George Carlin's Private Memorial: Bill Maher, Garry Shandling

LOS ANGELES — He was the comedian who actually said the seven words you can never say on television, but close friends and family members remembered George Carlin as a man who, when he was off stage, had only a kind word for everyone he met.

At a private memorial service Sunday attended by some 150 people _ "That was as small as we could keep it," chuckled Carlin's daughter, Kelly Carlin McCall _ her father was memorialized by comedians Bill Maher, Garry Shandling and others as someone who had no enemies, in part because he was nice to everyone he spoke to.

"What everyone said tonight is if you spent time with my father, whether it was five seconds or five hours, he was kind, attentive, very connected to you, compassionate," said Carlin's daughter.

Among those who spoke at the service, which was closed to the public and news media, was Shandling, who told of being a teenage college student when he sought out Carlin nearly 40 years ago.

"My dad read his material and encouraged him to continue on, which was a life-changing moment in Gary's life," McCall told The Associated Press after the service.

Overall, Carlin's daughter said, the service was a happy event, one presided over in part by her father himself, who spoke from a montage of video clips assembled from his 51-year career.

Carlin, who died June 22 of heart failure, recorded nearly two dozen albums, 14 HBO comedy specials, wrote three best-selling books and appeared in numerous movies and TV shows.

"It was a very, very light event, as he wanted it," McCall said of the two-hour service. "He wanted a lot of laughter. I'd say 90 percent of it was laughing and just remembering what he brought to us in his funny way."

Although his standup routines were often filled with four-letter words _ so many that early in his career Carlin was sometimes hauled off stage and taken to jail _ his dead-on ability to highlight the absurdities of everyday life, and do so in such comical voices and faces, made his humor come across as anything but harsh.

And although famous for four-letter words, Carlin, 71, did not always use them. He was also Mr. Conductor on the children's show "Shining Time Station," Fillmore the hippie van in the 2006 children's movie "Cars," and the guest host of the first "Saturday Night Live" episode ever broadcast. That 1975 show was replayed by NBC on Saturday night in his honor.

There also was more to Carlin than just the comedian, said McCall, and that too was reflected at her father's funeral.

He loved music, and his service was attended by Kenny Rankin, who sang "Here's That Rainy Day," and Spanky McFarlane of the 1960s pop group Spanky and Our Gang, who performed the song "Coming Home."

Other speakers included Carlin's older brother, Patrick, his partner, Sally Wade, and his former standup partner, Jack Burns. Carlin's wife, Brenda Hosbrook Carlin, died in 1997.

Carlin and Burns had met in 1960, and although they worked as a comedy duo only briefly they remained lifelong friends.

In an earlier AP interview, Burns recalled Carlin calling him several times a year to remind him of such things as the anniversary of the day they met, the day they did their first show together and, in one less-than-joyful incident, the day they were jailed for armed robbery in Texas in a case of mistaken identity.

That's just the sentimentalist he was, said McCall, who is Carlin's only child.

"He went out of his way to make sure friends and family members, if they needed anything, he was there for them," she said. "He was a complete man. He was more than just the seven words you can never say on television."

Macomb Community College

WELCOME TO MACOMB

From the latest in technology to personal attention provided by first-rate professors, Macomb offers you more of the advantages you need to succeed. Learners of all ages pursue their interests via Macomb's incredible range of courses, degree and certificate programs, enrichment opportunities, and more. Macomb College was created to offer today's students - students like you - an education of top quality and to prepare you to succeed in the career markets of the 21st century.

Fall Registration Begins July 1

Registration for Fall 2008 begins July 1. Now is the time to review your information on WebAdvisor to ensure there are no holds on your record. If you need assistance planning your schedule, you can meet with a counselor or advisor.

July 1

Today in History - July 1

Today is Tuesday, July 1, the 183rd day of 2008. There are 183 days left in the year. This is Canada Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 1, 1946, the United States exploded a 20-kiloton atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.

On this date:

In 1863, the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, resulting in a Union victory, began in Pennsylvania.

In 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain as the British North America Act took effect.

In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, U.S. forces, including Theodore Roosevelt's "Rough Riders," waged a victorious assault on San Juan Hill in Cuba.

In 1948, New York International Airport (now John F. Kennedy International Airport) at Idlewild began operations.

In 1948, the fare on New York City subways doubled from a nickel to 10 cents.

In 1968, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and nearly 60 other nations signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

In 1980, "O Canada" was proclaimed the national anthem of Canada.

In 1987, President Reagan nominated federal appeals court judge Robert H. Bork to the Supreme Court, setting off a tempestuous confirmation process that ended with Bork's rejection by the Senate.

In 1991, President Bush nominated federal appeals court judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, beginning an ultimately successful confirmation process marked by allegations of sexual harassment.

In 1997, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule after 156 years as a British colony.

Ten years ago: Speaking in Shanghai, President Clinton urged his Chinese hosts to open markets, battle corruption and clean up the environment.

Five years ago: At a summit, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas rededicated themselves to peace efforts and spoke of a shared future for their peoples. Bishop Sean O'Malley was named by Pope John Paul the new archbishop of Boston, succeeding Cardinal Bernard Law, who'd resigned in the wake of a clerical sex abuse scandal. Jazz flutist Herbie Mann died in Pecos, N.M., at age 73.

One year ago: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kennebunkport, Maine, for an overnight visit at the Bush family estate and talks with President Bush. Princes William and Harry celebrated the life of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 46th birthday with a concert they'd organized at London's Wembley Stadium. Golfer Cristie Kerr won the U.S. Women's Open.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Olivia de Havilland is 92. Actor Farley Granger is 83. Actress-dancer Leslie Caron is 77. Actress Jean Marsh is 74. Movie producer-director Claude Berri is 74. Actor Jamie Farr is 74. Bluesman James Cotton is 73. Actor David Prowse is 73. Cookie maker Wally Amos is 72. Actress Karen Black is 69. Singer-musician Delaney Bramlett is 69. Dancer-choreographer Twyla Tharp is 67. Actress Genevieve Bujold is 66. Gospel singer Andrae Crouch is 66. Rock singer-actress Deborah Harry is 63. Movie-TV producer-director Michael Pressman is 58. Rock singer Fred Schneider (B-52's) is 57. Actor Daryl Anderson is 57. Actor Trevor Eve is 57. Actor-comedian Dan Aykroyd is 56. Actor Alan Ruck is 52. Actress Lisa Blount is 51. Rhythm-and-blues singer Evelyn "Champagne" King is 48. Olympic gold medal track star Carl Lewis is 47. Country singer Michelle Wright is 47. Actor Andre Braugher is 46. Actress Pamela Anderson is 41. Rock musician Mark Pirro is 38. Rock musician Franny Griffiths (Space) is 38. Actor Henry Simmons is 38. Hip-hop artist Missy Elliott is 37. Actress Julianne Nicholson is 37. Actress Liv Tyler is 31. Actress Hilarie Burton is 26. Actress Lynsey Bartilson is 25. Actor Evan Ellingson is 20. Actors Stephen and Andrew Cavarno are 16.

Thought for Today: "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." — L.P. Hartley, British author (1895-1972).

Changing the Blogger Title Tag

This widget will change the Blogger's title tag to help amplify relevant keywords to your blog which improve the search engine ranking of your blog.

How does it work?

