WWDC Live Blog: Join Wired at Apple?s Huge Monday News Event

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off Monday morning, and Wired will be on hand to report whether a swarm of tantalizing product rumors emerges as fiction or fact.

dave matthews band solar flares 2012 whitney houston will toyota recall northern lights sign of the times keystone pipeline

THD N2-A Laptop Runs Android ICS, Priced at $149

The term ?Smartbook? has been kicking around the tech industry for some time now, but has never really taken a hold. ?That probably won?t change, but one company, THD, is taking another crack at it. ?Sure, it?s not likely to catch on, but it won?t be because they haven?t put together a beautiful peice of hardware.

Unveiled at the recent Computex show, the?THD N2-A looks a lot like a MacBook Air, but it runs android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. ?As for hardware specs, the 13 inch screen has a?1366?768 resolution, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, a full keyboard, a trackpad, and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. ?Unfortunately this isn?t a Google certified Android device, which means it lacks features like Gmail, Google Play Store, and Maps.

The notebook will retail for a very competitive $149, but at the moment is only available to retailers, so if you can?t wait then you will need to pony up about $74,000 for a lot of 500 devices.

Please feel free to leave a comment below.

exorcism jersey shore season 5 mark driscoll unemployment rate unemployment rate jesse ventura keri russell

AP Source: Saints make new offer to QB Drew Brees

METAIRIE, La. (AP) ? The New Orleans Saints have made a new contract offer to record-setting quarterback Drew Brees, said a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press Thursday on condition of anonymity because the team and the quarterback have not publicly discussed the new offer. The person did not provide details about financial changes in the new offer, but added, "as always, there is a lot to get through and no deal is imminent."

The Saints have placed their one-year franchise tag on Brees, barring him from negotiating with other teams. Brees has said he wants to remain in New Orleans but has skipped voluntary practices and this week's minicamp while holding out for a long-term deal.

If a deal were to get done over the weekend, Brees would be able to attend the Saints' final set of voluntary offseason practices next week.

Brees was in New Orleans on Thursday, but not for contract negotiations.

He attended a City Council hearing to support a zoning ordinance required for a Jimmy Johns sandwich shop he will open not far from his New Orleans home in the city's historic Uptown district.

The council voted unanimously in favor of the variance, but Brees declined to be interviewed or make any comments about football as he was escorted to a waiting car outside City Hall.

Brees boarded a flight back to San Diego Thursday afternoon.

Brees, who joined the Saints as a free agent in 2006, has during the past six seasons completed more passes (2,488) for more yards (28,394) and more touchdown passes (201) than any other quarterback in the NFL. His 67.8 percent completion rate spanning the past six seasons also tops the league.

Arriving in New Orleans the season after Hurricane Katrina struck, Brees has become arguably the most popular sports figure in the city's history. In addition to leading the club to its lone Super Bowl title in the 2009 season, Brees has become a civic pillar of the community. He and wife Brittany have worked through their Brees Dream foundation to sponsor about $8 million in projects primarily aimed at improving the lives of children in the area through the refurbishing of schools or renovation of athletic fields and facilities. His foundation also has supported the arts, along with hospital facilities for cancer patients.

In 2011, Brees set NFL single-season records with 468 completions, 5,476 yards passing and a completion percentage of 71.2. His prolific passing numbers helped the Saints set a new NFL high for total offensive yards in a season with 7,474.

He led the Saints to a 13-3 regular season record and second NFC South Division title in three seasons. New Orleans defeated Detroit in the first round of the playoffs before falling in the final seconds of their second-round game at San Francisco.

This offseason marks the first time Brees, 33, has had the opportunity to negotiate a major, long-term deal with the leverage provided by a string of injury-free seasons highlighted by a slew of individual and team statistical records in addition to a championship.

He commanded only second-round money when he was drafted by San Diego, and the Chargers placed the one-year franchise tag on him when that deal ran out in 2005. The right-handed Brees then had an injury the following season that required major surgery to his throwing shoulder, and which left him with few major offers during the 2006 offseason.

