Police Google farmers, find marijuana field - Tech and gadgets- msnbc.com

Police Google farmers, find marijuana field

Pot plantation stumbled upon via Google Earth satellite mapping software

A cameraman films packages containing drugs during a news conference by police in Zurich, Switzerland. Swiss police stumbled across a large marijuana plantation while using Google Earth, the search engine company's satellite mapping software. Police said they arrested 16 people and 1.2 U.S. tons of marijuana as well as cash and valuables worth $780,000.

updated 11:29 a.m. ET, Thurs., Jan. 29, 2009

ZURICH, Switzerland - Swiss police said Thursday they stumbled across a large marijuana plantation while using Google Earth, the search engine company's satellite mapping software.

Police Google farmers, find marijuana field - Tech and gadgets- msnbc.com

Better JPEG standard due in 2009 | Underexposed - CNET News

Better JPEG standard due in 2009

XR, an image format created by Microsoft that promises a number of advantages over JPEG, has cleared a key standardization hurdle.

The Joint Photographic Experts Group, which standardized the original and still ubiquitous JPEG format, sent JPEG XR to the "final phases of standardization" after a vote at a January meeting, the group said Thursday. That means the standard's future is more certain.

"The committee expects the JPEG XR International Standard to be published later this year," the group said.

JPEG XR offers a few advantages over JPEG, according to Microsoft. For one thing, as the XR "extended range" abbreviation suggests, it offers greater dynamic range--the span between the brightest brights and darkest darks in a photo.

JPEG uses 8-bit encoding that provides 256 gradations, but JPEG XR can use 16 bits or more for finer distinctions and more editing flexibility. Newer digital SLRs typically record 14 bits data, and the hobbyist practice of combining multiple shots into a single high-dynamic range image also benefits from more bit depth.

Another advantage of JPEG XR is that it uses a more efficient compression algorithm that provides either twice the image quality as JPEG at the same file size, or half the file size for the same quality, according to Microsoft. And unlike JPEG, setting JPEG XR to record at its highest quality level loses no information to compression artifacts.

Talking about Rush Retrospective On CD And DVD | CHARTattack

 

Rush Retrospective On CD And DVD

01/28/09 2:12pm

Retrospective III (1989-2008), the third release in Rush's career-spanning series of compilations, will hit stores via Anthem/Atlantic on March 3

Blind Mellon – No Rain

This is a great, great video!

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

 

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Talking about YouTube - Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
 

Rush - Camera Eye - Live and complete

 

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Talking about YouTube - Rush - Camera Eye - Live and complete
 

"Subdivisions" live by Jacob Moon...on the roof!

 

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Talking about YouTube - "Subdivisions" live by Jacob Moon...on the roof!
 

Talking about YouTube - Trailer Park Boys Live Bubbles and Alex Lifeson.

 

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Talking about YouTube - Trailer Park Boys Live Bubbles and Alex Lifeson.
 

Alex Lifeson made a surprise guest appearance at last night's Trailer Park Boys Community Service Variety Show at Massey Hall in Toronto.

Alex Lifeson guest appearance at Trailer Park Boys variety show

Talking about YouTube - MVI 3762
 

Chris Cornell & Timbaland Unite For Album Project | music news | ilikemusic.com

 

Chris Cornell & Timbaland Unite For Album Project

Chris Cornell & Timbaland unite for groundbreaking album project Scream influenced by Pink Floyd's The Wall.
It's not often that two legends in music get together to record a full album, and even rarer that they're from completely opposite ends of the musical spectrum. Ex-Soundgarden/Audioslave vocalist Chris Cornell has teamed up with hip hop and pop super-producer Timbaland to create an extraordinary new album entitled Scream which will be available from March 9th 2009.
The collaboration, which Chris Cornell calls "the best work I've done in my career", is also possibly the bravest work either man has ever undertaken. The end result is a genre-breaking, pop-rock record for the 21st century that gives you a glimpse into the future of music via some of the most innovative and revolutionary arrangements ever crafted.
All the songs on Scream which were written by Chris Cornell and produced by Timbaland make up an album that was inspired partly by Pink Floyd's all-time classic album The Wall. All 13 of the songs on Scream flow into each other giving it the feel of one complete work with no breaks, drawing on both artists talents to re-write the modern musical rulebook. Tracks such as the title song Scream ripple with electro-synth and beautifully complex drum patterns only Timbaland could pull off, rolling like inter-planetary trains piloted by the powerful and unmistakable Chris Cornell vocal. The long player theme is also intended as a resurrection of the original album format - in an age of a la carte downloading - to try to shine a light back on a piece of music that made sense as a whole as well as in parts.
Scream sees Chris Cornell, who has time and time again proved himself as an undisputed pioneer in his field, pushing the boundaries into another uncharted territory. From his involvement with Soundgarden in the 90s making him one of the chief architects of the grunge movement, to the formation of super-group Audioslave, to being the first male vocalist to record an original James Bond theme Cornell's always aimed to carve new pathways rather than follow others.
Chris Cornell plays a show at The Scala in London on Mon 23rd February 2009