By default, your Blogger's title on the top left displays your blog title, and if it's in the items page, it'll include your post title as well.
e.g. Widget-based XML: Changing the Blogger Title Tag

By default, Blogger templates come with a 'smart' tag that automatically puts the title of your blog in the title tag if you are on the main page and on article pages it uses the format: BlogTitle: Article Title.
I wanted to change my blog's title tag so that is puts the title of my post first followed by the name of my blog. Here is the code if you want to do the same:
<title>
<MainOrArchivePage><$BlogTitle$></MainOrArchivePage>
<ItemPage><Blogger><$BlogItemTitle$></Blogger> - <$BlogTitle$></ItemPage>
</title>
Use the above code in place of: <title><$BlogPageTitle$></title>

It works the same way for labels and archives pages.

Installation

Find the following codes, near the top of your template:

<title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title>

Replace with the following code:

<!-- Start Widget-based: Changing the Blogger Title Tag -->
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>
<b:section id='titleTag'>
<b:widget id='Blog2' locked='false' title='Blog Posts' type='Blog'>
<b:includable id='comments' var='post'/>
<b:includable id='postQuickEdit' var='post'/>
<b:includable id='main' var='top'><title><b:loop values='data:posts' var='post'><b:include data='post' name='post'/></b:loop> ~ <data:blog.title/></title></b:includable>
<b:includable id='backlinkDeleteIcon' var='backlink'/>
<b:includable id='feedLinksBody' var='links'/>
<b:includable id='backlinks' var='post'/>
<b:includable id='status-message'/>
<b:includable id='feedLinks'/>
<b:includable id='nextprev'/>
<b:includable id='commentDeleteIcon' var='comment'/>
<b:includable id='post' var='post'><data:post.title/></b:includable>
</b:widget>
</b:section>
<b:else/>
<title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title>
</b:if>
<!-- End Widget-based: Changing the Blogger Title Tag -->

The trick is rather simple for the older Blogger version, but it's nearly impossible with Blogger beta without risking a little XHTML validation. This widget works well but it's only limited to items page. Meaning it'll go back to Blogger default in index, labels and archives pages.

Export Data from Google's Services

Google mentioned in many occasions that it doesn't want to trap users' data and some of its services have started to provide import/export options. Here are some of the ways to export your data from Google's services:

* iGoogle lets you download the list of gadgets, feeds, themes and their corresponding options if you go to the settings page and scroll down to the "Export / Import" section. The resulting XML file can be imported to another Google account and those who are familiar with XSLT could covert iGoogle's data file to OPML, so you can subscribe to the feeds in Google Reader or any other feed reader.

* Google Calendar has options to export your calendars one by one as iCal files, but it's much easier to export all the calendar you created by going to: http://www.google.com/calendar/exporticalzip.

* Google Docs lets you export your documents as an archive of HTML files and images. To export your files, restrict the Docs list to documents, select all the files and choose "Save as HTML (zipped)" from "More actions". Zoho can already import your documents and there's a Greasemonkey script that helps you download all the files from Google Docs, not just the documents.

* Blogger added in the experimental version available at draft.blogger.com an option to export the posts and comments from your blogs as an Atom feed. Hopefully, developers will write scripts that convert Blogger's feeds to the formats accepted by other blogging services.

* Google Bookmarks can be exported as a HTML file, but for some reason browsers can no longer import the bookmarks. The web history or search history can be exported as a RSS feed: http://www.google.com/history/lookup?q=&output=rss&num=1000 (replace 1000 with the number of items you want to export).

* Gmail lets you export your contacts as CSV or vCard, but Google automatically adds all the people you send a reply in the list of contacts.

It would be nice to export all your data from a single page, so you can delete a Google account or switch to a competing service without losing your data.

Obama Undercuts His Brand

Obama Undercuts His Brand

Sen. Barack Obama is risking his brand as a political reformer, according to reports today in the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post. In recent weeks, he has moderated or changed positions on a number of politically-charged issues, leading to criticism from demoralized Democratic activists and charges of "flip-flopping" from conservatives.

The Times reports:

In recent weeks, he toughened his stance on Iran and backed an expansion of the government's wiretapping powers. On Wednesday, he said states should be allowed to execute child rapists. When the Supreme Court the next day struck down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns, he did not complain...

..."I've been struck by the speed and decisiveness of his move to the center," said Will Marshall, president of the centrist Progressive Policy Institute...

...And Obama endorsed a compromise wiretapping bill despite stiff opposition from liberal activists. MoveOn.org, the liberal online activist group, asked its members to flood Obama's campaign office with phone calls and e-mails urging him to support a filibuster of the bill.

The changes carry some risk that Obama will diminish the image he has sought to build as a new type of leader who will change how Washington conducts business. McCain and other Republicans have used his recent policy statements to argue that Obama is a traditional politician, unwilling to take clear stands on tough issues and abandoning his principles when he finds it advantageous.

The Post reports that those who should be his strongest supporters are taking this as a wake-up call:

The switch is not without precedent. On a variety of issues, including gun control and campaign finance regulation, the presumptive Democratic nominee has shown himself willing to settle for incremental changes in the face of political reality rather than to hold out for the sweeping and uncompromising positions he initially stakes out.

But even some who should be his core constituents -- in the Democratic Party's progressive wing and the liberal blogosphere -- have taken his recent maneuvers as a wake-up call. They are warning the senator that in his quest to reach voters in the middle of the political spectrum, he risks depressing the enthusiasm of the voters who clinched the nomination for him.

"American voters tend to reward politicians who take clear stands," said David Sirota, a former Democratic aide on Capitol Hill and author of the new populist-themed book "The Uprising." "When Obama takes these mushy positions, it could speak to a character issue. Voters that don't pay a lot of attention look at one thing: 'Does the guy believe in something?' They may be saying the guy is afraid of his own shadow."

Pocket Wikipedia is for Offline Browsing

Pocket Wikipedia is a Condensed Version for Offline
BrowsingWindows/Linux/Windows Mobile: It's not the whole world-knowledge shebang, but Pocket Wikipedia drops 14 million and 24,000 images onto your PC or Windows Mobile device. The articles are hand-picked to cover the widest array of material you can fit into 175 MB, and the interface is condensed to offer quick searching and indexing on mobile devices. Great for knowledge-digging or bet-winning when you're offline or on the go. Pocket Wikipedia is a free download for Windows, Linux, and Windows Mobile systems. Looking for the whole of mass-edit knowledge? Try Encyclopedia

Add a Second Hard Drive to Your Laptop

Add a Second Hard Drive to Your Laptop
Adding another internal hard drive to your desktop computer isn't difficult, but a notebook is a whole other ball of wax. Still, blogger Fewt details how he got the job done and came out the other side with a second 100GB hard drive in his laptop. The process requires an extra notebook drive, a toggle switch, some elbow grease, and a good dose of soldering, but the results are impressive. Granted, a simple external hard drive is a lot easier if you're willing to carry it around in your laptop bag. If not, check out the details of how Fewt did it.

What does Bill Clinton want?

What does Bill Clinton want?

Barack Obama quickly determined what Hillary Clinton wants in the aftermath of defeat: a major role in the general election campaign, a star turn at the convention, help with her debt, and Obama's support for elected officials who backed her. The big-time holdout turns out to be her husband.

Bill is more complex. He wants respect, absolution and love.

The former president and Obama have not talked, and, by all accounts, the man of the Clinton household remains hurt and resentful. Associates provide a variety of explanations for the Bill Clinton dilemma, none of them mutually exclusive.

Some say Bill Clinton not only wants Obama to reach out to him, but to also promise to lift the cloud of alleged racism -- an accusation that continues to eat at the man once dubbed the nation's "first black president." Clinton, these folks suggest, wants Obama to publicly exonerate him of the charge that he played the race card in the primaries.

Beyond that, some associates say, Bill Clinton wants Obama to reach out to him as a mentor, a guide who can lead Obama through the labyrinth of a tough presidential election. "Bill wants to be honored, to return to the role of Democratic elder statesman, and get rid of this image of him as a pol willing to do anything to win," said one associate.

