Jack Murtha Dead At 77
By · CommentsDemocratic Congressman Jack Murtha died minutes ago at age 77.
Complications from gall bladder surgery.
He was a native of New Martinsville, West Virginia, and a Marine who was elected in 1974 as part of the Democratic class of congressmen following President Nixon’s resignation in disgrace.
Ironically from Abscam to his own Earmarks Incorporated chairmanship of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Murtha’s 35 years in Congress were tainted by scandal.
He became a liberal icon when he announced he opposed the war in Iraq a year after enthusiastically voting for it.
Rest in peace.
canon t2i announced
By · CommentsAs the new flagship in Canon’s Digital Rebel line, the Canon EOS Rebel T2i complements the Canon EOS Rebel XS and the Canon EOS Rebel T1i.
The existing Canon Rebel XSi will be retired to make room for the new model, which has a variety of new features that will appeal to photo enthusiasts already using a digital SLR, and to those looking to move from a point-and-shoot digicam to a more advanced model that will enable greater creativity.
What’s notable here is that Canon has taken features from its recent Canon EOS 7D — an $1800 model-and brought those features downstream to a model half that price. The Rebel T2i uses the same 18 megapixel sensor as the 7D, but its channel reader is lower (four-channel for T2i, versus eight for 7D). Both models use the Digic 4 engine, and both have a 63 zone, dual-layer metering system. However, the T2i makes some concessions — it can shoot at 3.7 frames per second, with a burst rate of 34 large fine jpegs, and 6 RAW images; and it has a 9-point autofocus system that’s on a par with the T1i (the 7D, by contrast, has 19 focus points).
ISO handling is similar to the 7D: It supports ISO 100-6400, and you can expand that to 12,800 in the settings.
The T2i comes in a similarly designed, fairly compact chassis, much like the T1i in weight and size. The T2i uses a new, slightly smaller but more efficient battery to handle movie mode and improve battery life over the T1i. Canon says the battery should last for 550 shots, 50 more than on the T1i.
Video has very quickly become a must-have feature on the SLR circuit. And one of the other big improvements here is to video handling: Video resolution has been amped up to be more l like the 7D, with up to 1080p at 24, 25, and 30fps (you can capture up to 12 minutes at a time at 1080p, 24 minutes in standard definition). You also get manual exposure capability in video, and there’s a jack for an external microphone-handy for amplifying audio during your recordings. A new movie crop mode uses central portion of the sensor, and magnifies view seven times if you’re capturing video in standard definition. Also new: a dedicated movie/live view on/off switch, as found on the 7D.
The T2i supports SDHC and SDXC memory card formats, for up to 64GB of storage per card. It’s the first SLR with SDXC support; Canon was first to announce an SDXC-capable camcorder, the HF S21, in January as well (that model will ship in April, just after the T2i’s expected late-March availability).
One other new and interesting development is HDMI-CEC support. By supporting this HDMI feature, Canon underscores its expectation that consumers will attach the camera to an HDTV to view images directly from a card. HDMI-CEC lets an HDTV remote control the camera’s playback features.
At $899 (in a kit with an 18-55mm IS EF-S lens; $799 body only), the T2i carries an attractive price that positions this model well against the competition — and opens up new avenues to creativity for SLR shooters.
Boeing 747-8 to fly Monday
By · CommentsThe Boeing Co.’s 747-8 Freighter is scheduled to make its first flight Monday, following what the company says was a successful taxi test on Saturday.
“The airplane performed well,” said Mo Yahyavi, 747 program vice president and general manager, in a release. “Based on early indications, the airplane is ready to fly.”
The flight is scheduled for 10 a.m. PST in Everett, Wash.
Boeing (NYSE: BA) will be showing the flight online at 747-8firstflight.com.
Wichita-based Spirit AeroSystems Inc. (NYSE:SPR) builds the nacelles that house the engines and the struts that hold them to the wing on the 747-8.
Usa today superbowl ad meter
By · CommentsHERE’S THE SUPERBOWL AD that ran alongside my streaming service as I watched the New Orleans Saints run out a victory in Superbowl XLIV. It’s a product placement for Blacknight Solutions. NFL Fanhouse normally has all the advertisements that ran during the show. A lot of people in my Twitter stream liked the Simpson’s superbowl commercial. It featured a message set in the current economic doldrums. Monty Burns, America’s favorite sociopathic plutocrat, loses his entire fortune in a hilarious reposession/auction montage. The Doritos commercial was also good. A man fakes his own death for a casket with a TV and a ton of Doritos. Monster.com is a regular during Super Bowls. The 2010 advertisement featured a furry creature playing a fiddle in a variety of places. And Bridgestone wins thumbs-up with a Killer Whale. USA Today ran a live metric ofadvertisements as they ran. Betty White topped that poll with Doritas coming in second during the live game.
USA TODAY’s Ad Meter tracks the second-by-second responses of a panel of viewers to ads during the Super Bowl and ranks them from best to worst. You can watch the ads yourself, then weigh in with your opinion and rate the ads yourself from one to five stars. Chris Abraham makes good observations about placingadvertisements on the Super Bowl. As an American ex-pat, I miss these advertising extravaganzas and enjoy rewinding the ads, if only for a taste of American culture.
steve phillips scandal
By · CommentsSteve Phillips, the former ESPN baseball analyst and New York Mets general manager, said Monday that he knew he had a sex addiction problem in August — two months before he was fired from his role with the network.
“What I want to do is take ownership,” he said in an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show. “I made some mistakes … I’m fully responsible for what I did.”
Phillips spoke publicly for the first time since he left the Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services clinic in Hattiesburg, Miss., the same clinic golfer Tiger Woods reportedly attended.
