Google to meet Oracle in US Court

Oracle and Google's Android copyright row trial has begun. Oracle claims that Google violated several of its patents and copyrights.

It is one of the biggest such tech lawsuits to date. Oracle is claiming about $1bn (£630m) in compensation.The Java developer claims Google's Android system infringes intellectual property rights relating to the programming language.

Software engineers warn the case could set a worrying precedent.

Google to meet Oracle in US Court

Oracle and Google's Android copyright row trial has begun. Oracle claims that Google violated several of its patents and copyrights.

It is one of the biggest such tech lawsuits to date. Oracle is claiming about $1bn (£630m) in compensation.The Java developer claims Google's Android system infringes intellectual property rights relating to the programming language.

Software engineers warn the case could set a worrying precedent.

Traffic free roads with wireless

The executive chairman of Ford, Bill Ford Jr, recently set out a vision of a world mostly free of traffic congestion as intelligent systems watched over traffic flow and directed vehicles accordingly.

A world where each parking space is monitored and cars directed to specific empty slots as they enter a city.

For all those sitting on the M25 yet again or driving round and round a multi-storey car park this may seem fantasy, but in principle it is a dream we could bring about.

Monitoring traffic flow is relatively easy, as is deducing where congestion is occurring and working out where to reroute cars.

But there is a big piece missing from the puzzle at the moment - a way to get information from sensors to control centres and from control centres back to cars, traffic lights, roadside signage and more.

Traffic free roads with wireless

The executive chairman of Ford, Bill Ford Jr, recently set out a vision of a world mostly free of traffic congestion as intelligent systems watched over traffic flow and directed vehicles accordingly.

A world where each parking space is monitored and cars directed to specific empty slots as they enter a city.

For all those sitting on the M25 yet again or driving round and round a multi-storey car park this may seem fantasy, but in principle it is a dream we could bring about.

Monitoring traffic flow is relatively easy, as is deducing where congestion is occurring and working out where to reroute cars.

But there is a big piece missing from the puzzle at the moment - a way to get information from sensors to control centres and from control centres back to cars, traffic lights, roadside signage and more.

Headline April 17th, 2012 / Ecorumbling

''Ecocrumblings''

Respectful dedication for peaceful resolution to all water conflicts!

Ban Ki-moon / Secretary-General United Nations

Water is life! Water is happiness! Water is future! But you wouldn't notice it by looking at the way humans consume their most precious of natural resource. Let me give you some startling facts from !W O W! Globally more than 1.4 billion people live in river basins where water consumption far, far outpaces the "ecosystems" ability to replenish itself. Therefore, by 2025, one study by the United Nation estimates, over 2 billion people live in regions suffering from water scarcity, and almost two-thirds of the global population will live under water stressed conditions.

That's an alarming, alarming outlook for a world that relies on water not only for day to day survival but to hold societies, economies and life togther. Everything is so linked when we talk about water, that you really have to look at water in an integrated and holistic manner, states one U.N. report.

This holistic thinking is leading to a paradigm shift in the ways communities manage water and the "ecosystems"  that supply it. When viewed not just as a resource for drinking but as a fuel for social and economic progress, water takes on new value. Mr M Smith, director of water program at the I.U. for the conservation of nature puts it succinctly : ''People's perception is often that sustainability means doing without, with having a lesser standard of living or having fewer opportunities for development.'' 

But sadly, over the past century, water use has grown at more than twice the rate of the global population. Roughly 70% of water usage is agriculture, 22% industrial, and only 8% is for domestic use. And most consumption is hidden from plain sight.

Embedded in energy production, the manufacturing of goods and food production. With this consider, that the water we do see is ever so often totally mismanaged.  The dams poorly placed, silted, and now muddy. The irrigation system badly though out with more wastage and then real use. All these misacts, and even misdeeds only go on to crumble and destroy our ''ecosystem'' that generates clean water for free.

The U.N report has further ascertained that all downstream social and economic losses eclipse all upstream benefits. We all must stop and rethink all issues pertaining to water resource management.

Water is the most critical survival imperative that we owe to ourselves and the future generations. Just ask Pakistan and India what water means to both countries. It is a matter of life and death. And students should'nt loose sight of the fact that it they look around the world, there are many many places where water is managed very well. Heed my advise! 

Goodnight & God bless!

SAM Daily Times - The Voice Of The Voiceless

Brisbane students in Malaysian bus crash

A BUS carrying students and teachers from a Brisbane private school has overturned in Malaysia, injuring four.

The 20 students and four staff from Padua College were returning from a sightseeing tour to Kota Kinabalu, on the northwest coast of Borneo, when the bus overturned on Friday, the college's vice rector (formation) Michael O'Brien said today.

The bus brakes failed and the vehicle came to rest on its side in a field.

"All 24 tourists were initially taken to Tuaran Hospital in Kota Kinabalu for medical assessment and treatment," Mr O'Brien said.

Three boys were treated for minor injuries including concussion, cuts and bruises.

A fourth boy remains in hospital with a neck injury.

"It is hoped he will be able to travel home with the rest of the party on Wednesday," Mr O'Brien said.

The group is on an 11-day sightseeing and soccer tour of Malaysia.

The party has opted to continue without the injured student and one teacher who was not injured but remained at the hospital.

"The college has kept all families closely informed since the accident occurred and is confident that the students and staff have received the best possible care and attention," Mr O'Brien said. (AAP)

Walking could be a useful tool in treating depression

ealth

Something as simple as going for a brisk stroll could play an important role in fighting depression, according to researchers in Scotland.

Vigorous exercise has already been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression, but the effect of less strenuous activities was unclear.

A study in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity showed walking had a "large effect" on depression.

One in 10 people may have depression at some point in their lives.