"He is still bruised from the trail, really hurt about the racist charges leveled against him, and convinced the Obama campaign fomented it," said another source familiar with the former president's attitude. "What he would really like is for Obama to apologize, but on one level he knows that is never going to happen," a third source said.

Another source, in contrast, downgraded the idea that Bill Clinton wants to be personally attended to by Obama. Instead, the source said, "POTUS wants first and foremost that his wife is treated with the respect that she has earned. Secondly, while he does not expect Obama to run for a Clinton third term, he would hope that Obama does not continue to implicitly criticize his eight years in office as he did during the primaries."

Finally, a person close to both Clintons contended that the current impasse between Obama and Bill Clinton "is not a big problem. All Obama has to do is ask, it's his name on the ballot." Once that hurdle is crossed, this friend of the former president and first lady said, "Bill Clinton will end up seducing Obama. Clinton likes to deal with people who have not necessarily treated him well," noting that Clinton and Newt Gingrich had a productive relationship until Gingrich began pressing for impeachment.

The accusation that Bill Clinton pointedly sought to downgrade Obama's success and to aggressively define him as a "black" candidate gained momentum on January 26, 2008 when the former president seemed to dismiss Obama's victory in South Carolina: "Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in '84 and '88. Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here."

Clinton has not been hesitant to make his feelings about these charges known far and wide.

"I think that they [the Obama campaign] played the race card on me," Clinton told Philadelphia radio station WHYY on April 22. "We now know, from memos from the campaign, that they planned to do it along."

On June 2, Clinton told Huffington Post Off The Bus Reporter Mayhill Fowler:

"They had all these people standing up in this church cheering, calling Hillary a white racist, and he [Obama] didn't do anything about it. The first day he said 'Ah, ah, ah well.' Because that's what they do-- he gets other people to slime her."

During the campaign, Obama, in turn, complained a number of times about Bill Clinton's tactics and comments

"You know the former president, who I think all of us have a lot of regard for, has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a level that I think is pretty troubling," Obama said on January 21. "He continues to make statements that are not supported by the facts....This has become a habit, and one of the things that we're gonna have to do is to directly confront Bill Clinton when he's making statements that are not factually accurate."

Now that he is the nominee, however, Obama has become more generous towards Bill.

"If the question is, do I want Bill Clinton campaigning for us, for the ticket, leading into November, the answer is absolutely yes. I want him involved. He is a brilliant politician. He was an outstanding president. And so, I want his help, not only in campaigning, but also in governing. And I'm confident that I'll get that help," Obama declared on June 25.

While Obama awaits a response from Mr. Clinton, blogger Marc Ambinder has been conducting an on-line poll asking whether 1) Obama should bend over backwards to make sure Bill Clinton campaigns for him in the fall 2) Obama should ignore Bill Clinton entirely or 3) Obama should ask Bill Clinton politely, but if Clinton says no, Obama should ignore him.

With a total of 2,292 votes cast, answer number 3 - "ask politely, if 'no,' ignore Clinton" - was decisively ahead with 1,765 votes, or 77 percent of Ambinder's responses; answers 1 and 2 drew 10% (240 votes) and 13% (287 votes) respectively.

June 30

Today in History - June 30

Today is Monday, June 30, the 182nd day of 2008. There are 184 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

One hundred years ago, on June 30, 1908, the Tunguska Event took place in Russia as an asteroid exploded above Siberia, leaving 800 square miles of scorched or blown-down trees.

On this date:

In 1859, French acrobat Blondin (born Jean Francois Gravelet) walked a tightrope above the gorge of Niagara Falls as thousands of spectators watched.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act.

In 1921, President Harding nominated former President Taft to be chief justice of the United States, to succeed the late Edward Douglass White.

In 1934, Adolf Hitler carried out his "blood purge" of political and military rivals in Germany in what came to be known as "The Night of the Long Knives."

In 1936, the novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell was published in New York.

In 1958, the U.S. Senate passed the Alaska statehood bill by a vote of 64-20.

In 1963, Pope Paul VI was crowned the 262nd head of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1971, a Soviet space mission ended in tragedy when three cosmonauts aboard Soyuz 11 were found dead inside their spacecraft after it had returned to Earth.

In 1985, 39 American hostages from a hijacked TWA jetliner were freed in Beirut after being held 17 days.

In 1986, the Supreme Court, in Bowers v. Hardwick, ruled 5-4 that states could outlaw homosexual acts between consenting adults. (However, the nation's highest court effectively reversed this decision in 2003 in Lawrence v. Texas).

Ten years ago: Linda Tripp, whose tape-and-tell friendship with Monica Lewinsky spurred a White House crisis, spent six hours testifying before a grand jury in Washington. Officials confirmed that the previously unidentified remains of a Vietnam War serviceman buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery were those of Air Force pilot Michael J. Blassie.

Five years ago: Israeli and Palestinian commanders shook hands as bulldozers dismantled checkpoints and Palestinian traffic flowed freely in the Gaza Strip. Comedian Buddy Hackett died in Malibu, Calif., at age 78.

One year ago: Two men rammed a jeep loaded with gasoline canisters into the main terminal at Glasgow Airport in Scotland, failing to set off an explosion, but seriously burning one of suspects; the attack came a day after two cars rigged as bombs were found in London.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Lena Horne is 91. Actor Tony Musante is 72. Actress Nancy Dussault is 72. Singer Glenn Shorrock is 64. Jazz musician Stanley Clarke is 57. Actor David Garrison is 56. Rock musician Hal Lindes (Dire Straits) is 55. Actor-comedian David Alan Grier is 53. Actor Vincent D'Onofrio is 49. Actress Deirdre Lovejoy is 46. Actor Rupert Graves is 45. Boxer Mike Tyson is 42. Rock musician Tom Drummond (Better Than Ezra) is 39. Actor Brian Bloom is 38. Actor Brian Vincent is 38. Actress Monica Potter is 37. Actor Rick Gonzalez is 29. Actress Lizzy Caplan is 26. Rhythm-and-blues singer Fantasia ("American Idol") is 24.

Thought for Today: "Many a man thinks he is patient when, in reality, he is indifferent." — B.C. Forbes, Scottish journalist (1880-1954).

Michael Phelps , Breaks 400 Meter Swim Record video

Euphoria and disappointment, two world records, tears and triumph, Katie Hoff and a lot of Michael Phelps made for a very big splash Sunday at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in front of 12,064 at the Qwest Center's indoor pool.

It started with Phelps and figures to continue with him for the next seven days, or one day for every gold medal he hopes to win at the Beijing Olympics in his pursuit of the record seven that were won by Mark Spitz during an era of smaller crowds and much smaller suits.
"I definitely started the meet off on the right foot," Phelps said.

Left foot, both hands, shoulders, legs and a high-tech Speedo LZR suit, too.

Phelps needed that and more to hold off friend and rival Ryan Lochte. Phelps broke his own world record, his first in an LZR, in the fastest-ever 400 individual medley. The crowd cheered almost as if the Cornhuskers were playing football down the freeway in Lincoln. The trials' first event was a dramatic contest in an event Phelps has ruled without challenge for years.

But Lochte, of Daytona Beach, Fla., was right there with him at the 300-meter mark, the turn between breaststroke and freestyle. Only over the last 20 meters was Phelps able to push to an insurmountable advantage for a finish of 4:05.25, less than a second ahead of Lochte (4:06.08). Both times were better than Phelps' world mark of 4:06.22, set April 1, 2007.