He wound up signing a six-year deal with New Orleans worth about $60 million, which left him playing for well below what the top quarterbacks in the league earned during the past few seasons.

Brees is now expecting to be paid in the range of the league's best quarterbacks, and Peyton Manning, who is three years older than Brees and sat out last season while recovering from neck surgery, recently signed a contract with Denver paying him $19.2 million a year.

Brees has until July 16 to agree to a new long-term deal. Otherwise he will have to either play under the franchise tag that would pay him a little more than $16 million for one season, or sit out.

Getting Brees back with the team would help restore a sense of normalcy after an offseason plagued by the NFL's bounty scandal, which resulted in the season-long suspensions of head coach Sean Payton and linebacker Jonathan Vilma, among other sanctions.

So far, Chase Daniel has worked as the No. 1 quarterback during six voluntary offseason practices and this week's three-day minicamp that ended Thursday. The Saints also gave veteran Luke McCown a tryout during minicamp and decided on Thursday to sign him as well, meaning he'll likely be back for next week's offseason practices and possibly training camp.

Saints players and coaches have said it is odd not having Brees around, but added that they are confident his absence won't unduly hurt the team as long as he's back by training camp.

Assistant head coach Joe Vitt, who has been tapped to handle head coaching duties this season, except while serving his own six-game suspension resulting from the bounty probe, said he has been talking with Brees regularly and asking the quarterback for input on training camp, which opens in late July.

"Nobody is going to come in better shape than Drew," Vitt said earlier this week. "Drew is working extremely hard right now. He's mastered the system. (Brees' contract) will get done with both parties getting together. ... They are both working hard at it."

Notes: The Saints also signed running back Joe Banyard after the completion of minicamp. Like McCown, Banyard was with the Saints on a three-day tryout this week. ... Starting RT Zach Strief wound sat out a fourth-straight practice on Thursday after rolling his right ankle in the opening practice of minicamp. He said the injury is minor, that he rested as a precaution, and that he expects to practice next week. ... RB Chris Ivory sat out a second straight day with what Vitt has said is a minor hamstring pull. ... The Saints announced that they will hold training camp, as usual, at their suburban New Orleans headquarters and that it will open on July 27.

Associated Press

a star is born oscar nominees oscar nominations 2012 kombucha tea separation of church and state dale earnhardt oscar predictions

Pacquiao vs Bradley Live Streaming PPV ?Pacquiao's WBO Title ...

Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley Live Stream Boxing Tickets, Preview & More!

[?] Hello Boxing Lover?s,
Enjoy With Us For Watching?All Exclusive Boxing Here.?Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley Live?Extreme?12 Rounds ? Welterweight Division [For Pacquiao's WBO Title],At -?Las Vegas.When Start This Match/Time -?09:00 PM [ET] / 06:00 PM [PT],Saturday, 09Th,Jun,2012. All Boxing Lover Supporter?s Don?t Miss To Watch?Live Extreme Boxing Games?Here. Every Second You Can?Watch Here Blue Ray Quality Video?By Signing Up With Us The?Live Sports Network From Satellite PCTV,You Can Get Here All Time The?100% HD/LED Quality Video. So, Don?t Wast Your Time, Just Click This?Live Extreme Link?& Grab This Opportunity To Watch This?Live Extreme Game On Your Mobile TV, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Laptop, Net book, Mac, Or PC?From?Live Extreme Boxing Stream.TV!

[?]BOXING SCHEDULE[?]

UPCOMING INFO : Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley

COMPETITION NAME : Pacquiao?s WBO Title 2012

COMPETITOR : Manny vs Timothy

DATE : Saturday, 09Th,Jun,2012.

TIME/WHEN START : 09:00 PM [ET] / 06:00 PM [PT]

VENUE : Las Vegas.

STATUS : LIVE ON

Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley Live Exclusive PPV Boxing Review,?HD Video Coverage?@??Las Vegas?On Fox.TV!

[?] WE ALL TIME PROVIDE YOU.!

