Touch Screens That Touch Back: Feeling in the Future

In this digital age, our fingers have learned to love touch screens. They provide an easy, intuitive way to navigate our devices to make them do our bidding. But so far, our fingers haven’t felt any love in return. All glass screens feel the same — they take, but as far as the sensory experience goes, they don’t give back. TeslaTouch is a new touch screen technology being developed by a Disney Research team at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. 

TeslaTouch lets your fingers actually feel what the screen shows. When you move a file on the screen with your finger, you can feel how big it is. Because TeslaTouch can provide a wide variety of tactile(or sensations such as textures, friction and vibration, Disney calls it the “future of feel.”haptic) The idea for TeslaTouch was hatched by senior research scientist Ivan Poupyrev, the Disney team’s research lead. His colleagues Olivier Bau and Chris Harrison worked on research and development while a third team member, Ali Israr, ran psychophysics experiments to estimate how people perceive tactile sensations using this technology.
The technology is named after Nikola Tesla, a Serbian polymath whose work revolutionized the field of electromagnetism. Technews daily

Trojan Grabs Private Information from Android Devices

A new Trojan is targeting Android devices. Known in security circles as Geinimi, the Trojan is powerful enough to compromise the personal data on a user's smartphone and send it to remote servers. So says Lookout Mobile Security. In fact, the firm said the new Trojan is the most sophisticated Android malware its security researchers have seen to date. What's more, Geinimi is also the first Android malware in the wild that displays botnet-like capabilities. That means once the malware is installed on a user's phone, it has the potential to receive commands from a remote server that allow the owner of that server to control the phone. "Geinimi is effectively being 'grafted' onto repackaged versions of legitimate applications, primarily games, and distributed in third-party Chinese Android app markets," the company wrote in a blog post. "The affected applications request extensive permissions over and above the set that is requested by their legitimate original versions."

Protecting Your Phone
The good news for Android users is Lookout said there is no evidence that Geinimi is distributed through third-party Chinese app stores. To download an app from a third-party app store, Android users need to enable the installation of apps from "unknown sources." Although Geinimi could be packaged into applications for Android phones in other geographic regions, Lookout has not seen any applications compromised by the Geinimi Trojan in the official Google Android Market. There are a number of applications -- typically games -- we have seen repackaged with the Geinimi Trojan and posted in Chinese app stores, including Monkey Jump 2, Sex Positions, President vs Aliens, City Defense, and Baseball Superstars 2010," Lookout said. "It is important to remember that even though there are instances of the games repackaged with the Trojan, the original versions available in the official Google Android Market have not been affected.


Lookout said Android users can stay safe by only downloading applications from trusted sources, such as reputable application markets, by always checking the permissions an app requests, by being aware of unusual behavior on the phone, and by downloading a mobile security app.

MADNESS PREMIERE: Kanye West ft Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Jay-Z - Monster

BOX OFFICE REPORT Dec 24 - 26 Weekend

 

With so many families reunited during the yuletide weekend, Universal Pictures’ strategy of introducing a family comedy into the theatrical mix seems to have paid off. Despite a heavy saturation of 3D releases and a blizzard blanketing the eastern seaboard during the holiday, the studio brought back their Fockers clan for a third tale. Little Fockers---the latest installment in their Meet the Parents franchise---found themselves in 3,536 theaters and unwrapped $48.3 million in receipts from its Wednesday launch.

With $34.0 million of that being over the last three days it was good enough for the holiday victory. Falling short of the $60 million predictions, the studio can take some comfort from the fact that the threequel also won the foreign box office race by grabbing another $27 million from 37 international territories as well. Overall, they managed a 5-day global cume of $75.3 million. A decent beginning for a film which cost only $100 million to produce.

 

Following in 2^nd place over the holiday was Joel and Ethan Coen’s western remake of True Grit. Paramount Pictures’ drama hauled in $25.6 million on 3,047 theaters, which makes for a respectable $8,402 per showing across the nation. With the release also being introduced into theaters on Wednesday, the film managed to find $36.8 million for its 5-day gross. It’s a great launch for the film since the Coen brothers kept the budget down to a lowly $38 million in coin. 