The condition can be treated with drugs, but exercise is commonly prescribed by doctors for mild symptoms.

Researchers at the University of Stirling scoured academic studies to find data on one of the mildest forms of exercise - walking.

They found eight studies, on a total of 341 patients, which fitted the bill.

Therapy
The report's authors showed "walking was an effective intervention for depression" and had an effect similar to other more vigorous forms of exercise.

They said: "Walking has the advantages of being easily undertaken by most people, incurring little or no financial cost and being relatively easy to incorporate into daily living."

However, they cautioned that much more research needed to be done. There are still questions over how long, how fast and whether walking should take place indoors or outdoors.

Prof Adrian Taylor, who studies the effects of exercise on depression, addiction and stress at the University of Exeter, told the BBC: "The beauty of walking is that everybody does it."

He added: "There are benefits for a mental-health condition like depression."

How any form of exercise helps with depression is unclear. Prof Taylor said there were ideas about exercise being a distraction from worries, giving a sense of control and releasing "feel-good" hormones.

The mental-health charity Mind said its own research found that spending time outdoors helped people's mental health.

Its chief executive, Paul Farmer, said: "To get the most from outdoor activities it's important to find a type of exercise you love and can stick at. Try different things, be it walking, cycling, gardening or even open-water swimming.

"Exercising with others can have even greater impact, as it provides an opportunity to strengthen social networks, talk through problems with others or simply laugh and enjoy a break from family and work. So ask a friend to join you." (BBC.co.uk)

Emperor Penguin Stats

Nearly twice as many emperor penguins inhabit Antarctica as was thought.

UK, US and Australian scientists used satellite technology to trace and count the iconic birds, finding them to number almost 600,000.Their census technique relies in the first instance on locating individual colonies, which is done by looking for big brown patches of guano (penguin poo) on the white ice.

High resolution imagery is then used to work out the number of birds present.

It is expected that the satellite mapping approach will provide the means to monitor the long-term health of the emperor population.

Climate modelling has suggested their numbers could fall in the decades ahead if warming around Antarctica erodes the sea ice on which the animals nest and launch their forays for seafood.

Sergey Brin, Google Co-Founder, Says Internet Freedom Facing Greatest Threat Ever

LONDON, April 16 (Reuters) - The principles of openness and universal access that underpinned the Internet's creation are facing their greatest-ever threat, the co-founder of Google Sergey Brin said in an interview published by Britain's Guardian newspaper on Monday.

Brin said the threat to freedom of the Internet came from a combination of factors, including increasing efforts by governments to control access and communication by their citizens.

Brin said attempts by the entertainment industry to crack down on piracy, and the rise of "restrictive" walled gardens such as Facebook and Apple, which tightly control what software can be released on their platforms, were also leading to greater restrictions on the Internet.

"There are very powerful forces that have lined up against the open Internet on all sides and around the world," Brin was quoted as saying. "I am more worried than I have been in the past. It's scary."

He said he was concerned by efforts of countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and Iran to censor and restrict use of the Internet.

Brin said the rise of Facebook and Apple, which have their own proprietary platforms and control access to their users, risked stifling innovation and balkanising the web.

How the sun waters grapes in the world's driest desert

Chile's Atacama desert is the driest desert on Earth. it boasts some of the highest levels of sunshine in the world. In the north of Chile, clouds appear on about 30 days a year at most.

Such weather conditions, combined with huge stretches of empty land along the Pacific coast, should make it an ideal place to tap the sun for energy.

But solar panels are almost nowhere to be seen.

So a small solar park in Copiapo Valley seems strangely lost among the orange-red hills and mountains of the Atacama.

It is operated by Subsole, one of Chile's major producers of fresh fruit, and its German partner, renewable energy company Kraftwerk.

Copiapo is a green oasis in the desert, with Subsole's vineyards thriving thanks to a natural underground water reservoir.

And to irrigate those vines, Subsole turns to the sun.

Solar energy will help the firm to pump water during the day and then irrigate in the evening or at night.

The plant's energy capacity is only 300 kWp (kilowatt peak) - enough to power a 20-storey building - but Roberto Jordan, from Kraftwerk's subsidiary in Chile, says that it is the first working industrial-size installation in the whole of Atacama.

And the desert, he adds, is capable of providing much more.

Some Asian glaciers 'putting on mass'

The Karakoram range is home to K2, the world's second highest mountain 

Some glaciers on Asia's Karakoram mountains are defying the global trend and getting thicker, say researchers.

A French team used satellite data to show that glaciers in part of the Karakoram range, to the west of the Himalayan region, are putting on mass.

The reason is unclear, as glaciers in other parts of the Himalayas are losing mass - which also is the global trend.

The region's glaciers are poorly studied, yet provide a vital water source for more than a billion people.

The response of Himalayan glaciers to global warming has been a hot topic ever since the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which contained the erroneous claim that ice from most of the region could disappear by 2035.

Although often regarded as part of the Himalayas, the Karakoram range is technically a separate chain that includes K2, the world's second-highest peak.

Much of the region is inaccessible, and there has been a general recognition that observations need to be stepped up in order to clarify what is going on.

The French scientists, from the National Centre for Scientific Research and the University of Grenoble, compared two models of land surface elevation derived from satellite observations, for 1999 and 2008, and report their findings in the Nature Geoscience journal.

The method has been used before in other mountain ranges, but it is not as straightforward as it might sound.

"It's not been used more because these elevation models are quite difficult to acquire - you need clear sky conditions and reduced snow cover," said lead researcher Julie Gardelle.

Other factors that can change the height of the ice surface, other than changes to the ice itself, also need to be accounted for.

