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Where's my COFFEE?!?!
Yikes! I should have stayed in the bingo parlor!!
Pfffft!
Carlos......
I haven't been here in so long I can't find my way around. I made a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in a bingo parlor with a bunch of Q-tips!
YIKES!!
Time for me to take a nap! lol
ttyl
I'm not EVEN going to comment...... (biting my tongue)........
Twins?????
Oops! and the fight is on..... hahaha
Uh huh....
And you have a bridge you want to sell me! lol
Tanks!
What's been happening? It looks like you guys are still stirring up some "stuff"! lol
They just let me outta da slammer! First stop was here for some of Larry's famous coffee!
Believe it or not, I have been missing all of you guys, too!
Surprise!!!!
Where is my Coffee???
Dear Funsters....
In one of the many episodes of severe weather in June I lost my home. Needless to say, I haven't had time (or a computer) to visit.
Then Friday morning (July 4th) my Father-in-law had a massive heart attack. He was 62 with now history of heart problems.
Just wanted to let you know that I miss you ALL!
Apple Watchers Salivate Over 3G iPhone Rumors
By David Needle
June 6, 2008
Apple will unveil a new iPhone at its sold-out developers conference Monday in San Francisco; at least that's the consensus among the numerous rumor sites, developers and media outlets speculating in the days leading up to the event.
Once again, Apple's done an exceptional job of building expectations for an announcement it's never publicly confirmed.
Will the new iPhone offer higher 3G speeds? New apps? New touchscreen technology? The only thing Apple or carrier partner AT&T has said publicly this year about a new iPhone release is that it will happen "this year."
But all the ducks are lined up. Apple released the beta of its software development kit (SDK) in March with the final version due out this month. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco will, for the first time, include a track for iPhone developers.
Also, a number of sessions on the WWDC developer site schedule are listed as "Session to be Determined" which may indicate content Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) wants to keep under wraps about the new iPhone.
Industry analyst Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, is a longtime Apple observer who has also done some consulting work for the company. While he said he doesn't have any inside knowledge of what's going to be announced, he thinks all the hype and speculation about a new iPhone is a bit misguided.
"Remember, this is a developer conference," Bajarin told InternetNews.com. "Apple's goal is going to be to help developers understand the company's software strategy and encourage them to write programs for the Mac and the iPhone. Whatever news comes out of WWDC, I expect 80 percent of it to be software-related."
And that's even if a new iPhone with higher 3G speed capability is released.
"The iPhone is a tough act to follow," Bajarin said. "They add a 3G radio and some other touches that are nice -- that's fine, but it's evolutionary. You have to look at the iPhone as more a blank slate. It's the software that will bring new features that are most exciting, not the hardware."
Which is not to say Apple won't bring some interesting new hardware into play.
There's been speculation of an additional camera for videoconferencing and enhancements to the iPhone's touchscreen features, which so many competitors have scrambled to copy. InternetNews.com's sister site PDA Street reported in late April that Apple may license haptic technology called VibeTonz from tactile-feedback player Immersion.
The technology could allow Apple to include vibration-based feedback in future releases of the iPhone, if not the new version rumored to be announced Monday.
More than just a vibrating phone, the inclusion of VibeTonz technology could let developers independently control both vibration strength and frequency for what Immersion calls high-fidelity touch sensations. One area this could help is with the iPhone's virtual keys, giving users something closer to the sense they're actually pressing a key.
On the software side, expect a slew of announcements as developers go public with their first efforts working with the SDK.
In March, Apple announced that there had been over 100,000 downloads of the SDK. At the SDK beta launch, companies such as Salesforce.com, Intuit and NetSuite showed preliminary applications based on only weeks with the developer tools. Expect more polished, media-rich applications to come out this week.
And applications are just the beginning. The iPhone has done such a good job establishing itself as a mobile Web platform, advertisers are chomping at the bit to grab some of its small screen real estate.
"When you think about the differences between iPhone and other mobile devices, where something like 85 percent of iPhone users access the Web versus about ten percent for all others, it's a phenomenal platform," David Stass, vice president of marketing for Ad Infuse, told InternetNews.com.
For rich content advertisers, Stass said the rest of the mobile device market is like "trying to advertise on TV channels no one watches."
Stass said the iPhone was by far the most prominent media platform in several mobile video ad campaigns his firm developed.
"Even though the iPhone is only about one percent of all mobile phones, we've had some campaigns where over 70 percent of the impressions came from iPhone users," he said.
And while Apple remains mum on all but the barest details of the next generation of iPhone, Stass is confident the device's strong position is about to get even better.
"Advertisers want a deeper level of engagement and they'll get even more of that with a 3G iPhone and what developers can do with the SDK," he said.
