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<title>Haaze.com / vxjkzhygoohxya / All</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Foursquare upgrades its iPhone and Android apps]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=foursquare-upgrades-its-iphone-and-android-apps</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=foursquare-upgrades-its-iphone-and-android-apps</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=foursquare-upgrades-its-iphone-and-android-apps</guid>
<description><![CDATA[(Credit:Foursquare)Foursquare has upgraded its Android andiPhone apps to version 3.0 to kick off some new and enhanced features.Officially debuting yesterday in Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market, the free Foursquare 3.0 app has added a new Explore tab that can zero in on the places you want to go.Tap a certain category, such as food, nightlife, or shops, or type in a specific phrase, such as &quot;books&quot; or &quot;gas station,&quot; and Foursquare will show you a list of local spots, anywhere from 2 to 10 miles from your current location. For each spot, you can read recommendations and comments from your friends and other users, helping you decide whether to check it out or steer clear.Foursquare has also revamped the Leaderboard, which now displays the number of points you've picked up over the past week along with the amount of check-ins, badges, and possibly mayorships you've earned by finding new places, adding friends, and taking care of other tasks.Finally, the 3.0 upgrade has enhanced the Specials feature, which alerts you to sales, discounts, and other promotions from nearby stores and businesses. Foursquare has added six new ways for local shopkeepers to reward your loyalty, helping you on the road to becoming mayor. You can also now more easily see all of the nearby specials by taping the Places tab.More details on the latest upgrade can be found in Foursquare's recent blog post. The iOS app is compatible with the iPhone,iPod Touch, andiPad and requires iOS 4.0 or higher. The Android edition requires Android 1.6 or higher. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Old and new tech commingle in the T-1 amplifier]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=old-and-new-tech-commingle-in-the-t-1-amplifier</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=old-and-new-tech-commingle-in-the-t-1-amplifier</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 05 Mar 2011 08:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=old-and-new-tech-commingle-in-the-t-1-amplifier</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The T-1 amplifier(Credit:Neuhaus Labs)I've reviewed a number of entry-level tube amplifiers--the Miniwatt N3, Jolida FX 10, and the Decware Zen Triode SE84C+--but the Neuhaus Labs T-1 is a very different take on the category.The vacuum tube was invented more than a century ago, but tube amps are still favored by a significant number of audiophiles. I'm in that group' there's something about tube amplifiers' musicality that's rarely equaled by solid-state electronics. The Neuhaus T-1 ($495) is a &quot;hybrid&quot; tube/solid-state design, and uses a pair of tubes (type 6N2) in its preamplifier section and transistors to generate the amp's 18-watt-per-channel power output. Neuhaus shipped its first products in August 2009. What really distinguishes the T-1 from every other tube amp is its rather unusual connectivity. Designer George Golik and his son Daniel set out to craft a tube amp for today's digitally oriented buyers. The T-1 comes with a built-in high-quality 96KHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC), Bluetooth, USB, and optical/Toslink digital connectivity. You can use the T-1 with Apple Airport Express and stream your music through Wi-Fi. Vinyl hasn't been excluded' the amp also has two stereo analog connections and a front-panel 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Hook it up to your computer via the T-1's USB or optical digital inputs, and you'll be bypassing the computer's own, probably less-than-stellar, DAC or sound card. The remote handles volume only. The amp's mirror-finish stainless steel chassis feels nice and solid. The T-1 is built in China and Taiwan, but Golik may manufacture future products in the U.S. The amp measures a compact 8.7x10.6x5.9 inches, and weighs 8.8 pounds.To find out how far I could push the T-1's 18 watts per channel I cranked the Dirtbombs' &quot;Party Store&quot; CD way up on my Zu Audio Essence speakers. These speakers are superefficient, so they can make a big sound with just a few watts. For this CD the Dirtbombs changed gears from their usual Detroit punk garage sound to a more techno-oriented groove. The low-down beats connected on a visceral level, and the T-1 sounded remarkably powerful.Acoustic jazz had a presence and nimble attack that you rarely get from affordable solid-state amps. &quot;Monk in Paris,&quot; a live Thelonious Monk recording from 1965, features a particularly energetic performance from the piano master. With the T-1 calling the shots you'll feel the entire rhythm section--piano, bass, and drums--totally locking in. Right, that's what separates great hi-fi from the merely good, and you get more out of the music. The T-1 rear panel(Credit:Neuhaus Labs T-1)Next, I used the T-1's USB connection to play iTunes from my computer over my Audioengine P4 speakers. They are my regular computer speakers, and I normally have an Audioengine N22 amp hooked up to them. The tonal balance was just a little richer with the T-1, and the sound was more transparent and the stereo image more expansive. The sound from the headphone jack, driving my Ultimate Ears 4 in-ear headphones, wasn't anything special.The T-1 is sold factory-direct worldwide with a 15-day return privilege. You've got nothing to lose by trying the amp' if you don't love it, ship it back for a full refund, including shipping! Neuhaus has one brick-and-mortar dealer, Hollywood Sound, in Hollywood, Fla. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Microsoft offers up tips, stats on location privacy]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-offers-up-tips-stats-on-location-privacy</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-offers-up-tips-stats-on-location-privacy</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:10:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=microsoft-offers-up-tips-stats-on-location-privacy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There are some do's and don'ts with location sharing. Things like not publicly posting geo-tagged photos of gold bricks near open windows, or alerting the world to your extended absence are the more obvious ones. But not everyone knows these things, which is why Microsoft is sharing some tips of its own based on research it commissioned around location based services.The 1,500-person survey, which was conducted back in December of last year, involved people in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Japan, and Germany, and will be discussed by Microsoft's Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch during a panel discussion tonight at San Francisco's Churchill Club. The survey is also a larger part of Data Privacy Day, which takes place this Friday. In a post on the company's Microsoft on the Issues blog, Lynch wrote that only 51 percent of the survey's respondents had used a location-based service before, but that 94 percent of that group found them &quot;valuable.&quot;Microsoft&amp;39's location privacy infographic (click to enlarge)(Credit:Microsoft)Though the key concern among those who were surveyed seemed to be consent, with 84 percent saying that they were worried about services that would share location without asking. Fou percent said they'd feel better about location based services &quot;if they could easily and clearly manage who sees their location information.&quot; To that end, Lynch said that customer notifications and consent, along with &quot;user-friendly privacy controls&quot; were part of the company's privacy standards.In any case, Microsoft has laid out some platform-agnostic guidelines to limit risk when sharing location: Pay close attention to the location privacy settings on phones, social networking sites and online applications.Don't 'check in' on location-based social networking sites from home, and don't include GPS coordinates in tweets, blogs or social networking accounts.Limit who you add to your social network location services, and do not make your location data publicly available or searchable.Don't geo-tag photos of your house or your children. In fact, it's best to disable geo-tagging until you specifically need it.Only trusted friends should know your location. If you have contacts you don't fully know or trust, it's time to do a purge.Some of these things are obviously easier said than done. What's arguably made it more difficult is that the number of Web services that make use of user location and share that information has increased dramatically, as have their popularity. And it's not just check-in services like Foursquare and Gowalla. It's extended to social networks like Twitter and Facebook, as well as with photo sharing tools like Picplz, that add location as part of shared content or status updates. Last year, a site called Please Rob Me famously cropped up that would aggregate geo-tagged check-ins from various check-in services and post them in a large feed in order to draw attention to the dangers of location sharing. The site has since shut its doors, saying that it was &quot;satisfied&quot; with the attention it had received. Though if Microsoft's survey data is any indication, there's still a large group of people that have never heard of the problem the site was trying to solve.Related: Senator proposes mobile-privacy legislation<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hackers targeting human rights, indie media groups]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hackers-targeting-human-rights-indie-media-groups</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hackers-targeting-human-rights-indie-media-groups</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:10:03 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=hackers-targeting-human-rights-indie-media-groups</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hackers are increasingly hitting the Web sites of human rights and independent media groups in an attempt to silence them, says a new study released this week by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet &amp; Society.Based on a survey of 45 groups, the report &quot;Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Against Independent Media and Human Rights Sites&quot; found that a large percentage said they've been targeted by distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks from those who disagree with their viewpoints. The Web sites typically have been knocked offline for short periods of time but in some cases have been down for days.