Michael Phelps Breaks 400 Meter Swim Record video



It still is Phelps' record. But it doesn't figure to stand for long, probably not past the rematch in August at the Beijing Games. Not with Lochte there, shoulder to shoulder if not exactly stroke for stroke.

"I felt him coming up on me in the last 50, but I hit the wall first," said Phelps, who wore only the bottom half of the Speedo suit that has stirred up world-class waters.

Not to be outdone was Hoff, Phelps' former teammate at North Baltimore Aquatics. Hoff didn't expect to do what Phelps seems to do all the time.

"No, Michael is kind of a world-record machine," she said.

Hoff finished the 400 IM in 4:31.12, breaking a world mark of 4:31.46 set March 22 by Australia's Stephanie Rice. Elizabeth Beisel of Rhode Island qualified for the second Olympic spot in the event at 4:32.87. Caitlin Leverenz, a 17-year-old from Tucson, was fourth at 4:38.54.

"It was just an amazing field, absolutely amazing," said Leverenz, whose best shot at the U.S. team is in the 200 breaststroke. "This was my first Olympic event. I just wanted to have fun."

For Leverenz, there was a reason to celebrate a debut. But for Klete Keller, there was disappointment in a futile attempt to gain a shot at a third consecutive Olympic medal in the 400 freestyle.

Keller, of the former Phoenix Swim Club, won bronze in the event in 2000 and again in 2004. But there will be no chance for a third medal in the 400 free in Beijing. Keller finished fourth, fading after an early and uncharacteristic lead. Larsen Jensen, Keller's teammate at Trojan Swim Club in Los Angeles, won in an American-record 3:43.53, which also broke Keller's U.S. Olympic Trials mark of 3:44.19. Peter Vanderkaay of Ann Arbor, Mich., qualified for the second Olympic spot at 3:43.73.

Keller finished at 3:46.36, behind third-place Erik Vendt (3:43.92).

"It's a big disappointment," Keller said. "I'm going to soak up the atmosphere for the rest of this meet."

The atmosphere includes another chance. Keller is entered today in prelims for the 200 free. In the 2004 Olympics, he held off Australian Ian Thorpe for a U.S. gold in a wild finish to the 4 x200 free relay.

If he finishes among the top six in the 200 free, Keller puts himself in line for another shot.

Ice Princess

Ice Princess is a 2005 Disney live action film, directed by Tim Fywell.

Summary

Michelle Trachtenberg plays Casey Carlyle, a brainy bookworm and physics geek. Casey decides to use her academic skill by pursuing a scholarship offered to the top students in the state. For the scholarship, Casey must do a "personal" project about physics. While watching a figure skating competition featuring Sasha Cohen, Casey realizes that her hobby, ice skating, would make a perfect project for getting her scholarship. Initially, she watches other skaters at the local ice rink, but decides to try to improve her own skating by applying the physics and what she found out from analyzing other skaters. She becomes exceptionally good at skating, even skipping two levels to get a Junior Pass.

Unsure of what she really wants, Casey has a difficult time juggling schoolwork, skating, and a job at a food stand to pay for her skating lessons. Her mother, played by Joan Cusack, realizes that her daughter's constant skating is affecting her schoolwork and tells her to stop skating. Casey refuses and goes to regionals with help from her friend, Gen, and her coach. In the end, Casey turns down the scholarship to Harvard to keep skating, and attains a silver medal in the Sectionals. Casey and her mom reconcile after two months, and Casey finally gains her mother's support.

Meanwhile, there is increasing tension between Casey's coach Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall), a disgraced former skater, and her daughter Gen, played by Hayden Panettiere. In this case, Tina, who manages the ice skating rink where Casey is training for competition, is putting her daughter into a strict training program and an even stricter diet. This irritates Gen, who has already begun to lose interest in skating and simply wants to be a normal teenager and student. Eventually Gen gets fed up and informs her mother and then Casey that she's quitting. Tina then becomes Casey's coach in the Sectionals.

At the sectionals, Casey performs well. In a triple loop jump, she slips and falls, but at the moment when she sees her mother in the spectators, that boosts her confidence and she gives an artistic performance.

She comes second in rank after Nikki Fletcher, and is going to the nationals.

Gen drops out after Tina buys Casey new skates which causes her to slip and fall.

Tina becomes Casey's personal coach and helps her get through nationals with a spectacular routine. Casey's mother is there to watch and congratulates her daughter as she realizes being brainy isn't everything. And maybe her daughter could use her brainy talent combined with her skating to be a spectacular skater

Cast

• Michelle Trachtenberg as Casey Carlyle
• Joan Cusack as Joan Carlyle
• Kim Cattrall as Tina Harwood
• Hayden Panettiere as Gennifer "Gen" Harwood
• Trevor Blumas as Teddy Harwood
• Kirsten Olson as Nikki Fletcher
• Jocelyn Lai as Tiffany Lai
• Connie Ray as Mrs. Fletcher
• Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Mr. Lai
• Juliana Cannarozzo as Zoe Bloch
• Kristina Whitcomb as Ms. Fisher Le
• Signe Ronka as Emma Flanders

About JohnTV.com

JohnTV.com is one Oklahoma man's effort to target, expose and impact street and organized prostitution and the sexual trafficking of individuals.

About JohnTV

JohnTV.com is one Oklahoma man's effort to target, expose and impact street and organized prostitution and the sexual trafficking of individuals.

Street prostitution is not a victimless crime. The victims are everywhere; The families living in these neighborhoods, the businesses, the children who cannot play in the parks, the wives and daughters who cannot walk to the store, the wives of the men who solicit street prostitutes, the families of the prostitutes and the prostitutes themselves - all are victims.

The goals of this site are... 1.) To educate the public to the graphic realities of street prostitution in an effort to spur a continued dialogue on the subject. 2.) To expose and identify those who have preyed upon women lost to drug addiction and street prostitution. 3.) Use those caught and published here as an example to hopefully dissuade others. 4.) Expose the inability and/or unwillingness of certain city leaders, police, and prosecutors to positively impact street prostitution. 5.) To provide solutions to positively impact everyone effected by street prostitution based on my over 10-years experience. 6.) To persuade city leaders and law enforcement that continued policies of incarceration over rehabilitation are counterproductive and often further victimize women lost to street prostitution. 7.) To forward the ideology of decriminalization of 100% private, consensual and non-organized prostitution so that our limited resources can be focused on street, forced and organized prostitution and trafficking.

The motto of this site is "Pay to play & you're here to stay." Simply put, if you are caught engaging in street prostitution in Oklahoma County, you will be exposed on this site and your information will remain here FOREVER!

"Street prostitution is not the world's oldest profession. Instead, it is the world's oldest abuse of women." -- Brian Bates

This site takes no proactive stance against individual women who are engaged in 100% consensual prostitution between two adults that is kept 100% away from the public. Meaning, prostitution that is advertised, solicited, procured and engaged in completely behind closed doors and is not a part of an organized business operation (ex. massage parlors, spas, strip clubs, escort services, etc.).

Spain crowned champions of Europe

Spain claimed their first major title for 44 years after winning Euro 2008 with a deserved victory over Germany.

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres was Spain's goal hero, striking after 33 minutes when he cleverly lifted Xavi's pass over Germany keeper Jens Lehmann.

Spain dominated the final throughout, with Torres heading against the post and Marcos Senna almost adding a second from close range after 80 minutes.

Michael Ballack came close for Germany, shooting narrowly wide after the break.

Spain have long had a reputation as under-achievers on the big occasions, but this was a richly-merited victory for veteran coach Luis Aragones and a team that played outstanding football throughout the tournament.

Germany were outclassed, and for captain Ballack his catalogue of misery in major finals continues having lost two Champions League finals and also been suspended for the 2002 World Cup final when they lost to Brazil.