Having done all these calculations, the team found that between 1999 and 2008 the mass of the glaciers in this 5,615 sq km (2,168 sq miles) region of the Karakoram increased marginally, although there were wide variations between individual glaciers. (BBC.co.uk)

From Africa to Interest Groups and Beyond: Recent Bowdoin Faculty Books

Books by Bowdoin faculty members are continuing to shape disciplines and garner widespread recognition. Recent faculty books include the following titles:

Lady E. S. Drower's Scholarly Correspondence: An Intrepid English Autodidact in Iraq (Brill, 2012)
Associate Professor of Religion Jorunn J. Buckley, editor

Jorunn BuckleyBuckley has edited a collection of the scholarly letters of Lady E. S. Drower, renowned for her novels, travel accounts, and studies in the Middle East, particularly on the Mandaeans.

Buckley’s book presents a window into the world of this self-taught scholar, who by many accounts, insisted on — and succeeded in attaining — a place among the academics. Drower kept up a lively correspondence with scholars; the letters in Buckley’s book span the years 1938 to the mid‐1960s.

"The picture that Buckley presents of the intellectual world of the 1930s to the 1960s is a fascinating one, in which a tacit battle is fought between pioneering field-workers who recognize that religion and culture are rooted in a complex web of society, material culture, language and imagery, i.e. a world of religious practise, and stuffy bigoted theologians for whom pure religious theory must remain untainted from the contemporary observations of a woman not conversant in Greek and Hebrew," wrote Matthew Morgenstern, senior lecturer in the Hebrew language department at the University of Haifa, in a review.

Read about more books by Bowdian faculty here.

Comprehensive Master Plan Being Developed for Athletics Facilities & Fields

With the support of alumni gifts, DePauw University has formally launched a major effort to develop a comprehensive facilities master plan for athletics and recreational sports, President Brian W. Casey announced in a message to students, faculty and staff today. This plan, to be developed with the assistance of a leading athletics facilities planning architectural firm, will guide a variety of athletic and recreation facilities improvements over the next several years with a focus on the expansion and renovation of the Lilly Physical Education and Recreation Center and enhancements to DePauw’s athletic fields.

“On a campus with our tradition of student athlete success, this process presents us with an opportunity to significantly enhance the spaces dedicated to fitness and recreation” said Dr. Casey.

“We’re fortunate to count dedicated alumni, parents and friends among the supporters of DePauw athletics,” he added. “This is the beginning of a process that will, without question, leave alasting legacy for our students, as well as faculty and staff.” (at left: rendering of plans for Hanna Street leading to DePauw's athletic fields)

Casey also announced that fundraising efforts are underway—with several initial gifts already pledged—to finance the implementation of the developing master plan. Details about specific gifts will be announced in the months ahead.

Hastings+Chivetta, one of the nation’s leading athletic architecture firms, has been retained to guide this effort. Fees associated with this planning effort will be paid for by an alumnus who has given the institution a gift for this purpose.

Stevie Baker-Watson, the Theodore Katula Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports, and Richard Vance, Associate Vice President for Facilities, are leading planning conversations with coaches and athletics staff. The multi-year master plan will guide institutional investments in athletics and recreation facilities, with individual capital projects to be supported through gifts to the University.

“This process is a natural outgrowth of an institution that has long-been committed to athletics and recreation in its fullest form,” said Baker-Watson, who oversees athletics programs for DePauw’s 500 varsity athletes. “It presents an opportunity to pair the long-standing history of Tiger athletics with a plan to build upon that foundation in the years ahead.”

A member of the North Coast Athletic Conference, DePauw University has more than 145 years of athletic tradition, with intercollegiate play dating to 1866. They have finished in the top 40 of the Learfield Sports Division III Directors’ Cup standings each of the last seven years and have ranked first among Indiana’s Division III schools in each year of the program’s 16-year existence. Started in Division III in 1995-1996, the Directors’ Cup is a program which honors institutions maintaining a broad-based program and achieving success in both men’s and women’s sports.

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) finds that the majority of the student body at DePauw is highly active and engaged in fitness and wellness. Seventy-four percent of DePauw first-year students exercise or participate in physical fitness activities often or very often, compared to 61 percent of all first-year students at peer institutions. The distinction is even greater among DePauw seniors, 79 percent of which report regular physical activity compared to 55 percent of their peers nationally.

Read article at De Pauw University Website here.

A Working Vacation By Saint Join's University Students

Saint John's University seniors Cole Schiffler and John Burns know what comes before both the chicken and the egg - the coop. Schiffler and Burns spent three and a half weeks during December in Kyetume, Uganda, building chicken coops for a small school, Hope Academy, to allow the school to pay teachers and staff.

"We built two coops and bought 600 chickens, and projected revenue will pay for all 18 teachers for the Hope Academy," Schiffler said. "The grand idea for fundraising for these schools was building these chicken coops, and John and I were like, 'We don't know anything about chicken farming but we'll try it out.' "

The project started nearly a year previous to the trip, when Global Business Leadership Associate Professor Paul Marsnik pitched the idea to Burns and Schiffler after they completed his entrepreneurship class.

"I saw in these guys an entrepreneurial spirit," Marsnik said in an interview with The Record, the newspaper of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, in early February. "These guys aren't typical students."

The two would start a typical day of their winter vacation by working to construct the large coops by hand in the buttery warmth of the Ugandan sun - hammering and measuring wooden planks until nearly noon when it became too warm to work.

"The pace of the Ugandan culture was shocking in a good way," Schiffler said. "They work hard, but their lifestyle was really relaxed and less stressful, which was really nice to experience."


Later in the day after a meal of tea and rice, the two Minnesota natives would spend time in the shade chatting with locals - who were eager to talk with them and learn about cultures outside of the small African village.