(Credit:Berkman Center for Internet &amp; Society)Overall, the survey uncovered reports of 329 attacks against more than 815 Web sites going back to 1998. But more recently, in the 12 months from September 2009 to August 2010, the center received reports of 140 attacks against more than 280 sites. That number likely represents only a small subset of all DDoS attacks, according to the center, since most attacks aren't reported in the media.DDoS attacks have been much in the news lately as a result of the attacks against PayPal, Visa, and MasterCard by &quot;hacktivists&quot; from the Anonymous group in support of WikiLeaks. In September, the Web site of the Motion Picture Association of America was brought down by users of the Internet bulletin board 4chan, which targeted the MPAA for its actions against online file-sharing sites and individuals.One example cited in the Berkman Center's study was that of Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta. The paper's executive editor, Sergey Sokolov, reported that his Web site has been hit by sustained DDoS attacks many times in the past year, once keeping it offline for more than a week. Though Sokolov can't be sure who's behind the attacks, he believes the culprits are government-sponsored &quot;Kremlin Youth&quot; organizations.Many of the organizations who've reported DDoS attacks don't have the resources--financial and otherwise--to effectively combat them. Ethan Zuckerman, one of the authors of the study, suggests that such groups consider moving their sites to such hosts as Blogger, WordPress, or other large hosting platforms that offer certain protection against DDoS attacks. In addition, Zuckerman advises groups to have mirror sites in place in case their main site goes down, in the same way that activists recently set up mirror sites for WikiLeaks.To compile its study, the Berkman Center said it invited 317 independent media and human rights sites around the world to join in on the survey focusing on DDoS attacks against their groups. Though only 45, or 14 percent, of the sites responded, the center believes such a response rate is acceptable and understandable given the difficulty in reaching the right people and the sensitivity of the topic.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Five fun, free Android games]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-fun-free-android-games</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-fun-free-android-games</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:10:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-fun-free-android-games</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Angry Birds did not make the cut. Click through to find out what did.(Credit:CNET/CBS Interactive)You know how the saying goes: all work and no play makes Android a dull boy. Or something to that effect. The point is that in addition to loading up your device with a selection of useful apps from our Android Starter Kit, we want you to have some good distractions for waiting rooms, commutes, and just general silliness. To that end, we've picked out five fun, free Android games to help you pass time.Now, if you took a look at that list and asked yourself &quot;but why-oh-why did Angry Birds did not make the cut&quot;, we have an answer for you. For this roundup, we wanted to focus on some games that many of you might not have come across before, and that game has been done to death. Any self-respecting gadget-hound who hasn't heard of it already needs to take an excursion from that rock s/he has been hiding under.All that being said, Angry Birds: Seasons is a seriously awesome game. Play it. Now.What are your favorite games for the Android OS No need for you to restrict yourselves to the free options--let loose in the comments below.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Are efficient LED bulbs worth the price]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=are-efficient-led-bulbs-worth-the-price</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=are-efficient-led-bulbs-worth-the-price</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=are-efficient-led-bulbs-worth-the-price</guid>
<description><![CDATA[At this point, LED bulbs are the hybrid cars of lighting. They're cheaper to operate but cost more upfront than their less-efficient cousins.There have been LED spotlights and smaller lights for years, but now people can buy LED bulbs that give out as much light as a 60-watt incandescent and are designed for use just about anywhere. And rather than purchase them online or in a specialty store, they will be available at Home Depot, Lowes, and no doubt other familiar retail outlets next year.More LED bulbs to choose from (photos)  Weighing cost and light quality, LEDs are worth considering right now for downlights and worth keeping an eye on if you have a lot of incandescent bulbs. If you already have a lot of CFLs in places like desktop lamps, don't expect a quick payback by switching over. But LEDs offer some other advantages, notably longer life.Lighting your living space is obviously a very personal decision, but as you think about upgrading with energy efficiency in mind, here are a few factors to consider. CostThe good news on LEDs are that these lights, quality-wise, are quite good and they put out enough light for a lot of needs. But there's no getting around the fact that LED bulbs for general lighting are a new technology that comes with a price premium.Home Depot's 800 lumen Philips LED bulb is priced at just under $40 and consumes 12 watts. A 40-watt equivalent from Lighting Sciences Group, which consumes less than 8 watts, costs just under $18. If you were considering moving en masse to LEDs, you would need to take a long view from a financial perspective. Osram Sylvania figures that putting its $39.98 LED in to replace a 60-watt incandescent will save $132 over the life of the bulb, assuming a price of electricity at 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. That's more than 25,000 hours, or 17 years of using a bulb four hours a day.The Sylvania LED designed for general lighting, which gives off as much light as a 60-watt incandescent and uses 12 watts.