Match-winner Torres enhanced the reputation he forged at Liverpool last season, but this was an all-round effort for a side that is young enough to already be marked down among the favourites for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Germany were lifted by Ballack declaring himself fit after a calf injury - but he had little impact on a first 45 minutes in which Spain were the vastly-superior side.

Andres Iniesta almost created the opening goal for Spain in the 13th minute when his driven cross took a deflection off Christoph Metzelder, but Lehmann pulled off a fine reflex save.

And they came even closer nine minutes later when Torres rose to meet Sergio Ramos's cross, but his header bounced to safety off the post.

But he was not to be denied and put Spain ahead with a trademark piece of sharpness in front of goal after 33 minutes.

Xavi's pass created uncertainty for Germany defender Philipp Lahm and Torres shrugged him off the ball to lift a superb finish beyond Lehmann.

Germany's problems threatened to worsen when Ballack needed lengthy treatment for an eye wound after a clash of heads with Marcos Senna.

David Silva then wasted a perfect opportunity to double Spain's advantage when he was set up by Iniesta, but he rushed his finish and shot wildly over the top.

Germany made a change at half-time, sending on Marcell Jansen for Lahm, but it was still Spain who dominated.

Xavi and Silva were both off target - but Germany were sticking to their task and almost grabbed an equaliser when Ballack shot just wide after Carles Puyol had conceded possession in a dangerous area.

Spain continued to look the more threatening side, but there was still the lingering prospect of Germany's refusal to accept defeat yielding an unlikely equaliser.

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Casillas lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy for Spain

Silva was fortunate to stay on the pitch when he appeared to motion to head-butt Germany's Lukas Podolski, but Italian referee Roberto Rosetti decided against taking any action.

Ramos should have put the game beyond Germany's reach after 66 minutes when he headed straight at Lehmann from point-blank range as he got on the end of Xavi's free-kick.

Iniesta then had a shot cleared off the line by Torsten Frings and another effort saved by Lehmann as Spain looked in the mood to add a second.

And Germany had a remarkable escape after 80 minutes when substitute Daniel Guiza - on for Torres - headed the ball straight into Senna's path right in front of goal, but he could not apply the final touch.

Spain were not made to pay for their generosity in front of goal and ran out worthy winners.

Watch live video Germany vs Spain full Highlights Here

Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Metzelder, Mertesacker, Lahm (Jansen 46), Hitzlsperger (Kuranyi 58), Frings, Podolski, Ballack, Schweinsteiger, Klose (Gomez 79).

Subs Not Used: Enke, Adler, Fritz, Westermann, Rolfes, Neuville, Trochowski, Borowski, Odonkor.

Booked: Ballack, Kuranyi.

Spain: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Marchena, Capdevila, Senna, Iniesta, Fabregas (Alonso 63), Xavi, Silva (Santi Cazorla 66), Torres (Guiza 78).
Subs Not Used: Palop, Reina, Albiol, Fernando Navarro, Villa, Sergio Garcia, Arbeloa, Juanito, De la Red.

Booked: Casillas, Torres.

Goals: Torres 33.

Ballard Designs

Ballard Designs is part of the Cornerstone Brands business of publicly held IAC/InterActiveCorp and distributes 40-million copies a year of its monthly catalog.

A multi-channel retailer based in Atlanta, Georgia, Ballard Designs specializes in European-inspired home furnishings and accents. The company was founded in 1983 by Helen Ballard Weeks and sells its merchandise through a monthly mail-order catalog, website, two retail stores in Florida and two outlet stores in Georgia.

About 75% of the company's total assortment is exclusive and often designed in-house by Ballard Designs. The percentage is even greater for furniture, which is sourced through factories in the United States and around the world, including Europe, Asia and South America.

History of Ballard Designs

In 1982, the Buckhead condo of Atlanta socialite Helen Ballard Weeks was featured in a spread in Metropolitan Home magazine. She fielded so many calls for decorating help, she quit her job and published the first issue of the Ballard Designs catalog, a two-page, black-and-white brochure, in August 1983.

In 1997, Ballard Designs merged with Cornerstone Brands Inc., a publisher of specialty catalogs, including Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Smith + Noble, The Territory Ahead and TravelSmith.

In March 2005, IAC/InterActiveCorp announced it was acquiring Cornerstone.

In March 2005, Ballard Designs published its first seasonal Outdoor Living catalog.

In July 2007 and January 2008, Ballard Designs opened two retail stores in International Plaza in Tampa and St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, respectively. The retail stores were designed to mimic a European open-air market.

In late 2007, Ballard Designs launched Style Studio, a decorating center on the company's website, to offer decorating advice and trends to their customers.

Ballmer becomes lone voice at Microsoft's helm

Ballmer becomes lone voice at Microsoft's helm

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates (R) and CEO Steve Ballmer face employees during a farewell event celebrating Gates' years at Microsoft, on his last day as a full-time employee at the company headquarters in Redmond, Washington June 27, 2008. Steve Ballmer will finally get to move into the corner office vacated by Bill Gates, the college friend who brought him to the company nearly three decades ago.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Steve Ballmer has been CEO at Microsoft Corp for eight years, but he will finally get to move into the corner office vacated by Bill Gates, the college friend who brought him to the company nearly three decades ago.

The pressure of leading the world's largest software maker will only escalate in the wake of a bungled attempt to acquire Yahoo Inc, a move that forced the Web pioneer into the waiting arms of Microsoft's archrival, Google Inc.

Adding fuel to the fire has been a lukewarm reception by customers for the company's flagship product, Windows Vista.

"The pressure is certainly on," said Alan Davis, analyst at investment firm D.A. Davidson.

For the first time in his career, the 52-year-old Ballmer, whose public histrionics often overshadow a sharp intellect and a gift for numbers, must shoulder the weight of Microsoft's future without Gates, who stepped down on Friday from the company he co-founded to focus on philanthropy.

Their partnership was forged at Harvard University, where the pair formed an unlikely friendship: Gates, the middle child of a prominent Seattle family, and Ballmer, a Detroit native whose parents never went to college.

They both lived in a dormitory full of "anti-social math types," according to Gates. Ballmer, outgoing and involved in many social clubs on campus, seemed to be a study in contrast to the aloof Gates, who preferred all-night programming sessions and poker games.

SOURCE: http://www.reuters.com

Zoundry Raven offline blog writor

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BRIAN PICCOLO

Brian Piccolo, one of the greatest athletes in Wake Forest history died of cancer June 16 in New York's Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases. He was buried three days later in Saint Mary's Cemetery in Chicago after a requiem Mass at Christ the Ring Roman Catholic Church.

The 26-year-old football star is survived by hits wife, Joy, and three young daughters. He is also survived by lingering admiration for hits courageous spirit, which was evidenced even more in his final battle against death than in his life's many contests on the football field. The University athletic department plans to establish some sort of memorial, although the details hate not get been worked out.

Excerpts from a few of the many tributes to Piccolo are reprinted on this page.

4 Quick Ways To Download YouTube Videos

YouTube, the most popular video sharing site on the internet, allows its users to upload and share videos easily but doesn’t provide any way to download them.

So if you are a YouTube fan and would love to download some of the videos to your computer so that you may watch them again, without the need to visit the site again, then here are 4 quick ways to do that.

1. Add a ‘ Kiss ‘

Yes, you heard me right You just need to add the word ‘kiss’ to the YouTube video URL and then it directs you to a website where you can download it as a .flv video or convert it other formats as well.

Let’s take the most viewed video of all time - ‘ Evolution Of Dance ‘.