"I've never seen people more thirsty for knowledge," Schiffler said. "Whether it was reading a dictionary or talking with us, they would do anything to learn - and it was beautiful."

For Schiffler and Burns, the experience was not just the three weeks of work, but also a future project that keeps on giving.

"We want to keep this project going every year as a sort of business entrepreneurship project for motivated students," Schiffler said. "We're looking for four students to take over where we left off and continue projects in Uganda."

Hope Academy was founded by Saint John's alumnus Br. John Mary Lugemwa, OSB, and the two seniors hope that incoming students will consider the opportunities that a volunteering experience abroad can offer while attending CSB and SJU.

Past CSB and SJU student efforts for Hope Academy include student fundraisers through the selling of "Hope Beads" and the campus filmmaking group Extending the Link, which filmed its 2010 documentary Essubi: Growing Up With Hope on location.

"I mean, shoot for the stars and go do something," Burns said. "You have the ability, with the help of your professors, to really make something of your time here - and I think everyone should try for that."

Long after the hammer bruises and nail cuts have healed, Schiffler and Burns remember only one emotion to describe their long, hot weeks in Africa, as well as their continued efforts for Uganda: happiness.

Schiffler and Burns recall the weeks of hard labor as one of the best vacations they have ever spent, and are looking for students who want to share the experience of Ugandan life - and the feeling of protecting a small school from financial demise.

They also believe that feeling is within the grasp of everyone in the CSB/SJU community. "You have the resources here and the people who want to help," Schiffler said. The two seniors are currently searching the CSB/SJU student body to continue the project at Hope Academy and hope their story will inspire others to consider volunteering abroad.

The biggest impact those weeks in the hot Ugandan sun had on Schiffler and Burns? "I just really noticed how little they lived on, yet how happy they were," Burns said. "They ate one meal a day and were all smiles - it was very powerful to see. I want other people to see that."

Original source here.

World's Heritage Digitised For Libraries

Oxford's Bodleian Libraries and the Vatican's Biblioteca Apostolica plan to digitise 1.5 million ancient texts to make them available online. The two libraries announced the four-year project after receiving a £2m award from the Polonsky Foundation.

Dr Leonard Polonsky said his aim was to ensure researchers and the public have free access to historic and rare texts. Greek manuscripts, 15th Century printed books and Hebrew early printed books and manuscripts will be digitised.

The three subjects were chosen "for the strength of the collections in both libraries and their importance for scholarship in their respective fields", a Bodleian spokeswoman said. The libraries say the digitisation will "virtually unite" materials that have been dispersed between the two collections over the past few centuries.

Sarah Thomas, Bodley's librarian, said: "Transforming these ancient texts and images into digital form helps transcend the limitations of time and space, which have in the past restricted access to knowledge. "Scholars will be able to interrogate these documents in fresh approaches as a result of their online availability."

Read more here.

Bill seeks more student control over CSU fees

California State University students would wield more influence over the creation of new mandatory campus student fees, such as fees for health services, instructional activities and materials, under a bill that advanced this week through the Senate Education Committee.



Under current law, the CSU chancellor has the ultimate say when it comes to establishing or adjusting campus-based mandatory fees, which are charged to students in addition to the base tuition set by the board of trustees.

Campus presidents are required to consult with students before establishing these fees – either through a student referendum or through special consultation with student groups – but the referendum and consultation are advisory only. Ultimately, the campus president and CSU chancellor make the final call.

Rubio's bill, SB 960, would prevent CSU from setting any mandatory campus-based student fees without a yes vote from either the student body or a campus fee advisory committee made up mostly of student members."It overrides the rights of students to self-govern," Sen. Michael Rubio, D-Bakersfield, said at the Wednesday hearing.

CSU Chancellor Charles Reed in March signed an executive order [PDF] establishing a new mandatory campus-based "student success fee" of $240 per year at CSU Los Angeles, even though there was no referendum on the issue and student groups involved in the consultation process took positions against the fee.

University documents [PDF] say the fee will allow CSU Los Angeles to increase retention and graduation rates by hiring more student advisers and a retention coordinator, providing support to a Summer Bridge program, moving the campus' technology infrastructure to a cloud-based system, and more.

Rather than pursue a student fee referendum, the university opted for an alternative consultation process permitted under state Education Code. This allowed campus groups – Associated Students Inc. and a student fee advisory committee that included student members – to weigh in on the initiative.

The student fee advisory committee recommended against the student success fee, saying they could not in good conscience vote on additional fees. Associated Students also passed a resolution opposing the fee in February.

Johann Almeida, an undergraduate economics major who sat on the advisory committee, said the university had not adequately considered other ways to increase graduation rates besides raising student fees.

"I wanted to make sure that we covered all of our bases before we asked students to cough up money at a time when a lot of other people are asking students to cough up money," he said. "Also, the students seemed to really not want it very uniformly, and I’m elected to represent the students."

Some students protested the student success fee in March, according to Intersections South LA. "The alternative consultation process is more of a suggestion box than an actual seat at the table," said Chris Bowen, who is on the Associated Students Board of Directors.

The CSU system opposes Rubio's bill. CSU Legislative Advocate Andrew Martinez told lawmakers that the bill would go too far to restrict the administration's authority. "We think our process works, is fair and is appropriate," Martinez said. "We are very concerned about the restriction of the authority of the board and chancellor to manage its campuses."

The CSU system has seen cuts in state support of almost $1 billion over the past four years. Tuition, meanwhile, has increased $1,500 since 2010-11.

Original source here.

Here comes the Galaxy S III; Samsung schedules May 3rd device unveiling

CTIA Wireless is shaping up to be a bit slow this year and despite the overlap in timing, it appears Samsung will look elsewhere to unveil its next-generation flagship smartphone. The South Korea-based consumer electronics giant circulated invitations on Monday to a press conference that will take place in London on May 3rd. 