(Credit:Osram Sylvania)Taking a more conservative, short-term view, I did some back-of-the envelope calculations. If you used a bulb for just two hours a day and paid the national average of 11.5 cents per kilowatt hour, a single 12-watt LED will cost you about $1 per year. Comparable CFLs that consume about 14 watts come to $1.17 per year and about $5 a year for 60-watt incandescents in that scenario. (See formula.)The minimal energy savings you get from going from CFL to LEDs reflects that LED bulbs are only slightly more efficient, when measured on lumens per watt. And, of course, CFLs have come way down in price over the past few years, while LEDs are still at the top of a projected downward cost curve. If you have incandescent bulbs, saving $4 a year with an LED is more compelling, but that's still a long pay back. Electricity prices vary quite a bit (see here for your state average) in the U.S. and changing the number of hours per day will vary the result quite a bit. For example, if you use an LED bulb four hours a day and pay a higher rate of 16 cents per kilowatt hour, you'd save $11 per year per bulb over an incandescent, giving you a payback time frame for a $40 LED of between three and four years. Obviously, these savings get bigger, the more bulbs you replace. More significant is that LEDs have a stated life time of 25,000 hours or more, compared to about 8,000 for CFLs, and less than 1,000 for incandescents. So if you factor in replacements, the numbers look more favorable. Keep in mind that LEDs are on a faster efficiency and price-improvement track than other lighting technologies. Some lighting industry executives expect the price for an 800-lumen LED bulb to fall to about $20 within two years, which changes the math significantly. And utilities could begin to subsidize them, as they did with CFLs.How you'll be using the bulbBefore you get too lost in the numbers, consider what you're using your lighting for. A good application for long-lasting LEDS is a tough-to-reach space or one where you need to leave the light on for a long time, for example. Often, CFLs are not always dimmable and LEDs typically are.Also, consider that LEDs are best at directional light, which is why there are so many spotlight and downlight LEDs that fit into cans. Reviews for the Home Depot downlight from Cree--a 65-watt replacement that uses 10 watts--are generally positive and there are signs that pricing is going to be aggressive. They are listed at $49.97 online but they were on sale for $20, at least in some Massachusetts stores. Another good use is a goose-neck desk lamp, which is designed for directed light.Philips LED glows warm (photos) View the full galleryThese latest general-use LED bulbs do a better job dispersing light, but there are limits. Last night I put two LED bulbs from Lighting Sciences Group into sconces that are at about at eye level on either side of a mirror. The amount of light was fine, but because most of the light was projected down, it didn't provide the light where I wanted it to use the mirror. That same bulb in a ceiling light works just fine.Paying $20 or $40 for a bulb is obviously a lot compared to the $2 bulbs already available, but there are other reasons to switch bulbs besides yearly energy savings, as commenters at CNET and the Home Depot Web site made clear. Many people get impatient waiting for CFLs to warm up, particularly outside, or they don't want to worry about mercury in CLFs (which should be recycled through waste collection agencies or retailers). The inefficiency of incandescent bulbs manifests itself as heat. Using cooler LEDs can be significant when you consider the cost of cooling.I'm about to buy some LEDs for my own home and one feature I'm considering is color temperature. In some areas, I think that a warmer yellow light--rated at 2,700 Kelvin--would work well. But some LEDs have a cooler white at 3,000 Kelvin, which I'll put in other spots. I'll also be paying more attention to color rendering index, which is a measure of color accuracy. Green factorSome lighting manufacturers refer to the LED business right now as the &quot;wild west,&quot; which doesn't sound very comforting as a consumer. The fact is that there are inflated claims regarding the life times and light quality of LEDs, which has even led to the Federal Trade Commissioner filing suit against a manufacturer.As you're looking around, remember that for LEDs to last a long time, they need a heat sink. That's the main reason LED bulbs have metal fins that go down the side, making them look different than the classic Edison-style bulb. LED bulbs creep into the home (photos) One way to combat that problem is to check out reviews and buy from places where you know you can return the product. A good resource for learning the lingo around lighting and getting specifications on individual products is the Department of Energy's LightingFacts Web site, where you can see a new label now being used. Another thing that lighting professionals will tell you is that we should expect more diversity in lighting technology, not a takeover of LEDs. In the next years, expect to hear quite a bit more about LEDs for the home as retail outlets start carrying more and prices come down. Also worth watching is whether they live up to their promised long life.I bought a hybridcar because I wanted the best mileage I could get and, similarly, I plan on buying some LEDs to lower my electricity usage as my CFLs burn out. And like other consumers, I'll be watching for prices to fall and hoping they last as long as they should. How well they fare displacing other types of lighting remains to be seen, but LEDs are now part of the mix.