Rank	Movie	Weekend	Theaters	Average	Total	Budget
1	Little Fockers	$34.0 mil	3,536	$9,620	$48.3 mil	$100
2	True Grit	$25.6 mil	3,047	$8,402	$36.8 mil	$38
3	Tron Legacy	$20.1 mil	3,451	$5,826	$88.2 mil	$170
4	The Voyage of the Dawn Treader	$10.8 mil	3,350	$3,224	$63.9 mil	$155
5	Yogi Bear	$8.8 mil	3,515	$2,504	$36.7 mil	$80
6	The Fighter	$8.5 mil	2,511	$3,385	$27.5 mil	$25
7	Gulliver’s Travels	$7.2 mil	2,546	$2,828	$7.2 mil	----
8	Black Swan	$6.6 mil	1,466	$4,502	$29.0 mil	$13
9	Tangled	$6.6 mil	2,582	$2,525	$143.7 mil	$260
10	The Tourist	$5.7 mil	2,756	$2,068	$41.1 mil	$100

 

Private Spaceflight Ready to Take Off In 2011

The private space industry has long been viewed as fledgling. But this once-pejorative term has taken on new meaning this year, as a roster of successes and fast-paced growth throughout 2010 suggests private spaceflight is ready to take off in 2011. This year saw the very first launch of commercial space company SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster, and later the first liftoff of the firm's Dragon spacecraft, which launched atop a Falcon 9 to Earth orbit and then was recovered from the Pacific Ocean. Another company, Virgin Galactic, achieved some major milestones, including the first glide test of its suborbital spaceliner, SpaceShipTwo. Multiple private-sector space firms are moving into full power, going well beyond powerpoints and hand-waving. Still, the coming year, according to experts and analysts contacted by SPACE.com, is likely to feature battles between "same old space" and the ascension of "new space." 

Dancing Merengue Dog

Rihanna And Matt Kemp Break Up

Rihanna and Matt Kemp kicked off 2010 as a couple, but it seems they are bidding the year farewell apart. According to Us Weekly, the singer and her baseball-player beau have split. "It happened over the last few weeks," a source told the magazine. "She basically was just over it." The insider added that the pop star has been "so busy" with work that "he just can't keep up with her crazy travel schedule." 

The duo started dating in January and couldn't keep their relationship under wraps for long, but apparently Kemp got tired of dating a woman with a jet-setting lifestyle. "Matt's sick of always following after her like a puppy dog all over the world. He wants something more normal," the source explained. "It was never as serious as it looked. It was always just [about] having fun." Shortly after they began dating, Kemp threw Rihanna a birthday party in February. In June, Rihanna opened up about the L.A. Dodger to Elle magazine: "I have a boyfriend. I'm so happy. I feel really comfortable, and it's so easy. I have such a chaotic life, but at the end of the day, that is just my peace. It keeps me sane, really, talking to him and talking to my family." 

In November, when she released her latest album, Loud, Rihanna said that her athlete boyfriend enjoyed hearing her softer side on the record. "He really likes, actually, the ballads on the album. Those are his favorite ones," she said. "I always play him songs when I finish them. I'll bring them back home and ask him what he thinks. At the end of the day, we still disagree on some things, but for the most part ... he loves everything on the album. ... 'Who's That Chick,' he doesn't really like that one. I guess it's too lightweight pop for him."

New Dwayne Wade Kevin Hart Jordan Commercial

Nike shoe release dates December

Nike Air Force 1 Low LE

12/04/2010

Black/Sail

315122-025

$88

Nike Air Force 1 Low LE

12/04/2010

Black/White

315122-026

$88

Nike Air Force 1 Low LE

12/04/2010

Black/Varsity Red

315122-022

$88

 

Nike Air Force 1 High Premium LE

12/04/2010

Black/Black-Sail

386161-005

$150

Nike Air Max Posite Bakin Boot

12/04/2010

Varsity Red/Black-Varsity Maize

415327-600

$215

 

Nike Lebron VIII

12/11/2010

Black/Black

417098-001

$160

Nike Air Force 1 Low LE

12/11/2010

Deep Burgundy/Deep Burgundy

315122-605

$88

 