Chris Cornell & Timbaland Unite For Album Project | music news | ilikemusic.com

First View of the Dark Side of the Sun

By Clara Moskowitz January 26, 2009 | 1:30:48 PMCategories: Astronomy, Space

Soon we may get the first ever glimpse of the dark side of the sun.

Well, no, there's no actual dark side of a luminous ball of burning gas, but there is an effective dark side, as in, the side of the sun we can't see at any given time.

Scientists aren't content to get just half of the picture, so they've launched the STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories) mission, a pair of NASA spacecraft that will orbit the sun simultaneously to provide a complete view of all sides of the star at once.

METALLICA - POLICE OFFICER IN METALLICA SHOW URINATION SCANDAL

 

A drunken off-duty cop has been accused of urinating in the audience at a METALLICA concert. According to the Cape Cod Times, Joseph Houston was booted from Metallica’s 18 January (09) concert in Boston, Massachusetts for relieving himself among the audience.
The police officer was reportedly asked to leave the venue because he was drunk, but he managed to re-enter by flashing his badge.
He was kicked out for good after allegedly urinating on another concert-goer.
Local police chief Richard Koch has confirmed the incident happened, but refused to name the officer involved. No charges have been filed against the disgraced cop beyond trespassing, which carries a maximum $100 (GBP71.40) fine and/or 30 days in jail.
Houston is due in court on 5 February (09). He has been placed on paid administrative leave following the incident.

Caption: Robert Trujillo of Metallica performs live in concert on their Monster Magnetic Tour at the Allstate Arena, Rosemont in Chicago. Illinois, USA .... 

 

01/27/2009 10:05:38 PM

Ice Storm Closes Branson | KSPR News | News

 

Wouldn’t you know it, the week I am not home we get this, of course stranded in a hotel without power would suck!

Story Updated: Jan 27, 2009

Branson City Hall closed on Tuesday. The board of aldermen meeting was canceled. Schools are closed. The streets are mostly empty.
In all, Branson police worked 14 wrecks Monday afternoon and night. After midnight, the wrecks stopped.
"Residents apparently heeded the advice of officials and weather forecasters and stayed off the streets," city spokesman Jerry Adams says.
Only essential personnel are working Tuesday in Branson, according to city officials. Public-works crews are clearing streets.

Ice Storm Closes Branson | KSPR News | News

Windows 7

 

Today I installed Windows 7 beta 64-bit.

The Daily News Record: Top News

Jason Jordan milks cows at his farm on Tuesday. "You try to make as much milk as you can," he says, "but you've got to make it as cheaply as you can."
Photo by Thomas J. Turney

Dairy Farmers Milking Assets In Hard Times Posted 2009-01-22 Making A Profit Harder Than Ever By Tom Mitchell Jason Jordan milks cows at his farm on Tuesday. Jason Jordan milks cows at his farm on Tuesday. "You try to make as much milk as you can," he says, "but you've got to make it as cheaply as you can." Photo by Thomas J. Turney MOUNT CRAWFORD - As his industry faces one of its toughest times ever, Jason Jordan is doing all he can to make sure that the milk his cows make earns him more than just a drop in the bucket. "You try to make as much milk as you can, but you've got to make it as cheaply as you can," Jordan said. Like similar operations in the Shenandoah Valley, the dairy farm that Jordan and his parents, siblings and in-laws run in southern Rockingham County is weathering hard times. An industry that dairy farmers say has seldom received its monetary due is now seeing fewer rewards than ever. Like other agricultural livelihoods, the dairy business is feeling pinched by what many economists say is the worst recession since the Great Depression. Dairy Free Fall Officials in the dairy industry say they can't recall leaner times.