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Intel Sandy Bridge chip coming January 5]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-sandy-bridge-chip-coming-january-5</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-sandy-bridge-chip-coming-january-5</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:10:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Business &amp; Finance</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=intel-sandy-bridge-chip-coming-january-5</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Intel will launch its next-generation Sandy Bridge chip line on January 5 at the Consumer Electronics Show, the chipmaker confirmed today. The launch will take place at Venetion Hotel in Las Vegas. Mooly Eden, Intel vice president and general manager for PC Client Group, along with &quot;surprise guests, will showcase the world's fastest processor with many new technologies Intel has built into our chips to enhance the 'visual life,'&quot; Intel said in a statement. Sandy Bridge will--for the first time in mainstream laptops--put Intel graphics technology directly onto the central processing unit (CPU). Sandy Bridge is expected to be a significant step up for Intel in the graphics chip department.(Credit:Intel)With Intel's current Core i series of processors, the graphics function is a separate piece of silicon inside the chip package--and is one manufacturing-process generation behind the main processor. In other words, a Core i7 chip, for example, has a 32-nanometer processor and separate 45-nanometer graphics silicon housed in a chip package. In Sandy Bridge, the CPU and graphics processing unit (GPU) will be combined in one 32-nanometer piece of silicon. Intel, already the largest graphics chip supplier in the world, will be competing against Nvidia's higher-performance stand-alone GPUs and Advanced Micro Devices' integrated CPU-GPU products and higher-performance standalone GPUs. Virtually every computer maker in the world is expected to come out with systems based on Sandy Bridge, including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Apple, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, and Toshiba. See The next, big thing for Intel: Sandy Bridge and Intel discloses new Sandy Bridge technical details for more background on the new processor. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[U.S. wind power posts slowest quarter since 2007]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=u-s--wind-power-posts-slowest-quarter-since-2007</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=u-s--wind-power-posts-slowest-quarter-since-2007</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=u-s--wind-power-posts-slowest-quarter-since-2007</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The U.S. wind power industry had its slowest quarter since 2007 in the just-ended third quarter, as investors turned away from the sector after Congress did not pass a renewable power mandate, an industry group said. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said U.S. developers added 395 megawatts of electricity capacity at wind farms in the third quarter--the slowest quarter since 2007. Year-to-date installations of 1,634 MW, were down 72 percent versus the same period last year. The U.S. Senate has not passed a national renewable energy mandate that would have required power utilities to generate minimum amounts of power from sources like wind and solar power. Senator Jeff Bingaman, a Democrat who in September introduced a bill with a Renewable Electricity Standard, has said it has picked up support from Republicans.But it could be tough to pass the legislation this year as Congress will have a full schedule after it returns following elections on Tuesday.China and Europe already have mandates for renewable power which AWEA said will help lead to $35 billion in investment in 2010, or four times the amount that has been invested in the United States. &quot;U.S. wind energy can again lead the world,&quot; said Denise Bode, AWEA's chief executive. &quot;But if federal policymakers do not act quickly to provide investment certainty...the U.S. wind industry will stall out.&quot; Wind power supporters also want Congress to pass long term tax incentives that they say would give investors more confidence.Story Copyright (c) 2010 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[How to buy World Series tix online and not get ripped off (FAQ)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-buy-world-series-tix-online-and-not-get-ripped-off-faq</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-buy-world-series-tix-online-and-not-get-ripped-off-faq</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Oct 2010 07:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Gaming</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=how-to-buy-world-series-tix-online-and-not-get-ripped-off-faq</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Seats for tickets to the World Series are selling for an average of $800, and individual seats can go for thousands each. If you are careful, you can buy safely.