While Samsung does not specifically name the highly anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone on the invitation — the only relevant text is “come and meet the next Galaxy” — it is widely believed that the company’s new flagship device will be the focus of the event. BGR exclusively reported in January that the Galaxy S III will feature a 1.5GHz quad-core Exynos processor, a 4.8-inch full-HD 1080p display, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for HD video chats, 4G LTE, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and an ultra-thin case made of ceramic. Samsung Mobile’s “Unpacked” event will begin at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 a.m. Pacific on Thursday, May 3rd, and the event will be live-streamed at www.facebook.com/samsungmobile.

Source: Yahoo

Oracle and Google's Android copyright row trial begins

Oracle's claim that Google violated several of its patents and copyrights goes to trial in a San Francisco court on Monday.

It is one of the biggest such tech lawsuits to date. Oracle is claiming about $1bn (£630m) in compensation.

The Java developer claims Google's Android system infringes intellectual property rights relating to the programming language.

Software engineers warn the case could set a worrying precedent.

'Write once, run anywhere'

Java was first released in 1995 and allows software to be run across computer platforms, rather than just being limited to one type of operating system.

Oracle - a business hardware and software provider - inherited the intellectual properties when it took over Java's original developer, Sun Microsystems, in 2009.

The language is used by many business applications as well as other software, such as the video game Minecraft, on PCs.

Oracle argues that by using its intellectual property, and then giving Android away for free, Google undermined the possibility of it licensing Java to mobile phone makers.

It adds: "Because Android exploits Java but is not fully compatible with it, Android represents Sun's, and now Oracle's, nightmare: an incompatible forking of the Java platform, which undermines the fundamental 'write once, run anywhere' premise of Java that is so critical to its value and appeal."

 

Interfaces

Much of the case does not centre on Google's use of Java itself - which is free for anyone to use without licence - but rather the Android-maker's use of 37 APIs (application programming interfaces) which allow developers to write Java-compatible code.

APIs allow different parts of a programme to communicate together as well as letting one application share content with another.

"APIs are the glue that allows computer programs to talk to each other - in this case Android apps use them to access the phone's features like its screen and memory," said Dan Crow, chief technology officer at Songkick and a former Google tech team leader.

"If Oracle wins the case and APIs are held to be copyrighted, then in theory, virtually every application - on Android, Mac OS, Windows, iPhone or any other platform - has to be at least re-released under new licence terms," told the BBC.

"This could result in many applications being withdrawn until their legality is resolved."

 
'Deaf, dumb and blind'

Oracle alleges that 103,400 lines of its API specifications appeared on Android's developer website.

"The APIs represent years of creative design," Oracle said in a filed court document.

"Other than a few classes, Google was not required to copy the selection, organisation, and structure of the APIs to be compatible with the Java programming language."

However, Google argues that the technologies involved should not be covered by copyright law.

"Without the APIs, the Java programming language is deaf, dumb and blind," its lawyers have claimed.

"In addition, witnesses at trial will testify that developers expect the APIs to be available when they program in the Java programming language."

Oracle also alleges that Google has infringed two of its patents relating to a data processing enhancement and a method to generate executable code.

API anger

 

If Oracle wins the API copyright claims it could force Google to alter Android - a move likely to mean independent software developers would also have to recode apps designed for the platform.

But engineers say they have more fundamental concerns about the precedent that could be set in what is already a lawsuit-prone industry.

"The lives of developers would be much more complex," Simon Phipps, an ex-Sun employee, blogged for the Infoworld news site.

"Complexity and confusion would return to a world where they have largely been expunged, bringing fear, uncertainty, and doubt back into open source software development."

Malcolm Barclay, an independent developer of travel apps for iPhones, told the BBC: "It would be utterly ridiculous to think that using an API could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of an open platform.

"It would not be practical to go under the hood of each API to see if someone was going to sue you over using it.

"It would be the equivalent of buying a music CD and suddenly finding someone wanted to charge you for listening to track 10."

Oracle would not comment on the developers' claims.

The trial is expected to last eight weeks.

Source: BBC

Loewe Air Speaker

The Loewe Air Speaker is a distinctive AirPlay stereo speaker with a compact, minimalist design, simple controls and 80W of power

Loewe Air Speaker review

Love

• Beefy audio performance
• Compact, elegant design
• Simple to use

Hate

• Clumsy wireless setup
• Lofty price tag
• No non-Apple streaming

The Loewe Air Speaker is a compact, premium level stereo aimed at the style-conscious. It’s equipped with Apple’s AirPlay technology, putting it up against the likes of the B&W Zeppelin Air, B&O Play Beolit 12, Pioneer X-SMC3 and iHome IW1.

Loewe Air Speaker: Build

The Loewe Air Speaker may be square but it’s anything but uncool. The design is beautifully minimalist, and can be customised thanks to the changeable top panel. Don’t like the colours Loewe offers? Specify your own and they’ll supply it for you. The build quality is granite solid, as you’d expect for something this expensive, and the materials – including aluminium – are impressive.

Loewe Air Speaker: Features

Loewe has fitted the AirSpeaker with Wi-Fi, but this is only for AirPlay use (see below). There is connectivity for other stereo sources in the form of a 3.5mm jack, and a USB port lets you lash up your iOS device for wired playback (with a side order of battery charging).

That’s it, features-wise, and this is reflected in the beautifully simple four-button control system: power, status and volume up/down is all that’s necessary.

Loewe Air Speaker: AirPlay

The chief feature here is AirPlay, of course. Apple’s technology lets you effortlessly stream sounds from your iOS device or a computer running iTunes – simply tap the AirPlay logo on your device, pick the AirSpeaker from the drop-down list and almost instantly you’re hearing music through its powerful speaker array.