Its URL is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

Now in order to download it, just replace it with this - http://www.kissyoutube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg . Then when you press enter, you’re directed to the website where you can download it. (see the screenshot)

2. YouTubeLoader Firefox Plugin

The youtubeloader firefox plugin is a Greasemonkey script, which adds a Download MP4 link below the YouTube video (as seen in Firefox 3)

Now, after you click on that Download MP4 link, it takes you to a separate page where it gives you more download options. From there, you can finally download it in the desired format.

3. YouTube Catcher

YouTube Catcher allows you to copy paste the YouTube video link and then download it. It also offers an FLV player to watch the videos on the PC.

4. Tube Leecher

Tube Leecher is a very simple, no-frills YouTube videos download site, which allows you to download the videos in flv format through the YouTube video link. It’s probably the simplest of all the tools mentioned.

I’m sure there are many more such tools available. If you know about any other tool which you think is better than the above, then mention them in the comments!

Convert PowerPoint to Flash

Convert PowerPoint to Flash and share your ideas on web

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All iSpring Free functions are accessible in your PowerPoint through the standard toolbar. Just click Quick Publish and iSpring will generate a Flash movie form your PowerPoint presentation in a few seconds.

iSpring Free Publish Wizard allows you to tune a Flash movie and publish your presentation to a local folder or share it to the worldwide audience on SlideBoom online portal.

June 29

Today in History - June 29


Today is Sunday, June 29, the 181st day of 2008. There are 185 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 29, 1776, the Virginia state constitution was adopted, and Patrick Henry made governor.

On this date:

In 1767, the British Parliament approved the Townshend Acts, which imposed import duties on certain goods shipped to America. (Colonists bitterly protested, prompting Parliament in 1770 to repeal the duties on all goods — except tea.)

In 1908, American composer Leroy Anderson, known for light orchestral pieces such as "The Typewriter" and "The Syncopated Clock," was born in Cambridge, Mass.

In 1946, authorities in British-mandated Palestine arrested more than 2,700 Jews in an attempt to stamp out extremists.

In 1954, the Atomic Energy Commission voted against reinstating J. Robert Oppenheimer's access to classified information.

In 1958, a bomb exploded at the Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.; there were no injuries.

In 1966, the United States bombed fuel storage facilities near the North Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Haiphong.

In 1967, Jerusalem was reunified as Israel removed barricades separating the Old City from the Israeli sector.

In 1970, the United States ended a two-month military offensive into Cambodia.

In 1972, the Supreme Court, in Furman v. Georgia, ruled the death penalty, as it was being meted out, could constitute "cruel and unusual punishment." (The ruling prompted states to revise their capital punishment laws.)

In 1988, the Supreme Court, in Morrison v. Olson, upheld the independent counsel law.

Ten years ago: Students at Peking University peppered President Clinton with polite but critical questions about America's human rights record, Taiwan policy and views on China in an exchange televised live across the vast nation. With negotiations on a new labor agreement at a standstill, the NBA announced that a lockout would be imposed at midnight.

Five years ago: Thirteen people were killed when a third-floor porch collapsed during a party in Chicago. Actress Katharine Hepburn, one of the last stars from Hollywood's Golden Age, died in Old Saybrook, Conn., at age 96.

One year ago: British police defused two car bombs left to blow up near packed nightclubs and pubs in central London. The first Apple iPhones went on sale. Death claimed movie critic Joel Siegel at age 63 and George McCorkle, a founding member of the Marshall Tucker Band, at age 60.

Today's Birthdays: Movie producer Robert Evans is 78. Songwriter L. Russell Brown is 68. Actor Gary Busey is 64. Comedian Richard Lewis is 61. Actor-turned-radio personality Fred Grandy is 60. Rock musician Ian Paice (Deep Purple) is 60. Singer Don Dokken (Dokken) is 55. Rock singer Colin Hay (Men At Work) is 55. Actress Maria Conchita Alonso is 51. Actress Sharon Lawrence is 47. Actress Amanda Donohoe is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Stedman Pearson (Five Star) is 44. Actress Kathleen Wilhoite is 44. Musician Dale Baker is 42. Actress Melora Hardin is 41. Rap DJ Shadow is 36. Country musician Todd Sansom (Marshall Dyllon) is 30. Singer Nicole Scherzinger is 30.

Thought for Today: "Sin ... has been made not only ugly but passe. People are no longer sinful, they are only immature or underprivileged or frightened or, more particularly, sick." — Phyllis McGinley, American poet (1905-1978).

World's fastest tennis serve

How fast was the world's fastest tennis serve?

On June 11, 2004 at the Stella Artois Championships Andy Roddick was pitted against Paradorn Srichaphan at the Queen's Club in London, UK.

Andy Roddick defeated Paradorn Srichaphan 6-3, 6-3 then went on to win against Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinal and knocked out Ivo Karlovic to capture the 2004 Stella Artois Championship title.

But we go back to the match against Paradorn Srichaphan, during which Andy Roddick set a new world' record when his serve was clocked at a sizzling 246.2 km/h or153 mph.

The record for the fastest serve by a woman was set by Venus Williams on October 16, 1998 at 127.4 mph.

Andy Roddick fastest serve video

Naked gun 33 1/3

Naked gun 33 1/3 preview


preview does not represent quality or duration of video

Preview

Price: £4.95
Duration: 01:30:00
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult - Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O.J. Simpson, Fred Ward, Kathleen Freeman, Anna Nicole Smith, Ellen Greene, Ed Williams, Raye BirkRated: 12 - Suitable for 12 and overThe further misadventures of bumbling Los Angeles police Lieutenant Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) are chronicled in this third installment in the popular Naked Gun comedy series. This by-the-numbers entry begins with Drebin as a happily retired house-husband called back into action when an evil terrorist organization threatens Los Angeles.

As in the other Naked Gun films, this plot is merely an excuse for an unhinged, rapid-fire succession of gags, ranging from satyrical lampoons of cop movies to broad slapstick, all played with a perfectly straight face. Nielsen provides his familiar combination of complete witlessness and oblivious dignity as Drebin, and the film attempts to match the earlier Naked Gun films — and the Police Squad! television series that inspired them — in the number of jokes.

Released 1994.

Cast:
Leslie Nielsen
Priscilla Presley
George Kennedy
O.J. Simpson
Fred Ward
Kathleen Freeman
Anna Nicole Smith
Ellen Greene
Ed Williams
Raye Birk

Crew:
Director - Peter Segal
Writer - David Zucker
Writer - Robert LoCash
Writer - Pat Proft
Musical Direction/Supervision - Hank Garfield
Composer - Ira Newborn
Producer - Robert Weiss
Producer - David Zucker
Co-producer - Robert LoCash
Co-producer - William C. Gerrity

TM, ® & Copyright © 2005 by Paramount Pictures. Tous Droits Réservés.

miley cyrus 7 things music video

miley cyrus 7 things music video

Euro cup 2008 final

UEFA Euro cup 2008 Final
The biggest match of Euro Cup 2008, reaches its climax as the Grand Finale of the tournament will be played between Germany and Spain won only at at Ernst Happel - Vienna, on Sunday, 29th June 2008 at 20.45 hours. Germany won the Henri Delaunay trophy - Euro Cup 3 times while Spainonce.

Germany reached the final for the record sixth time in the history of Euro Cup, and won this prestigious tournament 3 times in the year 1972, 1980 and 1996. They are aiming to win Henri Delaunay trophy 4th time.

On the other hand Spain will try to end their 44-year wait for silverware, as their sole previous success on the international stage came in 1964, when as hosts they defeated the USSR to win the UEFA European Championship.