• 3,000+ PREMIUM TV CHANNELS.!
• 
  
• 800+ PREMIUM MOVIE CHANNELS.!
• 
  
• 500+ PREMIUM SPORTS CHANNELS.!
• 
  
• 2,000+ LOCAL TV CHANNELS.!
• 
  
• EASY TO USE INTERFACE.!
• 
  
• NO HARDWARE REQUIRED.!
• 
  
• FULL SCREEN TV MODE.!

[?]Thank?s To Visit This Site.!

Easily You Can Find This Live Extremeing Link For Watching Your?Live Boxing Games. So, Get Ready To Watch Your Favourite Boxing Sports. Don?t Wast Your Time Watch &?Enjoy All Live Boxing,Kick boxing, Boxing,ShowTime Boxing Match Here. When?You Click The Extreme Link??Your Subscription Will Be Grant Automatic & You Immediate Access To The Most Comprehensive Listing Of?Live National Boxing Feeds?From Any Where In The World.Where You Can Access An Internet Connection,The Exacting Live Games Without Interruption.We Will Provide You All The Links?& The Necessary Software With?100% 3D & Booming surround sound. So, There Will Be No Need To Purchase Any Additional Equipment. Need Only A Computer & An Internet Connection.Thank?s Again To Visit This Site & Stay With Us For Watching This Full Season?Live Extreme Boxing Match!?

[?]?Manny Pacquiao: A Spiritual Awakening?:-

Late last?year eight-division world champion Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao began a journey of spiritual renewal, which now includes leading daily Bible study classes. He has embraced The Bible and its teachings, making The Bible his ?manual for living his life.? Eschewing many of the vices he claimed were poisoning his life, here, for the first time, Manny gives a thorough first-person account on his new-found spirituality and how it has affected his life as a world champion boxer, an elected public servant and a family man. It is candid, raw and enlightening.

There are?several ways to view this feature. This link will take you to two different folders ? one for web viewing and one for hi-res download.

This link will take?you to the Top Rank website where you can watch the video as individual segments without downloading.

Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs),?boxing?s only eight-division world champion and the lone congressional representative from the Sarangani province in the Philippines, will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship crown against undefeated WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., Saturday, June 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The Pacquiao-Bradley world championship fight will be produced and distributed Live by HBO Pay-Per-View?, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

All-new editions?of HBO?s all-access reality series 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY debut on Saturday, June 2 (9:45-10:15 p.m. ET/PT) and Friday, June 8 (8:00-8:30 p.m. ET/PT), the night before the welterweight title showdown.

Promoted by Top?Rank, in association with MP Promotions, Tecate, AT&T and MGM Grand, remaining tickets to Pacquiao vs. Bradley are priced at $1,200, $900, $600, $400, and $200. Ticket sales at $1,200, $900, $600 and $400 are limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $200 are limited to two (2) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase.

24/7?Pacquiao/Bradley returns Saturday Night at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT on HBO

Other HBO playdates:?June 2 (1:30 a.m.), 3 (9:30 a.m.), 4 (7:30 p.m., 11:45 p.m.), 5 (10:00 p.m.), 6 (9:00 a.m.), 7 (6:30 p.m., 3:10 a.m.), 8 (7:30 p.m.) and 9 (10:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: June 3 (12:30 a.m.), 6 (9:15 p.m.), 8 (1:00 a.m.), 9 (6:00 p.m.) and 10 (10:20 a.m.)

HBO On Demand? availability begins: June 5

The special will also be available on HBO GO?.

With one week to go,?Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) and Timothy Bradley Jr. (28-0, 12 KOs) dial up preparations before heading to Las Vegas for their title showdown.

?Pacquiao?vs. Bradley? takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday, June 9 at 9:00 p.m. (ET)/6:00 p.m. (PT), and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View?.

The executive?producer of 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY is Rick Bernstein; senior producer, Dave Harmon; coordinating producer, Bentley Weiner; producers, George Jakovic, Harley Glantz and Gabe Spitzer; writer, Aaron Cohen. Liev Schreiber narrates.

