comic book character created during World War II as a patriotic opponent of the Nazis, was killed by sniper bullets in a recent comic. What do you think?


Monica Chan,
Systems Analyst
'But who will avenge him? If only there were a group of 'avengers,' if you will, organized for that purpose.'


Herbert Mandelbaum,
Archivist
'Yet another intelligence failure by S.H.I.E.L.D.. How many more screwups must we endure before Bush fires Executive Director Nicholas Fury?'


Diego Lopez,
Florist
'Oh, man! Why are all the really cool assassinations wasted on make-believe people?'"

Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive - New York Times

Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive - New York Times: "Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive
By DAMON DARLIN

The two-year contract. It is the bane of a cellphone owner’s existence, especially one who must have the latest hot phone at a discounted price.

Two years is a long time, and few other marketers can get away with demanding it, much less adding to it. Every time you walk back into the cellphone store or call the customer service operators, it seems, the contract is extended. Lose the phone or ask for a replacement, and the contract is extended. Sign up for a family plan, same thing.

But try getting out of a contract early? You can do it, but you will have to pay an early termination fee of as much as $240. "

Slashdot | FAA May Ditch Vista For Linux

Slashdot | FAA May Ditch Vista For Linux: "FAA May Ditch Vista For Linux
Posted by kdawson on Wednesday March 07, @08:07AM
from the hello-Google dept."

An anonymous reader writes "Another straw in the wind: following last week's news that the US Department of Transportation is putting a halt on upgrades to Windows Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer 7, today comes word that the Federal Aviation Administration may ditch Vista and Office in favor of Google's new online business applications running on Linux-based hardware.

Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product

Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product: "Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product

March 6, 2007 | Issue 43•10

SAN FRANCISCO—At a highly anticipated media event Tuesday at San Francisco's Moscone Center, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs introduced a new Apple product he said would 'revolutionize' the process of unveiling new products throughout the world.

'In 1984, Apple introduced the Mac,' Jobs said to an overflowing crowd as an image of the first Macintosh computer was displayed on a giant screen behind him. 'We changed the face of the music industry with the first iPod in 2001. And in January, we showed off the revolutionary new iPhone. Today, Apple is releasing a piece of innovative new technology that will forever change the way innovative new technology is released.'"

Wired News: March 4, 1887: Start Your Engine

Wired News: March 4, 1887: Start Your Engine: "By Tony Long| Also by this reporter
02:00 AM Mar, 04, 2007

1887: Gottlieb Daimler's 'Benzin motor carriage' is given its first test run in Esslingen, Germany. It's the first four-wheeled vehicle to feature Daimler's gasoline-powered, water-cooled internal combustion engine, the prototype of the engine that continues to be the most widely used to this day.

Daimler's motor carriage was aptly named -- it bears a close resemblance to the traditional horse-drawn carriage.

'Benzin,' incidentally, has nothing to do with Carl Benz, the other German automotive pioneer closely associated with Daimler. In this case, benzin is the German word for gasoline. In fact, at the time when the Benzin motor carriage made its debut, Daimler and Benz were fierce competitors.

Their companies continued growing separately until 1926, when they merged. Daimler and Benz never met.
"