Tough sell at Taipei tech show
Technology companies feeling the pinch from Europe’s debt crisis could face a tough sell when industry buyers gather in Taipei to examine the latest whizz-bang features at the world’s No.2 computer fair.
Read more on Stuff

Tech blog: Apple TV overhaul in the works
Apple will make its next version of Apple TV more like the iPhone and iPad, according to an anonymous report Friday in the tech blog Engadget.
Read more on San Jose Mercury News

Tulare County Sheriff’s Department rolls with new tech that saves time, money
Money and hundreds of hours have been saved, fewer miles driven, money saved and less paper wasted — all thanks to new technology in a handful of Tulare County Sheriff’s Department patrol cars.
Read more on Visalia Times-Delta / Tulare Advance-Register

[Mafia Wars is so popular these days|Mafia Wars is the most popular Facebook game these days|Mafia Wars is one of the hottest online games 2009|Mafia Wars is real hot nowadays].To build a[ forceful| strong| powerful] empire you['ve got| have| have got] to have tons of money to buy protection and [various|diverse] weapons to help complete missions.  To make yourself a[ giant| massive| great] bankroll besides just doing missions is to buy properties.

[Purchas|Buy]ing properties are a good way to [make money|earn income|earn money] because they give you passive [cash|money|money].  To win Mafia Wars fights, it[ is important| is vital|'s important] that you do[ no|n']t just jump in blind.  O[therwise|r] you will [end up|find yourself] bloody, broke, beaten down and in the infirmary – [maybe|perhaps] even dead.  It’s best to get some experience, buy some property, and grow your mafia before you [begin|start] to [pick|choose] fights.  So you w[ould like|ant] to [break|destroy] the[ competition | competition].

[the|the very] first thing you[ will have to|'ll need to| must] [discover|learn|find out] how to do is to quickly level up.  To be [ready|prepared|in a position] to stockpile EXP quickly, you['ve got| have| have got] to complete [heaps|a lot|lots] of Mafia Wars missions.

Every[one|body] knows that missions need energy to [end|finish ].  So the [best|most acceptable|most suitable] option for you to do is to put your profile points that you gain each level into energy.  One [methodology|technique|method] to level up quickly is to focus [the majority|most|almost all] of your profile points on energy.  Completing Mafia Wars missions and roles is the [most effective|handiest|most efficient] way to gain EXP and [cash|money|money], so th[e|at the] more missions you complete the more EXP as well as money you[ can|'ll| may] receive.  By putting points towards energy, you[ will| are going to|'ll] be able to [complete|finish] lots more roles in the day enabling you to stockpile EXP and money fast.

The [commonest|most common] way to stockpile EXP quickly in Mafia Wars is to target spending your profile points on energy.  The more energy your personality has, the more missions you can complete enabling you to get [masses|lots|plenty] of EXP and [money|cash|money].  If you gain a lot of EXP, you[ will| are going to|'ll] be able to level up quickly [imply|inferr|suggest]ing you can get more GFPs.  After you hit level twenty-one, [instead of|rather than] putting your profile points towards energy, put [three|3] towards energy and use [two|2] of them to raise your [endurance|staying power] by one.

You may still [need|have] to put all [the|of the] [additional|extra|further] points you get towards energy, but just [bear in mind|remember|keep in mind] that from level 21-50 raise your energy by [three|3] and use [2|two] towards [endurance|staying power].

When [choos|select]ing a good flight plane simulator to purchase, there are a [few|couple of] things that you should be [conscious|aware|mindful] of before [making a choice|picking a choice|making a decision] to spend your hard[-earned| earned] [cash|money|money].  As you know there are [lots of|numerous|many] flight sims that you can get from the [web|Net|internet] and they each have their own special features.  So lets talk about the [three|3] most [crucial|critical|important] things that you [must|need to|should] know when [buy|purchas]ing one of these fun games to play.

You do[n't have| not have] to be a[ professional|n expert| pro] to enjoy these aircraft games.  [Although|Though] these flight sim softwares differ from [each |one an]other, you can still [find a|discover a|find some] way to effectively use them for your own [delight|enjoyment|pleasure] and even for the [whol|entir]e [training|learning|educational] process when it comes to [proper|correct]ly maneuvering an aircraft of your [choice|preference|choosing].