(Credit:StubHub)It's World Series time, and if you're a fan of either the San Francisco Giants or the Texas Rangers looking for tickets to any of the sold-out games being played over the next few days, don't despair: You can get in.Of course, it's not going to be cheap. Since the only tickets that are available are on the secondary market, they're going to cost substantially more than face value. For example, in San Francisco, where tonight's game two, and games six and seven (if necessary) will be held, the average price for all tickets is about $800 each. Good seats are going for well into four figures.So, assuming you've made the decision to spend a month of rent (or more) on one or more ducats, how can you do so and feel confident that you're going to actually get to listen to the Star Spangled Banner alongside thousands of your fellow fansFirst, you should know that it's perfectly legal for ticket owners, such as season ticket holders, to sell their unused seats, and to do so for prices above face value. But since you probably have questions about how it all works, CNET is here to help with this FAQ on the current ticket-buying environment:I want to buy a ticket to the World Series, and I don't know anyone personally who's selling. What are my options There aren't that many. If you walk up to either the Giants or the Rangers ticket window, you're most likely going to encounter someone who wants to laugh at you for harboring the notion that the games aren't fully sold out.Your best option for finding World Series tickets, regardless of the cost, is to go online to StubHub, which is the official ticket marketplace partner of Major League Baseball, and each of the individual MLB teams. Other sports use other marketplaces. The NBA, for example, partners with Ticketmaster's TicketExchange service, as does both the NFL, and the National Hockey League.There are other marketplaces, as well, but they are generally not official, unless they are affiliates of the official sites.How does the system work with these online re-sellersIt's actually very simple. Because each ticket to a major sporting event like the World Series has a bar code, sellers are able to transfer control of the ticket (for which they can set any price they want, as long as it's above face value)--via the database record associated with the bar code--to StubHub, or TicketExchange. As explained by StubHub, &quot;Once [the seller has] entered the bar codes, we issue new tickets with unique bar codes to the buyer and the original bar codes [the seller] entered are deactivated.&quot;When a buyer goes online and purchases the ticket from a list of available seats, the marketplace service then e-mails the buyer the tickets in printable PDF form. The tickets have a brand new bar code. And that means that that the original physical tickets will no longer be recognized by the automatic scanning systems used at the gate.This is an example of ticket listings on StubHub for World Series tickets.(Credit:StubHub)Can I be sure I'm not going to get ripped off buying tickets from StubHub or similar marketplacesIf the site is legitimate, like StubHub--which is owned by eBay--or TicketExchange, you can. That's because they offer buyers a guarantee that the tickets will be good: &quot;You will get your tickets in time for the event,&quot; reads StubHub's guarantee. &quot;Your tickets will be authentic and valid for entry. Your tickets will be as good as or better than the ones you ordered. You will be refunded if the event is canceled and not rescheduled.&quot; For its part, TicketExchange promises: &quot;Tickets purchased on TicketExchange are guaranteed to get you in. The seller's original tickets are canceled and a new set is issued for you.&quot;In the case of online marketplaces that are not official league partners, you would be wise to double-check the site's guarantee, and see if there's any way to confirm its legitimacy.Are there multiple sites selling the exact same World Series ticketsAccording to StubHub public relations and corporate communications manager Joellen Ferrer, there aren't--unless the sites in question are affiliates. Ferrer explained that the tickets available on StubHub are unique to that service, and shouldn't be available anywhere else. However, there are ticket aggregators that are affiliates of multiple marketplaces that will sell the same seats. Those aggregators, such as FanSnap, or SeatGeek, share in the commission for the sale of the tickets. And buyers on those sites are protected by the StubHub guarantee, Ferrer said.What happens to the original physical ticket when a sale like this occursAlthough ownership of the digital version of the ticket--in other words, its database record--has transferred, the original owner still has the physical ticket. That ticket will no longer work if presented at the ballpark.I bought what seems like a real (physical) ticket from someone, either on the street or from someone on Craigslist. How can I tell if it's validYou can't. The days of a physical ticket being the only thing that matters for entry into a major sporting event like the World Series are long gone. It's not that the physical ticket you bought from a scalper can't be valid. It's that there's no way to be sure until you try to get into the stadium, or arena, that the rights to that ticket haven't been sold to someone else. If the ticket is rejected at the gate, you're not getting inside, and good luck tracking down and getting your money back from the person who sold it to you.In almost all cases, the teams or the leagues will not help you with recovering your money in any way.There are also plenty of counterfeit tickets floating around that look real. Obviously, they too will be rejected by the scanners at the gate.I bought a World Series ticket from StubHub, but I'm worried something will go wrong when I get to the ballpark. What do I do if that happens.Ferrer said that StubHub will have representatives on hand in the box offices of both the Giants and the Rangers to deal with any customer service issues. However, be aware that the guarantee the service offers applies only to the person who bought the tickets directly from StubHub. If you buy tickets from someone who got them from StubHub, you are not covered by the guarantee.