Nike Zoom Kobe VI

12/25/2010

Volt/Black-Green Apple-Crimson

429659-701

$130

Nike KD III

12/25/2010

Vibrant Yellow/Photo Blue

417279-700

$88

Nike Lebron 8 v2

12/25/2010

Sport Red/White-Black

429676-600

$160

Nike Zoom Kobe VI

12/26/2010

Black/Del Sol-Dark Grey-White

429659-002

$130

 

Nike Air Force 1 Low

12/31/2010

Medium Grey/Medium Grey

315122-029

$88

Nike Dunk High AC

12/31/2010

Medium Grey/Medium Grey

398263-004

$85

Nike Toki Mid

12/31/2010

Medium Grey/Medium Grey

385444-011

$80

Nike Air Max Posite Bakin Boot

12/31/2010

Black/Black-Matte Silver

415327-001

$215

WORLDS MOST EXPENSIVE CARS

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

MSRP: $2.6 million
Specs: The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is the fastest production car in the world. It hit 268 mph on the track last year; the production version will go 0-60 in 2.48 seconds on a W16 engine that has 1,200 horsepower and 1,500 Newton meters of torque. Fuel economy is 6.3 miles per gallon in the city and 15.8 on the highway--a 10% improvement over the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. (Also of note for our list: the Bugatti 16.4 Grand Sport, $1.86 million; and the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, $1.59 million.)

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

MSRP: $447,000
Specs: The engine is a V12 direct injection with 453 bhp and 720 Nm of torque. It goes 0-60 in 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 150 mph. Fuel consumption is 12.2 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. The Drophead has two doors and four seats with a trunk even when the roof is down. Bespoke options include an integrated cooler/glass holder to fit in the base of the luggage compartment and initials inlaid in the veneer or a complete leather floor instead of carpet. An optional teak deck made with 30 different pieces of fine-grain wood to look just like a yacht. Each Phantom is hand-built.

Koenigsegg Agera

MSRP: $1.5 million (estimated)
Specs: Agera means "to act" in Swedish, and is also short for the Greek word Ageratos, which in ancient Greek means "ageless." The body of the car is made from carbon fiber and aluminum, with the shape and concept of the Koenigsegg CC created 15 years ago. It has a 910-horsepower 4.7-liter V8 engine that goes 0-100 in under 3.1 seconds, and its wheels generate a vortex to suck hot air away from the brakes. Fewer than 20 will be made each year. 

Pagani Zonda C9

MSRP: $1.3 million
Specs: Word is the C9 will have a 6.0-liter V12 Mercedes-Benz AMG engine with 700 horsepower and 1000 Nm of torque. The car is a totally new car in terms of form, weight distribution and materials; it's made on a carbon-titanium chassis and comes with specially developed Pirelli tires. Only 40 of them will be made next year. Note: The car shown is the Zonda--official photos of the C9 have yet to be released. 

Maybach Landaulet

MSRP: $1.405 million
Specs: The Landaulet's top speed is 278 mph, with a 604-horsepower, 5.9-liter twin turbo V12 AMG engine. Fuel efficiency is 21.2 mpg on the highway and 12.9 mpg in the city, which is very good considering the car's size and weight. Intelligent bi-xenon headlamps, park assist, rear refrigerator, folding tables and two champagne flutes in hand-polished 925 sterling silver come with the car, and all of its doors close automatically. After all, as the Maybach website says, "The ultimate in luxury means physical exertion is not necessary."

SSC Ultimate Aero

MSRP: $750,000
Specs: The Ultimate Aero will do 0-60 in 2.78 seconds with a projected top speed of 273 mph. It has a 1,287-bhp V8 engine. It comes with air conditioning, power windows, power mirrors, tilt-steering, cab-controlled front air lift, 10-speaker premium audio, CD/DVD system w/ 7.5" DVD screen, automatic backup camera and navigation. Carbon fiber rear spoilers respond to the amount of pressure on the brake pedal. Inside, a carbon fiber dashboard and center console incorporate a digital temperature control unit and tire pressure monitor for optimum driving conditions. Look out for details about the as-yet unnamed "Next Generation" SSC later next year.