A [genuine|real] good flight sim will give users the [choice|option] to [choose|select] from many[ different| varied|] aircrafts [like|such as] [arm|militar]y jets, a Boeing 747, helicopters, cessnas, passenger jets and light aircrafts.  If the flight sim you are [going to purchase|on the point of purchasing|about to buy] does[ no|n']t give you a [big|massive|huge] [variety of|assortment of|spread or] planes you can [select|choose] from, do[ no|n']t buy it.  Look for another one.

My p[ersonal tast|rivate choic|ersonal preferenc]e is a flight sim that does[ no|n']t [require|need] a joystick all [the|of the] time.  I [prefer|like] using my mouse and keyboard to [control|regulate|manage] the plane.  [However ,|] you [may|could|might] [prefer|like] [employ|us]ing a joystick all of the time.  But this is [naturally|of course] up to you.

I know this [could|might] be a bit [weird|strange|unusual], but I [like|do like] to have this option.  [Many|Plenty|Lots] of the simulators can be [real|actual|tru]ly confusing with all [of |]the different keyboard functions that some [people|folk|folks] w[ill no|on']t like this [sort|kind|type] of gaming experience.

There also are uncountable addons and accessories which make this [pastime|hobby|past-time] a never[-ending| ending|ending] learning curve.  And this is way flight sims are so exciting and fun.  The [clamor|requirement|demand] for flight sims [nowa|these ]days is [big|huge|massive] and this is [the reason |]why many experienced hobbyists are programming their own flight simulator games for their [PC|computer].

Flight simulator games are [real|actual|tru]ly addicting and it['s a| is a] fact that [several|many] flight sim [fan|enthusiast]s become pilots in [reality|real life|the real world] or [give up|quit] their [ordinary|regular|usual] job and became full time flight sim game designers.

Flight simulator software is something that every[one|body] can afford, and [experience|enjoy|revel in] the [sensation|feeling]s of flying the real [thing|deal].  [However ,|] not all softwares offer the same quality and graphics, without which [you|you really|you actually] w[ill no|on']t enjoy yourself that much.

[Do you want|Do you need|Are you wanting] to [understand|grasp|know] which Airplane Simulator [I would recommend|i recommend|I suggest] most?  Go to Aircraft Simulator.

Seemingly overnight, Apple has become the poster child of the responsible, Green company. (Apple recently posted all the details of its efforts; Greenpeace is now BFFs with Apple.) In fact, it’s so pro-enviroment (as if anyone is anti-environment!) that it just quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is a huge organization that represents business interests to the various powers that be. The USCC, however, is all up in arms about all this “nonsense” about new laws designed to protect the environment and whatnot, so it’s doing its damnedest to ensure that those laws don’t get passed. That’s what has upset Apple.

It’s sorta hard to describe what the USCC is, but you can safely think of it as a super powerful lobbyist. It has lobbyists on staff, yeah, but it also so damn influential that it hardly needs to muck about with lobbying, like a common schlup. Its mission statement is:

To advance human progress through an economic, political and social system based on individual freedom, incentive, initiative, opportunity, and responsibility.

So yeah, it represents the interests of big business to the People Who Matter.

Back to Apple. Cupertino, sick of Greenpeace bitching about its every move, recently published the details of what, it feels, makes it one of the greenest (big) companies out there. As such, Greenpeace now likes Apple.

But while Apple is now Green Green Green, the USCC isn’t too keen on laws meant to limit greenhouse gas emissions. While I’m sure no one in the USCC would prefer to pollute the atmosphere with absolute garbage, the fact is that it’d cost a boatload of money to retrofit factories, to change manufacturing methods, etc. to limit such pollution. And that, of course, costs money; money is more important that the environment, you see.

So Apple has left the USCC, saying this on its way out:

We strongly object to the chamber’s recent comments opposing the E.P.A.’s effort to limit greenhouse gases. … We would prefer that the chamber take a more progressive stance on this critical issue and play a constructive role in addressing the climate crisis.

I guess my only question is: how much do you guys care about how “green” a company is? Personally, I could give a toss. I have enough “real things” to worry about that I’m not about to add pollution statistics to that list.

via Huffington Post