Supermarkets, Restaurants Pull Tomatoes on Salmonella Fears
By ANDREW EDWARDS and ANA CAMPOY
June 6, 2008 7:47 p.m.
Restaurants and supermarkets across Texas and New Mexico are removing certain types of fresh tomatoes from their menus and shelves amid a salmonella outbreak.
Earlier this week the Food and Drug Administration advised consumers in those states to stay away from raw red plum, round or Roma tomatoes, which may be linked to the outbreak. On Thursday, the New Mexico Environment Department asked restaurants, supermarkets and other food establishments to stop selling those types of tomatoes.
Albertson's LLC, a private supermarket operator, said it has removed round and Roma tomatoes from its shelves in New Mexico, limiting sales to organic, hothouse and cherry tomatoes.
Whole Foods Market Inc. pulled Roma and fresh field-grown red round slicer tomatoes Thursday, only to put nearly all of them back Friday, after determining most were from regions unaffected by the outbreak.
"We know where all of our tomatoes are from," said Whole Foods spokeswoman Libba Letton She said some stores had pulled their tomatoes and were looking for other sources, but couldn't say where or how many.
At Dos Hermanos, a chain of restaurants in Albuquerque, N.M., the kitchen is sending out taco and enchilada plates without the traditional tomato garnish. Customers are still getting their salsa, but from canned tomatoes, said Juan Flores, a chain employee.
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections particularly in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, the organism can get into the bloodstream and produce more severe illnesses.
The FDA has confirmed 57 cases of tomato-related salmonella in New Mexico and Texas since mid-April, resulting in 17 hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported. An additional 30 cases are being investigated for a tomato link. The agency said the tomatoes may have come from one region, similar to the spinach E. coli outbreak in the fall of 2006.
The New Mexico Department of Health said it is still interviewing sick patients and testing tomatoes as part of its investigation into the outbreak.
Good morning Funsters!
(INTC) FTC targets Intel in antitrust probe
AMD ALSO RECEIVES SUBPEONA
By Steve Johnson
Mercury News
Article Launched: 06/06/2008 09:17:34 AM PDT
Intel disclosed Friday it is the target of a federal probe involving allegations it improperly discouraged PC makers from using chips sold by its bitter rival, Sunnyvale-based Advanced Micro Devices.
The Santa Clara company - also facing similar investigations in Europe, Asia and New York - said Friday it received a subpoena from the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday "related to Intel's business practices with respect to competition in the microprocessor market."
The FTC confirmed it is looking into the activities of Intel, the world's biggest chip maker. But it declined to provide other information about its probe.
"We can acknowledge the existence of the investigation, but that's all we can say at this point," said FTC spokesman Mitch Katz.
In a written statement, Intel said it has been working with the FTC since 2006 "on an informal inquiry into competition in the microprocessor market and has provided the commission staff with a considerable amount of information and thousands of documents."
The company, which reported a profit last year of nearly $7 billion, said it would cooperate with the federal investigation and emphasized it "believes its business practices are well within U.S. law." As evidence that the computer chip market is "fiercely competitive," the statement said microprocessor prices declined by 42.4 percent from 2000 to the end of 2007.
Several experts noted that by opening a formal investigation, the FTC will be able to get access to documents in AMD's three-year-old lawsuits against Intel, which until now have been kept confidential under a federal court's protective order.
Some of those documents will show Intel did nothing wrong, said Intel spokesman Tom Beermann.
"The commission will now have a more full and complete picture of Intel's business practices, which we believe are lawful," he said.
Executives at AMD - which lost more than $3 billion last year - said they also had received an FTC subpoena on Wednesday, seeking documents related to their claim that Intel had used its dominance in the semiconductor industry to persuade computer makers not to use AMD's chips.
"Intel must now answer to the Federal Trade Commission, which is the appropriate way to determine the impact of Intel practices on U.S. consumers and technology businesses," AMD said in its own statement. "In every country around the world where Intel's business practices have been investigated . . . antitrust regulators have taken action."
By launching an investigation, the FTC may have wanted to show that it "is not lagging behind authorities around the world in taking these issues seriously," added Thomas McCoy, AMD's executive vice president for legal affairs and its chief administrative officer.
If Intel is found to have violated the law, it could massive fines and be forced to change the way it sells its chips.
Intel's stock price dropped 97 cents or about 4 percent to $22.90 at the close of trading Friday. AMD's shares fell 35 cents or about 4.5 percent to $7.43.
Intel has been under increasing fire over its business practices.
On Wednesday, South Korean authorities fined the company about $25 million, claiming it deterred competition by offering illegal discounts to South Korean computer makers, such as Samsung Electronics, so they wouldn't buy chips from AMD. Intel's General Counsel Bruce Sewell has said the company probably will appeal that ruling.