Both Germany and Spain will try to win pride of Europe for their nation and hope for a good game of Football in the Final of UEFA Euro Cup 2008.


UEFA Euro 2008 Final - Spain vs Germany Live Streaming


Team Comparison:

How to edit Flash Video file

Flash Video (flv) has become the default video format on the web and almost every video sharing site uses FLV to stream videos online. And its not just the YouTube clones, even media properties like CNN have switched to Adobe Flash Video.

Other than viewing Flash videos in your browser, some of download FLV files locally to enjoy web videos offline.

Everything You Wanted to Know about Editing FLV Flash Videos

Watching videos in an FLV player is half the fun - you can do so many other things like split FLV videos into multiple clips, trim the introductory part, convert flv videos to MP3 songs, extract image frames from the video, etc. Lets get started:

Q: How to Edit FLV Videos with expensive video editors ?

There are no standalone FLV editors around but if you have Adobe AIR, I highly recommend RichFLV - a lightweight flv editor that lets you do almost everything with FLV video clips.

With RichFLV, you can split flv files by adding cue-points, join two or more FLV video clips by stitching or add new MP3 sound tracks over your existing FLV video. Perfect if you want to edit YouTube videos on the computer.

Mac users have another good option - download Perian that turns Quick Time Pro into a FLV editor.

Q. How to convert FLV videos into MP3 audio files ?

To extract audio from flv files, get the free FLV Extract utility from moitah.net - the video is saved as an MP3 file and the quality of sound in the original video is maintained as there’s no encoding done to save the audio.

Alternatively, you can extract MP3 from FLV files only using Vixy.net - an online service.

Q. Which media players can play Flash Videos on the desktop ?

To play FLV video files on the desktop, you can use Adobe Media Player, VLC Media Player or this standalone player which I think is the best flv player around for XP or Vista.

If you are on a Mac, you can play FLV videos downloaded from YouTube in your QuickTime player using the free Perian component discussed above.

Q. How to extract image frames from FLV Videos ?

You can export any image frame out of the FLV video using either the RichFLV editor or through VLC Media Player.

Open the .flv file in VLC, navigate to the frame that you want to save as an image and press Ctrl+Alt+S (or Video -> Snapshot). Note that the regular Print Screen key will not work for capturing screenshot from FLV file.

Q. Where can you upload FLV Video files on the web ?

Blip.TV - none of the other video sharing sites accept FLV format files.

Q. How to Embed FLV video clips in web pages ?

Read this guide on how to embed flv files in web pages. Alternatively, you could upload the file to Blip.TV and use the embed code provided by Blip.TV.

Q. How to Convert FLV videos to other video formats like WMV, AVI, etc ?

Use SUPER - the program may look complex at first glance but don’t worry, it’s very easy. I think it even lets you convert SWF movies into FLV videos.

Q. How to create new FLV movies files from scratch ?

VideoSpin is the only free video editing software I know of that can export movies into Flash Video format. An alternate trick is export your video into Windows Media or AVI and convert it into FLV using a converter program like SUPER .

This summer may see first ice-free North Pole

WASHINGTON (AP) — There's a 50-50 chance that the North Pole will be ice-free this summer, which would be a first in recorded history, a leading ice scientist says.

The weather and ocean conditions in the next couple of weeks will determine how much of the sea ice will melt, and early signs are not good, said Mark Serreze. He's a senior researcher at the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo.

The chances for a total meltdown at the pole are higher than ever because the layer of ice coating the sea is thinner than ever, he said.

"A large area at the North Pole and surrounding the North Pole is first-year ice," Serreze said. "That's the stuff that tends to melt out in the summer because it's thin."

Preliminary February and March data from a NASA satellite shows that the circle of ice surrounding the North Pole is "considerably thinner" than scientists have seen during the five years the satellite has been taking pictures, NASA ice scientist Jay Zwally said Friday. He thinks there is slightly less than a 50-50 chance the North Pole will be ice-free.

Last year was a record year for ice melt all over the Arctic and the ice band surrounding the North Pole is even thinner now.

There is nothing scientifically significant about the North Pole, Serreze said. But there is a cultural and symbolic importance. It's home to Santa Claus, after all. Last August, the Northwest Passage was open to navigation for the first time in memory.

A more conservative ice scientist, Cecilia Bitz at the University of Washington, put the odds of a North Pole without ice closer to 1 in 4. Even that is far worse than climate models had predicted, which was 1 in 70 sometime in the next decade, she said.

But both she and Serreze agree it's just a matter of time.

"I would guess within the next 10 year it would happen at least once," Bitz said.

Already, figures from the National Snow and Ice Data Center show sea ice in the Arctic as a whole at about the same level now as it was at its low point last year in late June and early July.

The explanation is a warming climate and a weather phenomenon, scientists said.

For the last couple of decades, there has been a steady melt of Arctic sea ice — which covers only the ocean and which thins during summer and refreezes in winter. In recent years, it has gradually become thinner because more of it has been melting as the Earth's temperature rises.

Then, this past winter, there was a natural weather shift called the Arctic Oscillation, sort of a cold weather cousin to El Nino. That oscillation caused a change in winds and ocean that accelerated a normal flushing of sea ice in the Arctic. That pushed the older thicker sea ice that had been over the North Pole south toward Greenland and eventually out of the Arctic, Serreze said. That left just a thin one-year layer of ice that previously covered part of Siberia.

On the Net:

• The National Snow and Ice Data Center: http://nsidc.org/index.html

Microsoft Seeks Path Beyond Gates’s Legacy

Bill Gates is retiring, sort of. He is still only 52, and he is going off to spend more time guiding the world’s richest philanthropy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He will still be Microsoft’s chairman and largest shareholder, but Friday is his last day as a full-time worker at the software giant, marking the unofficial end of his career as a business leader.

Associated Press

Friday will be Bill Gates’s last day as a full-time worker at Microsoft, the software giant he founded with Paul Allen in 1975. He attended an event unveiling Windows 95 in August 1995.

A Video Spoof of Mr. Gates's Last Day, Shown at CES 2008(youtube.com)

Related

Microsoft, via Bloomberg News

In 1978, the original 11 members of Microsoft: standing in back row, from left, Steve Wood, Bob Wallace, Jim Lane; second row, Bob O’Rear, Bob Greenberg, Marc McDonald, Gordon Letwin; front row, Bill Gates, Andrea Lewis, Marla Wood and Paul Allen.

And what a career it has been. Mr. Gates has been an animating force behind the personal computer revolution, helping to build a huge global industry and engineer blockbuster products like Windows and Office, used every day in offices and homes around the world.

The Harvard dropout was the wealthiest person on the planet for years — worth more than $100 billion in 1999 — though his fortune is now about half that because of the decline of Microsoft’s shares and his continued donations to his foundation, which is focused on global health and education.

Despite his success, Mr. Gates is moving on as the company he co-founded in 1975 is struggling to find its way. The center of gravity in technology has shifted from PCs to the Internet, altering the old rules of competition that were so lucratively mastered by Microsoft.

For millions of users, mobile devices like cellphones are beginning to edge out PCs as the tool of choice for many computing tasks. And Google, the front-runner in the current wave of Internet computing, has wrested the mantle of high-tech leadership from Microsoft.

Although Mr. Gates will spend one day a week at the company, it will be up to his successors, led by Steven A. Ballmer, the chief executive, to master the challenges of the Internet or watch Microsoft’s wealth and stature in the industry steadily erode. “Bill’s legacy is Windows and Office, and that will be a rich franchise for years to come, but it’s not the future,” said David B. Yoffie, a professor at the Harvard Business School.