[?] Roach says ?We know how to handle Bradley?

By Chris Williams: Freddie Roach has designed what he feels is the perfect plan to send unbeaten Timothy Bradley to his first defeat on June 9th against Manny Pacquiao.

Like usual,?Roach is always talking about coming up with a gem of a plan to lead his fighter to victory. Roach never really says what these plans are, but he?s always speaking about them as if he?s got a map

to buried treasure.

Roach said?to the Manila Bulletin ?Manny is in a very good place. We have a big game plan and we know how to handle this guy.?

Why on earth?is Roach always talking about ?we?? He?s not the one that?s going in the ring to get slugged in the head by Bradley, so why is he always saying ?We?? I never feel good about people that say ?We? when I?m the one doing the work. It just makes me mistrustful of them. Anyway, I don?t get Roach at all. The guy always talks about his grand vision for Pacquiao. He?s always got these schemes that sounds if he?s a genius but then Pacquiao goes out there and looks as crude as a beginning novice in the ring, getting by one speed and power alone, but looking primitive. It just makes me wonder what are these so called plans that Roach is always dreaming up but I?m never seeing in action.

It just looks?to me like Roach waves a red handkerchief in front of Pacquiao?s before the fight like he?s a little bull and then he sics him on his opponent. I don?t see any real strategy in Pacquiao?s fights. I just see him going straight at his opponents, trying to overwhelm them with speed and power. Sometimes it works out well for Pacquiao and other times he fails miserably, yet still wins the fight somehow. But I think Roach sounds pretentious with when he talks about having an unbeatable game plan to beat an opponent like Bradley, because I don?t see any game plan with Pacquiao?s fights other than Roach letting him loose on them.

beverly hilton hotel whitney houston found dead i will always love you whitney houston 2012 grammy awards powerball results pebble beach golf beverly hilton

Baltic Business Cycles, Continued - NYTimes.com

I noted yesterday that my mild observation that a partial bounceback from a severe slump is not exactly an economic triumph apparently elicited rage in Estonia. Simon Wren-Lewis, writing about Latvia, is more caustic:

An extraordinary success story: after an 18% decline in GDP in 2009, and flat GDP in 2010, we now have 5.5% growth in 2011. But surely I?m being economical with my quotes here. Isn?t the 5.5% growth last year just the beginning, with the economy achieving a new dynamism. Mr. Asmussen does not provide any additional evidence on this. Perhaps wisely, as the IMF are predicting 2% growth this year, and 2.5% next year. So the 5.5% growth last year is all we have.

Mr. Asmussen could have talked about unemployment, which has also fallen rapidly, from a peak of 20% to 15% currently. Perhaps he did not, because unemployment shows more clearly what has actually happened. We have had a huge recession, followed by a much more modest recovery. And, as we might guess, there is apparently much more talk about structural unemployment in Latvia today. For a rather more objective account of the Latvian experience of internal devaluation, see this (US) CEPR study, or a number of Paul Krugman?s posts.

Earlier this year I wrote that when growth returned, some would say this proved those pessimistic Keynesians had been all wrong. I must admit the ?some? I had in mind were politicians and journalists, not senior central bankers. By this logic, an even better strategy is to close the whole economy down for a year. The following year we could get fantastic growth as the economy starts up again.

While I?m at it, let me address another issue. Quite a few people say that it?s wrong ? or, as some say, ?dishonest? ? to look only at the decline since the peak. After all, didn?t the Baltics have very good growth in the years preceding the peak?

Yes, they did. So did America before the Great Depression. Long-run growth and business cycles are different things: long-run growth represents rising economic potential, slumps reflect a shortfall of output below that potential. Since the austerity/stimulus debate is about slumps, not long-run growth, talking about growth before the crisis is just irrelevant.