It works through both wired and Wi-Fi networking, although Loewe recommends the former, presumably to avoid any interference-related glitches or dropouts (we didn’t experience these, however).

Setting up for Wi-Fi-based AirPlay is tricky, however, as you need to hook the AirSpeaker up to a router or computer via Ethernet at least once for setup purposes.

Loewe Air Speaker: Audio quality

 The audio quality is fantastic considering the system’s diminutive size. Loewe has stuffed two subwoofers into the box, which underpins music with a great deal of beefy bass, making it ideal for dance and electronic music. But it maintains an excellent clarity which provides plenty of detail and insight when playing quieter material.

Loewe Air Speaker: Verdict

It’s hard to find a true weak spot in the Loewe Air Speaker, which tackles music with aplomb and – as long as you’re happy to use iOS devices and iTunes – works with a simplicity that’s totally addictive.

Yes, it’s very pricey – more expensive than all its chief rivals – but if you have the money to burn it’s hard to think of an AirPlay system that manages to deliver this level of audio quality in something so small.

There are better quality compact speakers than this (the B&W MM-1s spring to mind), but the AirSpeaker is the best small AirPlay dock we’ve encountered thus far. Purists won’t like the lack of input options (or remote control), but if your iPod touch, iPhone, new iPad or laptop is your primary music source, you won’t care about that one jot.

Loewe Air Speaker availability: Available now

Loewe Air Speaker price: £650

www.t3.com

BUSINESS TRAVEL: PRE-RECESSION LEVELS BY MID 2012

A recently released report by Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) on the United States Business Travel Quarterly Outlook has shown encouraging business trends.

The Visa sponsored research has shown stabilization in the business travel market but with an exception of international outbound travel, which seems to suffer from rising oil prices and European debt crisis.

Nevertheless, GBTA has expressed positive prospects with business travel expected to hit its pre-recession levels by mid 2012. The growth is further expected to improve for the remaining period of the year driven by the persistent economic headwinds. The report estimates 2012 business travel to grow by 4.6% on a trivial decline of 0.8% in person trips.

Over the last twelve months, the report shows a steady growth in business travel, which relates to an increment in the job growth on US economic indicator. While releasing the report, executive director and COO of GBTA Michael W. McCormick expressed gratitude and joy about the turn of events. He stated that the market could now begin to express a sign of respite on business travels.

The report further shows a 14 percent increase in business related purchases in 2011 from 2010 among Visa account holders. According to the report, the amount of money spent by Visa account holders in either pleasure or business purchases in 2011 hit over $235 billion.

The statistics from the report shows 2011 as a landmark year in business travels. The total US initiated travel spending for 2011 hit $251 billion, an increment from $234 billion in 2010.

The report further shows a change in the business travel trends from 2000. The statics shows a decline in the number of business trips but an increment in business related travel spending, which is not purely driven by inflation.

 The comparison shows 576.06 million trips and spending worth $242.9 billion in 2000 against 445.0 million trips and spending worth $251.0 billion in 2011. This is a 22.7 percent decline in trips and an increment of 3.3 percent in spending levels. This trend is expected to continue in 2012 with a 1 percent decline in trips and 3.6% increase in spending.

The GBTA report shows the average spending per trip in 2000 as $422 while in 2011 the spending per trip was $564, which is a 33.6 percent increase. In the last quarter of GBTA Business Travel Index outlook 2011, the index was two points lower at 116 of the projected value. Nevertheless, GBTA expects the growth to reach its pre-recession levels of 120 in Q3 of 2012.

Tourism review

Tom Petty offers $75,000 reward for stolen guitars

LOS ANGELES: Rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are offering a $75,000 reward for the return of five guitars stolen from a Los Angeles-area studio last week, ahead of their US and Europe tour.

The band said on their website that the guitars include Petty's 1967 12-string blonde Ricken backer 360 and his 1965 Gibson SGTV Junior, as well as instruments belonging to bassist Ron Blair, rhythm guitar player Scott Thurston, and lead guitarist Mike Campbell.

They said they would pay a $75,000 reward "with no questions asked to anyone with information leading to the recovery of the guitars."
The guitars were reported stolen on Thursday from a studio in Culver City, west of Los Angeles, where the band was rehearsing for their US tour, which is set to open in Broomfield, Colorado, on Wednesday.

Police said they were investigating the theft. (Reuters)

Breakfast appliance for any time of day

Like sausage and syrup, combining two good flavors often turns into something great.

Skillets and waffle-makers are two kitchen items associated with breakfast for good reasons. They both offer eaters the means to make long-standing favorites in a productive and easy fashion. Skillets are well-suited for frying up bacon and eggs, while making waffles in anything other than a waffle-maker (toasters and frozen discs do not count) can prove to be a challenge.

The aptly named Hamilton Beach 26046 Breakfast Master brings bacon and eggs to the table along with a platter of waffles. The all-in-one countertop appliance features two sets of cooking plates that allow for full meal creation in one setting. The removable plates are nonstick and can be cleaned in the dishwasher.

Heating from the top and bottom plates, the breakfast-making gadget allows for pancakes and omelets to be cooked without needing to be flipped over. With a hinged design and dual heating plates, users can get creative with their options beyond breakfast. A large adjustable temperature dial on top of the machine makes it easy to stay in control of the cooking no matter what's on the menu -- or what time of day it happens to be.

The Hamilton Beach 26046 Breakfast Master will be available August 2012.

Source

Panasonic DMP-BDT220

The good: The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 has built-in Wi-Fi, 3D compatibility, and the Viera Connect suite of streaming-media services, which includes Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant, Pandora, and Vudu. The user interface for the streaming-media apps is straightforward, plus you can jump right to Netflix with the dedicated Netflix button on the remote. There are a few other minor perks, including Skype compatibility, a front-panel SD card slot, and a superfast quick-start mode.