The Daily News Record: Top News

Indie game designer earns raves for 'Braid' - Citizen Gamer- msnbc.com

Indie game designer earns raves for 'Braid'

Jonathan Blow spent three years and $180,000 making a masterpiece

The ebb and flow of time gets puzzling treatment in "Braid," a masterful new game created by a provocative game designer.

One of the highest-rated Xbox 360 games of all times isn't some shooting game from some fancy-pants company that makes games by dipping programming code in giant vats filled with hundred dollar bills. And it’s not some action game that tap dances across your TV screen showing off its high-def graphics like some supermodel showing off her expensive new dress.

No, one of the highest-rated Xbox games of all time – the one sitting there at No. 8, just below “Call of Duty 4” and just above “Guitar Hero II” on the Metacritic charts – is a little downloadable thing decorated in watercolor artwork and steeped in old-school gameplay and basically created by one guy with a punk rock attitude and, if I had to guess, a brain approaching the size of the sun.

Game designer Jonathan Blow – a man with a reputation for speaking his mind whether other people like it or not – spent three years and more than $180,000 of his own money crafting “Braid.” Available for download through Xbox Live Arcade, “Braid” artfully blends old-school 2-D platforming with brain-tweaking puzzle gaming to create a sublime package that plays with the rules of time, plays with expectations, and just generally plays with your mind in a way that has left critics drooling all over themselves with praise.

Is this the future of video games? - Citizen Gamer- msnbc.com

TheIs this the future of video games? Independent Games Festival finalists give us a glimpse of what's to come.

Prognosticating is usually a thing best left to palm readers and Ouija boards. But if you want a look at the future of video gaming, you can’t go wrong by taking a gander at the recently announced list of finalists for the Independent Games Festival Awards.

Here you’ll find a game that drops you into a mysterious garden populated by creatures who run around wearing party hats perched atop their heads. You’ll also find a game “about self-replicating mining machines,” and a game that promises “elegant, physics-based gameplay, dreamlike visuals, and a minimalist, electro-acoustic soundtrack.” And while this list may leave you scratching your head at times (how, exactly, does one make a video game about “an old lady who visits a graveyard”) any one of these games could be the biggest hit of 2009.

Is this the future of video games? - Citizen Gamer- msnbc.com

A New Message For Christopher From Rush Connect!

The Latest Edition Of The Rush Newsletter

 

 