In February, European Union regulators raided Intel's offices and computer retailers seeking evidence to bolster their previous charges that Intel engaged in below-cost pricing and other practices to discourage computer makers from using AMD chips.
And in January, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo began his own formal probe of Intel, accusing the company of "potential anti-competitive conduct."
The Japanese Fair Trade Commission also has contended that Intel offered inappropriate rebates to computer makers. Intel settled those claims in 2005, while disagreeing with the findings.
Having the FTC conduct its own investigation "is a very important and significant development," said Edward Black, chief executive of the Computer and Communications Industry Association, which has AMD as a member, but not Intel.
Noting that Intel controls at least 80 percent of the computer-chip market, he said it's essential that competition be allowed to thrive in the industry to encourage technological innovation. As a result, Black added, "we think this is a positive development.
But some other experts cautioned that just because the FTC is investigating doesn't mean it will conclude there is any basis to take punitive action against Intel. They also pointed out that the federal inquiry could take years, just like the trial involving AMD's suit against Intel. On Thursday, that trial was postponed until February 2010 because the two sides were still exchanging relevant documents.
"All they are doing is asking questions," said John Peirce, an Washington D.C. antitrust specialist with the law firm Bryan Cave, commenting on the FTC investigation. "It's a small battle in a big war."
Doug Freedman, an analyst with investment firm American Technology Research, agreed.
"There clearly is no immediate impact" of the FTC investigation on either Intel or AMD, he said. "These things take forever."
Hey Brick,
I just saw this since you posted to "no one" lol...
I use the Camerons as seen here: http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=193416
I started with it to see if I would like it and I like being able to quickly smoke something for dinner
so much I'm thinking about getting the cast iron Emerilware version which is a bit bigger.
Being short on time, I smoked a pork loin stovetop for the family get-together Memorial Day and it barely fit.
That was the first "big" thing I smoked in it, usually it's a couple of chicken breasts or tilapia filets.
Yet.....
lol
Well don't make too much noise until I can get the shopping cart completely loaded! :-p
Good afternoon Tree!!
I believe that's the first time I've seen someone refer to Sue as a "lady"..... lol
(shhh, don't tell her I said that!)
Welcome back!
Sorry if I appeared rude, but I've had my hands busy with these blasted rentals...
Pretty good, just waiting... :-p
Childhood 'toy' revealed as ancient Persian relic
An ancient gold cup mysteriously acquired by an English scrap metal dealer is expected to fetch close to a million dollars at auction after languishing for years in a shoe box under its current owner's bed.
Owner John Webber says his grandfather gave him the 5.5-inch (14-centimetre) high mug to play with when he was a child, back in 1945.
He assumed the golden cup, which is decorated with the heads of two women facing in opposite directions, their foreheads garlanded with two knotted snakes, was made from brass.
But he decided to get it valued when he was moving house last year and was told it was actually a rare piece of ancient Persian treasure, beaten out of a single sheet of gold hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Experts said the method of manufacture and the composition of the gold was "consistent with Achaemenid gold and gold smithing" dating back to the third or fourth century BC.
The Achaemenid empire, the first of the Persian empires to rule over significant portions of Greater Iran, was wiped out by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.
Auction house Duke's, in Dorchester, south-west England, will put the cup under the hammer on June 5, with an estimate of 500,000 pounds (630,000-euro, 988,000-dollars).
Webber, 70, told The Guardian newspaper that his grandfather had a "good eye" for antiques and picked up "all sorts" as he plied his trade in the town of Taunton in south-west England.
"Heaven knows where he got this, he never said," he added, revealing that as a child, he used the cup for target practice with his air gun.
Summertime lull has already begun....
It's quiet everywhere.
I've seen that... show off!! :p
Good morning Phil!
Just a basic vertical Brinkman here.
Spent all the money on the JennAir grill! lol
(60,000 BTU 5 burner with searing grill and headlights)
I use a Camerons stove top smoker for "quick fix" meals or when the weather is bad. I love it!
Yummy!
What are we having this weekend? And what time should I be there?? lol
I have a pork loin to smoke and will prob. go pick up a brisket, too :p
oh my.....
I think I'll go lay down. My rotator cuff is hurting really bad.
Have a wonderful trip! :p
That's because it's completely EMPTY!
A "little" detour.... hahaha.
Sound like fun, but the souvenir sounds SCARY!!
Will do what I can... have a good, SAFE trip.
And don't forget to bring me a souvenir! lol
and the night b4 AND right now!
Ruh roh... I gotta SEE this....
Let the games begin! lol
(and I was about to log out after just passing thru)
Okey dokey!
Are you spamming me again??? lol
Eeewww.... stay away from me then! haha
Good morning huggy bear!