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Frank Quattrone: &''It&'s A Lot Easier To Go Public Than To Be&nbsp'Public&'']]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=frank-quattrone-8220itrsquos-a-lot-easier-to-go-public-than-to-benbsppublic8221</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=frank-quattrone-8220itrsquos-a-lot-easier-to-go-public-than-to-benbsppublic8221</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=frank-quattrone-8220itrsquos-a-lot-easier-to-go-public-than-to-benbsppublic8221</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Seasoned investment advisor Frank Quattrone took the stage with Bill Gurley at Web 2.0 Summit today to talk about the difference between the climate in 2010 and when Quattrone began his career in the pre-IPO-boom 1980s.What&amp;'s the same, according to Quattrone &amp;''The creativity and risk taking and the passion that people have as entreprenuers and also the infrastructure to support people who take risks.&amp;''What&amp;'s different In the late 80s there were 285 public tech companies valued at a 237 billion dollar market cap, whereas today there are 6,000 public tech companies worth trillions of dollars. Tech is a much more fundamental part of economy. a4sWhile the IPO market incentivizes entreprenuers to take risks, Quattrone said, &amp;''It&amp;'s a lot easier to go public than to be public,&amp;'' because right now there are 6000 companies you need to compete against.Gurley asked Frank to give the startups in the audience a quick Frank Quattrone IPO tutorial. Quattrone said that companies considering going public should ask themselves the following questions:1) How important is it for us to be a public company2) Do you have the 5-10 year snapshot or better video of your strategy3) Are you sure you&amp;'re not a trick ponyWhile IPOs can be great especially if you&amp;'ve got employees itching to exercise liquidity options, companies need to give it some thought before they hitch themselves to the quarterly wagon. &amp;''Sometimes it&amp;'s great to have a report card about what you&amp;'re worth every day and sometimes it&amp;'s not so great.&amp;''Quattrone emphasized his &amp;''not always so great to go public&amp;'' point with the above slide, with so many top tech companies with money to burn the M&amp;amp'A market is also currently a really attractive option.CrunchBase InformationFrank QuattroneBill GurleyInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google Voice Goes Down Yet&nbsp'Again]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-voice-goes-down-yetnbspagain</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-voice-goes-down-yetnbspagain</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-voice-goes-down-yetnbspagain</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Let the Fail Whale jokes begin.I&amp;'ve been using Google Voice on a daily basis for around a year now, and the last month has been by far the worst in terms of connectivity issues. a4sRight now, it looks like the service is having yet another outage a4&quot; both Michael Arrington and I are having problems, and other users on Twitter are having them as well. Outbound calls ring endlessly (and sometimes get a &amp;''This Call Cannot Be Completed&amp;'' error message)' inbound calls don&amp;'t get through. Update: As of 4:10 PM PST Google says the problems have been resolved. Looks like there were at least 90 minutes of downtime. We&amp;'ve reached out to Google to find out how many people are being affected and when we can expect a fix. Update: Google has given us this statement for now: &amp;''We&amp;'re aware of a problem that&amp;'s affecting some users, and we&amp;'re working to resolve it quickly.&amp;'' &amp;''As I said, this is only the latest in a string of recent problems. There was downtime on November 2 and again on Novembera4s5.a4sIt&amp;'s really getting to a point that&amp;'s beyond acceptable, and I may soon have to start handing out my &amp;8216'real&amp;' phone number for mission-critical tasks. People rely on their phones for their most urgent business and personal matters a4&quot; if you want to be a phone company you can&amp;'t go down.CrunchBase InformationGoogle VoiceInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Google takes a swing at Facebooka4a4s a4Adata dead enda4]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-takes-a-swing-at-facebookâÂ€Â™s-âÂ€Âœdata-dead-endâÂ€Â</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-takes-a-swing-at-facebookâÂ€Â™s-âÂ€Âœdata-dead-endâÂ€Â</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=google-takes-a-swing-at-facebookâÂ€Â™s-âÂ€Âœdata-dead-endâÂ€Â</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google executives have said before that they&amp;'re