The bad: Viera Connect doesn't support any subscription music services (like MOG, Rdio, or Spotify) nor does it have Flixster for UltraViolet support. The DMP-BDT220 also doesn't play back DivX or Xvid files

The bottom line: The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 is the best Blu-ray value of 2012, with built-in Wi-Fi, tons of streaming-media apps, 3D compatibility, and a simple user interface

If I had to recommend just one Blu-ray player for 2012, it would be Panasonic's DMP-BDT220 (about $135 street price). It's in the sweet spot of Panasonic's Blu-ray lineup, with built-in Wi-Fi and an excellent set of streaming-media services, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant, Vudu, MLB.TV, and Pandora. And while competing players from Samsung and Sony offer just as many streaming apps, they're hamstrung by awkward user interfaces. The DMP-BDT220 also has a few other perks, like 3D compatibility, 2D-to-3D conversion, and Skype, although the front-panel SD card slot is probably the most useful.
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Nokia offers software update for Lumia 900 glitch

Nokia certainly didn’t waste any time when it came to fixing that pesky data connection bug that popped up in a few first-run Lumia 900s. Just two days after Nokia acknowledged the issue and pledged to make things right, they’ve already made that critical update available to those in need. In case you were keeping track, that’s a full three days before Nokia promised to have the fix in the field.

Not too shabby, Nokia.

The cynic in me wants to say that the Finnish phone giant could have talked up the original date in order to give understandably upset customers a pleasant surprise, but all that really matters is that the update is out and the Lumia 900′s first crisis is over. If you haven’t already swapped out for handset for a less screwy one, all it takes to perform the update is plug it into your computer — if you’ve already got the Zune software (for PCs) or the Windows Phone 7 Connector (for Mac) installed, you’ll be prompted to update and that’s that.

Those of you on the fence about buying a Lumia 900 may as well bite the bullet now. Nokia’s rather awesome $100 bill credit will continue to run until the 21st and a little scouting around will ensure that you fiscally come out ahead. Perhaps more importantly, customers didn’t have to rely on AT&T for a fix, a trend that hopefully continues for any major updates that should come down the line. AT&T has proven themselves to be a little lax when it comes to pushing updates to Windows Phones, but with Nokia once again gunning for some American limelight, they may try and fill in any of those gaps themselves.

Source

Thirty-eight percent of kids on Facebook under 13?

There's no reason to be worried that your kids are using Facebook. After all, the age limit is 13, so Facebook's expert surveillance tools will, like a fine barkeep, immediately spot an underage participator and toss him into purgatory for a year or two.

Or not quite.

A new survey suggests, in fact, that 38 percent of the kids on Facebook are not alright by Facebook's age rules. For they are aged 12 or younger.

The survey perpetrated by a company called Minor Monitor -- yes, you can see the self-interest in these finding wafting in the wind here --offers that 4 percent of the kids on Facebook are 6 years old or less.

Yes, in real age, rather than any mental equivalent.

If this somehow approximates to the truth, one wonder how many of these children's parents actually know or even care. Seventeen percent of parents in this survey said that they don't track their children's Facebook activity at all -- though more than half admitted that they logged in to their kids' accounts just to see what was going on.

Of course, almost three-quarters of the parents surveyed here said they were worried about their children's safety on Facebook. There lurk predators, bullies, and all sorts of unsavory characters in its pages. How can children so young be expected to be prepared for what they might find?

But here's an interesting number for those who worry whether Facebook has simply become a default automatic human activity, like eating or watching "American Idol": 30 percent of the kids surveyed here were on Facebook for two or more hours a day.

Some might wonder whether this might cut into their homework or their Romanian dancing practices. Fewer, perhaps, might wonder how this apparently large element of children on the site allows marketers to target them at a very young age.

Though Facebook claims it throws out about 20,000 underage kids every day, one has to imagine how hard the company tries (or wants to try), given the ease with which its systems can apparently be circumvented.

It's always the case that when you tell kids they can't do something, they will try only the harder to do it.

Some parents, though, might be rather pleased that their kids have found an activity that they can pursue in relative peace and solitude.

Though parents offer expressions of concern, how much are they secretly overjoyed that little Freda has lots of virtual friends, for whom there's no need to organize a house party at all?

Source

For One More Day by Mitch Albom

Book Description:
This is the story of Charley, a child of divorce who is always forced to choose between his mother and his father. He grows into a man and starts a family of his own. But one fateful weekend, he leaves his mother to secretly be with his father - and she dies while he is gone. This haunts him for years. It unravels his own young family. It leads him to depression and drunkenness. One night, he decides to take his life. But somewhere between this world and the next, he encounters his mother again, in their hometown, and gets to spend one last day with her - the day he missed and always wished he'd had. He asks the questions many of us yearn to ask, the questions we never ask while our parents are alive. By the end of this magical day, Charley discovers how little he really knew about his mother, the secret of how her love saved their family, and how deeply he wants the second chance to save his own.

WALL-E (2008)

WALL-E is a 2008 computer-animated post-apocalyptic science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future. He falls in love with another robot named EVE, who also has a programmed task, and follows her into outer space on an adventure that changes the destiny of both his kind and humanity. Both robots exhibit an appearance of free will and emotions similar to humans, which develop further as the film progresses.

After directing Finding Nemo, Stanton felt Pixar had created believable simulations of underwater physics and was willing to direct a film largely set in space. Most of the characters do not have actual human voices, but instead communicate with body language and robotic sounds, designed by Ben Burtt, that resemble voices. In addition, it is the first animated feature by Pixar to have segments featuring live-action characters.