Anyway, I?m for the Wren-Lewis proposal: let?s collapse the economy for a year, so we can have great growth the year following.

vernal equinox mr rogers jamie lee curtis spring equinox audacious pollen count mexico city

SpaceX flight opens door for U.S. military payloads

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Tue Jun 5, 2012 6:52pm EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Space Exploration Technologies' unmanned Dragon capsule arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday following a test flight for NASA that could open the door to a long-desired and more elusive customer - the U.S. military.

The cargo capsule blasted off May on 22 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida and three days later became the first privately owned spaceship to reach the International Space Station, a $100 billion project of 15 nations that flies some 240 miles above Earth.

Dragon splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on May 31 and was returned by barge to the Port of Los Angeles before dawn on Tuesday.

The successful test flight not only means Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, can start working off a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to fly cargo to the space station. It also clears a key hurdle for SpaceX to compete for Department of Defense business as well, which would mean launching military satellites.

Dragon's launch was the third successive flight of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which debuted in June 2010.

Flying three times successfully was among the criteria the company needed to meet to become eligible to compete for military business under a new program designed to draw competition into a field now monopolized by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

?"The new entrant criteria did say three launches are required (for Falcon 9) before certification can happen for national security payloads," said SpaceX Communications Director Kirstin Brost Grantham.

There are several paths toward certification, and the requirements can vary, Air Force spokeswoman Tracy Bunko said.

"?If the new entrant has a launch vehicle with a more robust, demonstrated successful flight history, then we may require less technical evaluation for certification. But, it also depends on the risk assessment of the mission," Bunko wrote in an email to Reuters.

Near term, United Launch Alliance, or ULA, will remain the sole provider of heavy- and medium-lift commercial launch services to the U.S. military with its Delta 4 and Atlas 5 rockets.

But the wall is cracking. The Air Force is expected to award a non-ULA launch services contract this year for the Deep Space Climate Observatory, a NASA Earth-monitoring satellite that is being repurposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) into a solar observatory. The Air Force issued a request for bids on May 11.

A second satellite, the Air Force's Space Test Payload-2, also has been set aside for a new launch services provider.

ELUSIVE MARKET

In addition to 12 cargo-delivery flights for NASA, SpaceX has booked Falcon rocket flights for more than 28 other launches for a variety of companies, foreign governments and other customers.

"The one market that we have not yet been successful with is launching Defense Department satellites, although we're hopeful that we'll win one or two demonstration launches this year," Musk said after Dragon's return from orbit.

"Hopefully the successive flights of Falcon 9 in a row will give them the confidence they need to open up the defense contract for competition," he said.

Robert Bigelow, the president of privately owned Bigelow Aerospace, said the Falcon 9 would create a paradigm shift within the global launch industry.

"The Falcon 9 has clearly arrived and proven itself as a reliable and affordable launch system for NASA, the Air Force and commercial payloads," said Bigelow.

His company plans to build, fly and operate commercial space stations and habitats in orbit, and has a marketing agreement with SpaceX for flight services.

Last week, SpaceX added Intelsat as the first customer for its planned Falcon Heavy rocket, which is expected to have twice the lift capacity of ULA's Delta 4 Heavy, currently the biggest booster in the U.S. fleet.

A Falcon Heavy mission costs between $83 million and $128 million, according to SpaceX's website, a fraction of a Delta 4 Heavy rocket launch.

For now, ULA isn't worried.

"In order for a fair competition, a new entrant would need to support the full set of mission and technical requirements. In addition, entrants also will be faced with stringent government oversight, accounting and reporting requirements - none of which is part of a commercial business plan," ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye wrote in an email to Reuters.

"ULA also understands that the issue is not about competition, but how can our customers enable the reliable delivery of important space capabilities that protect our nation and promote science at the most cost-efficient method," she added.

(Editing by Jane Sutton)

morgellons nhl all star draft touch nitrous oxide rihanna thug life tattoo chuck pagano arizona governor

Video: Best Buys in Social Media Stocks

Facebook fell to a new all-time low. The FMHR team discusses where to invest in social media now.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Top of page

demi moore 911 call ipo jim rome ufc on fox 2 weigh ins brandi glanville convulsions john tyler