Phillips didn’t talk extensively about his time at Pine Grove, but did say that it is a place for people who are “broken” and “struggling to find answers.”
Phillips said he realized he had a sexual addiction problem in August, while he was having an affair with ESPN production assistant Brooke Hundley. That affair eventually included Hundley contacting Phillips’ wife at their home. It made its way to the New York tabloids, where Phillips was front-page fodder, in October.
“I recognized in August, I needed help,” Phillips said. “I started calling facilities.”
He said he had made the decision on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, to attend the sexual addiction clinic. He was fired by ESPN two days later. Hundley was also let go by ESPN.
At the time, a representative for Phillips said he was entering a treatment facility “to address his personal issues.”
“I couldn’t stop myself from doing the things I was doing, even knowing the consequences,” Phillips told Lauer on Monday.
A month earlier, Phillips wife, Marni, had filed for divorce. The couple had been married for 19 years. He has four children.
He said he has returned to his home, but doesn’t know if his marriage can be saved. He declined to say if he had anything to tell Hundley.
“All of that is in the past,” he said. “My focus is moving forward, trying to save my family.”
Hundley, in a taped piece that preceded the Phillips interview, said that she was “young” and had made mistakes as well.
Phillips was the general manager of the Mets from 1997-2003. He said during that time, while taking a leave of absence from the team after a sexual harassment allegation, he had counseling locally for sexual issues, but didn’t enter a treatment facility.
He worked at ESPN from 2005 through October.
dockers free pants Campaign is a Hit
By · CommentsAfter airing a Super Bowl commercial last night featuring men singing in their underwear, Dockers is giving away free khakis in a a raffle. You enter your name, gender, email address, and ZIP code to enter. Next, you click on an image of khaki pants. They slide away and tell you if you won. If not, you get a coupon code for 15% of a pair of men’s Soft Khakis. You can play every day up to February 15.
The Dockers Free Pants campaign is doing really well. It started by shocking and possibly confusing people with a Super Bowl commercial featuring some not-terribly-attractive men wearing less than you would want.
Next, it lured in Web users with a promise of free pants. Before you get a chance to win those pants, they acquire information about you that will be useful for marketing purposes. If you don’t unclick the default newsletter selection, they also get you on their newsletter.
Finally, there’s an interactive component. You click on pants and watch them slide away to see if you’ve won. Didn’t win? Why not buy a pair at 15% off, or just keep visiting their website for a week?
It’s a slick combination of TV, Web, and interactive advertising. And it appears to be working very well for Dockers.
Scott Brown Demands to be Seated
By · CommentsScott Brown, US Senate elect, has demanded to have his official swearing-in ceremony pushed up to tomorrow afternoon. Scott Brown demands to be seated citing that there are vital votes coming up in Congress. The Massachutes governor’s office granted Scott Brown his demand to be seated.
Originally Scott Brown was going to be sworn in on February 11, but the results of the Massachutes election will be certified tomorrow, and Scott Brown decided he wanted to go to work as a Senator immediately.
fsu gets christian jones
By · CommentsIt’s a good start for Florida State, as it got a commitment from outside linebacker Christian Jones. He’s ranked the No. 27 overall player in the ESPNU 150 and the No. 2 outside linebacker. Here’s what ESPN.com’s Billy Tucker had to say on Jones on the live chat:
Jimbo Fisher continues to close well down the stretch. With the Jones commitment, FSU likely will be one of the big movers of the day. In Jones, the Seminoles are getting a scheme-versatile defender. We feel he could play OLB or develop into a defensive end with added bulk and strength. He’s a tremendous athlete for his size and can be a disruptive presence on the perimeter at either position.
Also, on our live chat, Tom Luginbill just said he thinks that UNC can finish with a top-20 class today.
Keenan Allen Announcement
By · CommentsEverybody wants to know that what Keenan Allen has announced about himself and what to be announced, is there something about Cal or Chris McCain? . According to CalSportsDigest.com The press conference for safety Allen and Chris McCain went on without expected third participant Gabe King, and with the first two announcing for Cal.
The recruitment of ESPNU 150 athlete Keenan Allen (Greensboro, N.C./Northern Guilford) certainly has taken a lot of twists and turns down the stretch. What appeared to be a solid commitment to Alabama as recently as a couple of weeks ago, now appears to be anything but.
Sporting News’ No. 58 prospect, DE Gabe King, and No. 70 prospect, DB Keenan Allen, both signed with Cal this morning. Allen had been an Alabama commitment since November, but when his brother, Buffalo sophomore quarterback Zach Maynard, transferred and was on the market, Allen wanted to play with his brother. Alabama wouldn’t offer Maynard, so Allen dropped his pledge to the Crimson Tide.
In the week leading up to National Signing Day, word began to get out that Allen was considering Clemson. Last weekend, he reportedly visited California with his half-brother, quarterback Zach Maynard, who is transferring from the University of Buffalo.
Penn State was even being mentioned as a possible destination for Allen, the nation’s top-rated safety according to recruiting analysts for Scout.com and Rivals.com.
In this year’s recruiting class alone, Alabama is bringing in two four-star safeties, in-state prospects Jarrick Williams and Nick Perry. The Tide also snagged five-star cornerback DeMarcus Milliner, who at about 6-2 has a 50-50 chance of moving to free safety, according to Every.
Author J.D. Salinger dies at 91
By · CommentsNEW YORK — J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose “The Catcher in the Rye” shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91.
Salinger died of natural causes at his home on Wednesday, the author’s son, actor Matt Salinger, said in a statement from Salinger’s longtime literary representative, Harold Ober Associates, Inc. He had lived for decades in self-imposed isolation in a small, remote house in Cornish, N.H.