Walt Disney Pictures released it in the United States and Canada on June 27, 2008. The film grossed $23.2 million on its opening day, and $63.1 million during its opening weekend in 3,992 theaters, ranking #1 at the box office. This ranks as the fifth highest-grossing opening weekend for a Pixar film. Following Pixar tradition, WALL-E was paired with a short film, Presto, for its theatrical release.

WALL-E has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews among critics, scoring an approval rating of 96% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed $521.3 million worldwide, won the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, the final Nebula Award for Best Script, the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as well as being nominated for five other Academy Awards at the 81st Academy Awards. WALL-E ranks first in TIME's "Best Movies of the Decade".

New Shopping Site Placing Local Fashion Designers on Global Map

Since the rise of fashion blogs and international style sharing communities such as Lookbook and Polyvore, fashionistas have taken an increased interest in emerging creators from across the globe, and with the launch of a new social network style site called Cityblis.com, the discovery of rising brands from across the continents has got a lot easier.

Launching with 200 brands including the UK’s Amelia Powers, Iran’s Masih Zad and Sweden’s By Malina, the new site aims to help local designers reach new markets, letting shoppers buy pieces from international designers they may have otherwise not discovered.

Catering to men’s, women’s and children’s brands, the site allows designers to curate their own web store.

“Every store is unique. Every brand has a personality, and every designer has a story to tell,” explained chief operating officer Christopher Price to WWD April 9. There is an emphasis on social networking, with visitors able to share trends via the interactive community and designers being linked to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. Consumer interaction is key too, as shoppers can email brands directly.

Huge viaduct demolished in China

As part of a project to upgrade local roads the 1,156-meters-long Qingliangmen-Hanzhongmen viaduct is blown up in eastern China.

The demolition took place at around 10 o'clock on Saturday evening and it took just 6.9 seconds for the 620 kilograms of explosives to collapse the bridge.

It is the second demolition in a project to upgrade the local highway network in the western part of the city.
The 14th pier of the Hanzhongmen viaduct was chosen as the starting explosion point, with the demolition conducted from the centre out to both sides.
Before the demolition, experts set up 80 stainless-steel-wire-rope absorbers to avoid damaging the nearby subway line.
After the demolition was successfully completed, scores of machinery, equipment and trucks moved to the scene to carry out cleaning operations with nearby traffic resuming normal service at around 7 o'clock on Sunday morning.

Italian player's death sparks probes into ambulance delay

Toronto FC fans stand for a moment of silence in honor of Livorno's Piermario
Morosini before the team's soccer match against Chivas USA in Toronto

The death of Italian second division soccer player Piermario Morosini during a game on Saturday has triggered investigations into a delay in the ambulance's arrival and calls for more medical equipment at sporting events.

The 25-year-old Morosini, a midfielder for Livorno, collapsed after a cardiac arrest in the 31st minute at Pescara in central Italy. He never regained consciousness.

After the news of his death, Italy's soccer federation postponed all the weekend's professional matches. No date to play the Serie A games has been set although a midweek program at some point in the next two months is likely.

The ambulance was delayed by three minutes outside the Pescara stadium because a city police car was parked in front of the emergency passageway. Stadium stewards were forced to break the car window, put it in neutral and push it out of the way.

Pescara mayor Luigi Albore Mascia announced an internal investigation to find out who was responsible and said the probe would be wrapped up by early Monday.

Overnight, city police in Pescara were kept off the streets and replaced by federal police units because they were afraid the would be targeted by angry fans, municipal police commander Carlo Maggitti said.

Pescara prosecutor Valentina D'Agostino is also investigating to see if the delay may have cost Morosini his life. Doctors who were on the scene suggested that three minutes time probably would not have changed the tragic outcome.

"Everything that could be done was done," Ernesto Sabatini, one of the doctors who treated Morosini, told Ansa news agency.

"I was one of the first on the pitch and when I got to him he was already stiff."

Doctors said that Morosini's heart had stopped when he was on the field but an official autopsy is to be carried out on Monday to determine cause of death.

Piero Gnudi, Italy's minister for sport and tourism, told state television late on Saturday that he would see whether sophisticated medical equipment, including defibrillators, should be readily available at all professional sporting events.

Last month former Italy volleyball international and Olympic silver medallist Vigor Bovolenta, 37, died on court in a fourth division game after a similar heart problem to Morosini.

Hundreds of Livorno fans visited the stadium on Sunday and left flowers and team scarves under a banner that read: "You fought right up until the end, goodbye great Moro." Many said Livorno should retire his number 25 jersey.

Morosini's girlfriend arrived in Pescara on Saturday to identify the body for legal purposes.

"He was smiling slightly. He was beautiful," she told her friends afterwards before breaking into tears, Ansa reported.

Morosini had himself known tragedy. He lost both his mother and father when he was a teenager and a brother committed suicide, newspapers reported.

Morosini had also played for Udinese among other Italian club sides and Italy's international under-21 team.

(Reuters)

Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 5 Chelsea

Chelsea out classed their rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs, to fix the FA cup final with Liverpool. The blues have opened their fronts at three sides, the FA cup final, their struggle for a Champions League place for the next season and the Champions league semi-final against giants, Barcelona.
Didier Drogba scored his seventh goal at Wembley to put the Blues ahead before a controversial Juan Mata goal after the break which referee Martin Atkinson had awarded despite replays showing the Spaniard's shot did not cross the line.
After few minutes Spurs pulled one back through Gareth Bale but Chelsea struck back with a cool finish from Ramires, a blistering 30-yard free-kick from Frank Lampard, and a late fifth from Florent Malouda, that piled yet more misery on Spurs boss Harry Redknapp.