not happy with Facebook &amp;8212' specifically about the social network&amp;'s position on sharing data. Today they actually took action.Specifically, Google changed the terms of service for online applications trying to access data from Google Contacts. The terms now say that if you want Google to share Contacts with you, you&amp;'ve got to share your data in return. And that, effectively, rules out Facebook.This doesn&amp;'t seem like a huge blow to Facebook. Basically, it&amp;'s a little less convenient for Google users to find their friends on the social network. But it does pressure Facebook to change the company&amp;'s policy about not sharing Facebook contacts with other services. (Facebook recently announced the ability to download your profile to your desktop, but that doesn&amp;'t include your contacts.)TechCrunch first spotted the policy change, and it published a statement from Google (which Google also sent to me when I asked) that leaves no doubt about the changed is directed at:Google is committed to making it easy for users to get their data into and out of Google products. That is why we have a data liberation engineering team dedicated to building import and export tools for users. We are not alone. Many other sites allow users to import and export their information, including contacts, quickly and easily. But sites that do not, such as Facebook, leave users in a data dead end.So we have decided to change our approach slightly to reflect the fact that users often arena4a4t aware that once they have imported their contacts into sites like Facebook they are effectively trapped. Google users will still be free to export their contacts from our products to their computers in an open, machine-readable formata4&quot;and once they have done that they can then import those contacts into any service they choose. However, we will no longer allow websites to automate the import of usersa4a4 Google Contacts (via our API) unless they allow similar export to other sites.The tone is similar to other statements made by Google, for example Marissa Mayer&amp;'s complaint that so much data is being &amp;''locked in&amp;'' Facebook and hidden from search engines. The company likes to position itself as the open alternative to the competition, especially Apple.Meanwhile, Google is developing its own social networking tools. The exact nature of those products is still unclear, but the company will likely be competing more directly with Facebook soon.I&amp;'ve also emailed Facebook for comment and will update if I hear back.[image via Flickr/Benny Lin]Next Story: Social Game Universe launches cross-promotion tool on Facebook (exclusive) Previous Story: EcoFactor impresses judges with smarter thermostatPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: data portabilityCompanies: Facebook, Google          Tags: data portabilityCompanies: Facebook, GoogleAnthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Panasonic Invests $30 Million In Tesla, For 2%&nbsp'Stake]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=panasonic-invests-30-million-in-tesla-for-2nbspstake</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=panasonic-invests-30-million-in-tesla-for-2nbspstake</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>vxjkzhygoohxya</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=panasonic-invests-30-million-in-tesla-for-2nbspstake</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Consumer electronics maker Panasonic is cozying up to Tesla with a $30 million investment, in exchange for a 2% stake.Although Panasonic and Tesla have worked together in the past, under the new partnership, the duo will closely collaborate on the development and marketing of new Tesla battery packs that feature Panasonic lithium-ion cells.a4APanasonic offers the highest energy-density cells and industry-leading performance with cutting edge Nickel-type cathode technology.&amp;'' Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a statement late Wednesday, &amp;''We believe our partnership with them will enable us to further improve our battery pack while reducing cost.&amp;''Under the terms of the deal, Panasonic purchased Tesla&amp;'s stock in a private placement for a price of $21.15 a share.The structure of this alliance is not out of the ordinary for the electric car maker, which has been richly funded but deficient in profits.  Over the past two years, Tesla has strengthened strategic relationships with investment deals.Notably, in May, Tesla and Japanese automaker Toyota announced a major partnership to cooperate on the development of new electric vehicles.  As part of the deal, Toyota agreed to plunk down $50 million for Tesla&amp;'s common stock. And Toyota was not the first major corporation to bet on Elon Musk&amp;'s roadster. In 2009, Daimler invested an equivalent sum in exchange for a 10% stake and technology, according to reports.Although Tesla is moving forward with plans to ramp up vehicle production over the next few years, the company has also placed a greater emphasis on its powertrain business, which services other car manufacturers. Last month, Tesla disclosed it had a $60 million contract to supply parts to  Toyota for the production of the upcoming electric RAV4.Clunky battery parts may seem relatively boring when compared to Tesla&amp;'s sleek roadsters, but it may be the key to finding their (so far elusive) path to stable profitability.CrunchBase InformationTesla MotorsPanasonicElon MuskInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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