Still, the Gates legacy is impressive. In addition to the software itself, Mr. Gates and his company have fundamentally shaped how people think about competition in many industries where technology plays a central role. Today, there are more than one billion copies of the Windows operating system on PCs around the world.

Industry experts and economists say that Windows is not necessarily the best or most admired software for running the basic operations of a personal computer — Apple’s Macintosh can claim the most devout fan club. But Mr. Gates grasped and deployed two related concepts on a scale no one ever had in the past: the power of network effects and the value of establishing a technology platform.

Put simply, the network effect describes a phenomenon in which the value of a product goes up as more people use it. E-mail messaging and telephones are classic examples.

A technology platform is a set of tools or services that others can use to build their own products or services. The more people who use the tools, the more popular the platform can become.

Mr. Gates took advantage of both notions and combined them to build Microsoft’s dominance in PCs, spreading its influence with computer makers and software developers.

Today, there are many thousands of software applications that run on the Windows platform, not just word processing and spreadsheets but also the specialized programs in doctors’ offices, factory floors and retail stores — a very broad network on a nearly ubiquitous technology platform.

“Gates saw software as a separate market from hardware before anyone else, but his great insight was recognizing the power of the network effects surrounding the software,” said Michael A. Cusumano, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.

That, Professor Cusumano added, was the essential difference in the paths of Microsoft and Apple, the early leader in personal computing. Apple, he said, focused on making outstanding products alone, while Microsoft nurtured a growing ecosystem of outside software developers who use, and are dependent on, Microsoft’s technology.

The result, he added, is that, while Apple continues to make outstanding products, more than 90 percent of personal computers run Microsoft software.

In the early years, it was unclear how much Mr. Gates was pursuing each opportunity as it came, as opposed to carrying out a grand strategy. He certainly had large ambitions. When he was a Harvard undergraduate, Mr. Gates lamented that so many of his fellow students pursued a “narrow track for success” instead of being willing to “take big risks to do big things,” recalled Michael Katz, a Harvard contemporary who is now a professor at New York University.

In a Harvard Business School case study, published in 1994, Mr. Gates spoke of Microsoft’s strategy in terms of network effects and technology standards that, combined, enabled the company to command markets. “We look for businesses where we can garner large market shares, not just 30 or 35 percent,” he said.

In the past, Microsoft has beaten back challenges and vanquished rivals, even when it came late to markets, as it did in the first wave of Internet technology. Mr. Gates’s shrewd 1995 decision to embrace Internet browsing technology and attack the early leader, Netscape Communications, started a pitched antitrust battle with the government. “But he extended Microsoft’s hegemony for a decade,” said Mitchell Kapor, a longtime rival.

However, Microsoft is lagging badly in current round of Internet competition and, analysts say, is facing more formidable challengers this time — notably Google.

Microsoft’s share of Internet search in the United States is less than 10 percent, while Google holds more than 60 percent and Yahoo has about 20 percent. And search is only part of the new platform on the Web, which includes social networks like Facebook and MySpace and Internet-based alternatives to traditional desktop software, including e-mail messaging, word processors and spreadsheets.

Traditional desktop software — and the technology standards Microsoft controls there — matter far less when more software is accessed with a Web browser and delivered over the Internet from vast data centers run by Google and others. The new approach is known as “cloud computing,” and the business model behind it is typically to sell online advertising and software services.

At Microsoft, there is scant sign of panic, despite its trailing position and its failed bid to buy Yahoo for $47.5 billion as a catch-up strategy. Microsoft sees an evolution in computing, not a disruptive revolution that will imperil the company, said Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer.

Mr. Mundie said Microsoft is preparing for a widening world of both cloud computing and “client” machines, not only personal computers but also cellphones, cars, game consoles and televisions, all running Microsoft software.

“The next big platform is the union of the clients and the cloud,” he said.

Virgin Mobile May Struggle In Shifting Demographic Aim

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Virgin Mobile USA Inc. (VM) may find itself with growing pains as it attempts to mature alongside its youthful customer base.

In launching an unlimited cellphone plan on Tuesday and agreeing to buy high- end niche wireless reseller Helio Friday, Virgin is setting its sights on a higher-end class of consumers. The move isn't without significant risks. The wireless reseller has done an admirable job of carving itself a segment of the pre-paid market, but it faces much steeper competition in the national carriers.

"The theory that they can walk in the post-paid market and do well I think is optimistic," said Walter Piecyk, an analyst at Pali Research.

In Helio, Virgin gets 170,000 subscribers that Chief Executive Dan Schulman said is roughly the equivalent of 700,000 typical Virgin Mobile customers because they spend more per month. In addition, it gets Helio's unique handsets and access to Sprint Nextel Corp.'s (S) faster third-generation network and services. Helio is a joint venture between SK Telecom Co. (SKM) and Earthlink Inc. (ELNK).

Virgin believes the advanced services and contract model will help it capture new and existing customers. Roughly 20% of the customers that leave Virgin move to a contract plan, Schulman said. By offering the contract option and higher services, the company is hoping to reduce its turnover rate, which is higher than the industry average because it serves customers who pay ahead of time for their service and aren't locked down by a contract.

While a typical Virgin customer spends $20 a month on pre-paid services, Schulman said the Helio acquisition will allow the company to go after customers who spend between $40 and $70 a month.

"This is a natural evolution," he said.

The company already fired a broadside against the national carriers' unlimited plans earlier this week by offering an $80 flat rate calling plan that requires no contract. The typical unlimited plans from the likes of AT&T Inc. (T) or Verizon Wireless cost $99 a month.

But by going after customers who sign long-term contracts, also known as post- paid subscribers, Virgin is butting heads with the national carriers. The business is even more heated than the pre-paid business because the stakes are higher with more lucrative customers, and the competitors are far larger.

"Post-paid is tough, and there's not a lot industry growth," Piecyk said. "I'm not sure under the stewardship of the Virgin team, whose skill set is on the low-end, that they should do any better (than Helio)."

Helio previously made waves with its Ocean dual-sliding handset, but has since fallen behind in its handset selection. Schulman said that Virgin already maintains strong relationships with the handset makers that provide devices to Helio, but it's unlikely they will be able to make much headway in gaining an edge over the national carriers.

AT&T already offers the Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone, while Verizon Wireless - jointly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD), have released a number of exclusive phones - several of which offer touchscreen capabilities. T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG (DT), offers cellphones that can ride on both Wi-Fi and cellular networks, and this week expanded its $10 home phone replacement plan.

Other wireless resellers who tried to take on the carriers have fallen by the wayside. Amp'd Mobile and Mobile ESPN are among the companies that tried to go after post-paid customers and failed.

Part of the difficulty lies in pricing. Piecyk said he expects the national carriers to continue to lower prices to remain competitive and keep subscribers. In that situation, Virgin Mobile would have to continually renegotiate with wholesaler Sprint for better terms.

Schulman said he doesn't consider Virgin's move into the post-paid arena an attack on the larger players. "We're keeping with the movement of our target market," he said.

But in going after more lucrative customers, that's exactly what Virgin is trying to do.

Ultimately, critics believe that Helio's small base of customers won't be enough to significantly change Virgin's business.

"I don't think it will have a material impact on their operations," said Michael Gary Nelson, an analyst at Stanford Group Co.

Despite the criticism, many see the move as a necessity because Virgin's core demographic is feeling the pressure from the economy. With consumer spending tightening, Virgin's customers are among the most likely to stop paying for minutes or drop the service entirely.

In the last quarter, the company reported the customer turnover rate rose to 5.1% from 4% a year ago as a net subscriber additions plumetted 94%. In comparison, Verizon Wireless boasted an industry-low rate of 1.2%.

"It's clearly indicative of how challenging their current business is," Nelson said.