THE OFFICIAL RUSH MAILING LIST JANUARY 16, 2009   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rush Reveals "Retrospective III" Hello Christopher: It's the third edition of career-spanning collections and features music from the renouned rock trio's two decades with Atlantic Records; hightlights include new remixes and a previously unreleased live track. The two disc CD/DVD set features music videos, live concert performances, and a rare television appearance; "RETROSPECTIVE III (1989 - 2008)" arrives on March 3rd. Anthem/Atlantic recording group Rush has announced details of the upcoming third volume in its continuing compilation series. “RETROSPECTIVE III (1989-2008)” arrives in stores on March 3rd. The collection - available as both individual CD and two-disc CD/DVD set - features tracks culled from the legendary trio's two decades with Atlantic Records, spanning such acclaimed studio works as 1989's “PRESTO,” 1991's “ROLL THE BONES,” 1993's “COUNTERPARTS,” 1996's “TEST FOR ECHO,” 2002's “VAPOR TRAILS,” and 2007's “SNAKES & ARROWS” (see attached tracklisting). In addition, “RETROSPECTIVE III” features a previously unreleased live version of the classic “Ghost of a Chance,” recorded live in Atlanta during Rush's 2008 “Snakes & Arrows Tour,” as well as two tracks - “One Little Victory” and “Earthshine” - newly remixed by the band's Alex Lifeson and master mixer Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Mick Jagger, P. Diddy). The “RETROSPECTIVE III” DVD gathers the band's 10 stunning music videos during the Atlantic years, including clips for fan favorites such as “The Pass,” “Roll The Bones,” “Stick It Out,” “Driven,” and the Grammy Award-nominated “Malignant Narcissism.” What's more, the DVD includes a trio of live videos filmed in Frankfurt, Germany during Rush's 2004 “R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour,” highlighted by a masterful performance of The Who's classic “The Seeker” (originally recorded by Rush for 2004's “FEEDBACK”). As an added bonus, the band has included a rare televised performance of the classic “Tom Sawyer” and an on-camera interview featuring all three members. Both the CD and CD/DVD versions of “RETROSPECIVE III” are available now for pre-order at www.rush.com/preorder. A “Deluxe Rush Fan Pack” is also being offered, combining the CD/DVD package with a limited edition lithograph highlighting the albums featured on “RETROSPECTIVE III.” The first 100 orders will receive an ultra-rare signed lithograph.   In other news:, Rush has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance for the track, “Hope (Live For The Art Of Peace),” the band's contribution to the “SONGS FOR TIBET: THE ART OF PEACE” compilation. Rush - Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart - is without question one of the most inventive and compelling groups in rock history, equally famed for both its virtuoso musicianship and provocative songwriting. A career-chronicling Rolling Stone feature published last year praised the band for its continuing artistic vitality, noting that “It's true that Rush doesn't mean today what it did in '76 or even '96. It may mean more.” Since releasing their self-titled debut album in 1974, Rush has achieved worldwide sales exceeding 35 million units, including such acclaimed works as 1976's “2112,” 1981's “MOVING PICTURES,” 1996's “TEST FOR ECHO,” and 2002's “VAPOR TRAILS.” The band's most recent studio collection, 2007's “SNAKES & ARROWS,” made a triumphant debut on the Billboard 200 upon its initial release, entering the chart in the #3 spot. The album's success marked Rush's highest chart debut since 1993, as well as the group's eleventh top ten album in the U.S. Rush celebrated with the epic “Snakes & Arrows Live Tour,” captured for posterity on the two-CD live set, “SNAKES & ARROWS LIVE,” released last spring. The collection's release was followed by a rare national television performance and interview on Comedy Central's “The Colbert Report” - the renowned rock trio's first television appearance since 1975. Rush ended 2008 on a high note with the November release of the “SNAKES & ARROWS LIVE” DVD set, which debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Music Video chart.   SNAKES & ARROWS LIVE ON DVD AND BLU-RAY Released November 25, 2008 Filmed over two performances in Rotterdam, Holland in October of 2007, Rush's new DVD Snakes & Arrows Live captures the legendary band in peak form, performing classic Rush material and nine new songs from their critically acclaimed 2007 CD Snakes & Arrows. The 2-disc concert DVD is presented in both 5.1 audio and stereo, and also included is a bonus disc of four songs added for their 2008 American tour, including "Ghost of a Chance," filmed here for the first time. Since the release of their eponymous first LP in 1974, Rush has continually expanded the definition of "progressive power trio." Guitarist Alex Lifeson, bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Geddy Lee and drummer/lyricist Neil Peart combine dazzling virtuosity, laser-beam intensity and unbridled creativity to create a cohesive whole that's infinitely greater than its parts. The Toronto-based group has become one of Canada's leading exports, with a catalog of genre-defining releases including 2112, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Vapour Trails and Snakes & Arrows and a live show which combines musicianship, showmanship and multi-media effects that engage all the senses. Following their previous best-selling DVDs Rush in Rio and R30, Snakes & Arrows Live presents a band not resting on its considerable laurels but still earning its reputation as one of the world's best live bands - one night at a time. Get yours at The Rush Backstage Club. A NEW LOOK FOR THE RUSH NEWSLETTER We hope you enjoy the new and improved Rush Newsletter. Moving to an HTML format we can provide better details for upcoming product releases, announcements and news related to and about RUSH! ABOUT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION & THIS E-MAIL The Official Rush Mailing List is e-mailed exclusively to subscribers. If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from this list please use the “Instant Unsubscribe” link to remove your information from our database. You may join again anytime. You may also update your subscription preferences by clicking on the “Update My Contact Preferences” below. Remember if you copy and paste in your login and password not to copy the trailing space or your login will fail. Important Note: Please be sure to delete old e-mails sent to you from the list and do not send them to your junk or spam folder. Those are not trash cans. Sending old e-mail to junk or spam folders often goes back to your e-mail service provider's feedback loop to be permanently unsubscribed. Always use the trash can and add info@rush.net to your safe sender list..       This message was sent by SRO Management Inc./Anthem Entertainment Group 189 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON M5A 2K7 CANADA   UPDATE MY CONTACT PREFERENCES INSTANT UNSUBSCRIBE