Ferrari SA Aperta

MSRP: $520,000 (estimated)
Specs: This is the convertible version of the Ferrari 599 (aperta means "open" in Italian), which debuted in Paris earlier this fall. The car comes with a V12 661 bhp engine, a removable soft-top roof, and (based on what the 599 can do) an expected 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds. All 80 models have already been sold. 

LeBlanc Mirabeau

MSRP: $728,000
Specs: The mid-engine Mirabeau is designed to fulfill all FIA/Le Mans standards to drive the car in LeMans, but it is also street legal. It has a V8 supercharged engine with 700 bhp and 850 Nm of torque. The body and frame are made of carbon fiber, with a 6-speed transmission and a top speed of 370 km/hour. Automatic gear shifting costs an additional 52,000 euro; leather interior and other creature comforts cost extra.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce

MSRP: $455,400
Specs: The SuperVeloce has a 6.5-liter V12 engine with 670 horsepower and a 0-60 mph of less than 3.2 seconds. Top speed is 212 mph. The car is substantially lighter than the other Murcielagos in the lineup (the engine is 12 pounds lighter, the total car is 220 pounds lighter), which makes it seem significantly faster. Inside, black leather trim with carbon fiber sport bucket seats and door panels add to the edgy effect. It's available in a 6-speed manual or automatic version. 

Bonus: Ferrari F70

MSRP: $870,000 (estimated)
Specs: We couldn't help adding this to our list--as the next in the Ferrari line and a replacement for the famous Enzo, it's been hyped for months already and is expected to start production in early 2012, with orders being taken next year. It'll have a V8 biturbo engine and 700 horsepower--and weigh just 1,200 pounds, thanks to Ferrari's pervasive use of carbon fiber. The F70 is expected to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds, with a top speed of 223 mph. Note: The car shown is the Ferrari Enzo.

 FORBES.COM

IRS: WARNS TAX RETURNS MAY BE LATE

In a lump-of-coal announcement on the eve of Christmas Eve, the IRS announced that, due to last-minute maneuvering on Capitol Hill, the agency won't be ready to process more than 50 million returns until mid- to late-February. Since most returns demand refunds from the IRS, the delay means millions of taxpayers will have to wait to get their money back.

When Congress okayed a big tax bill last week, attention focused on the extension of the Bush tax cuts, a payroll tax holiday and restoration of the federal estate tax. But at the IRS, there was plenty of angst about a group of retroactive tax changes that affect the 2010 returns. The agency is scrambling to make changes to forms and reprogram computers. But on Dec. 23, the agency admitted that it won't be ready on time to accept returns affected by the changes.

Who is affected?

The delay applies to all 50 million or so taxpayers who itemize deductions. Since Congress restored the opportunity for taxpayers to choose between deducting state income taxes or state sales tax, the IRS has to revise the Schedule A — the form used by itemizers. It won't be ready to go until mid-February at the earliest.

Millions of non-itemizers will be impacted, too — those who can claim the $250 deduction available to teachers and teachers' aides who spend money for classroom supplies or the deduction for up to $4,000 of qualified college costs. These "above-the-line" deductions expired at the end of 2009 but were reinstated retroactively by the legislation President Obama signed December 17. If you are among the two-thirds of taxpayers who claim the standard deduction rather than itemizing — and you don't benefit from the above-the-line write offs mentioned above — then you can file as soon as you have your W-2 wage reporting form and any other tax paperwork you need. If you file by mid-January, you should have your refund long before the IRS opens the filing season for taxpayers affected by the delay.

If you are affected, your best bet is to gather necessary information and forms as they arrive, so you can be ready to file as soon as the IRS gives the go-ahead.

Eminem To Star As A Welterweight Boxer In 'Southpaw'

(AllHipHop News) Rap star Eminem has successfully returned to the music industry with the year's bestselling release and now the 38-year-old has set his sights on the big screen, with a major role in the movie Southpaw.

Southpaw is being developed for Eminem and will feature the rap star playing a welterweight boxer who earns the title, but suffers from personal tragedy. The boxer must then fight his way back to the top and when the affections of his young daughter and according to published reports, the movie is being described as a continuation of his hit 2002 movie 8 Mile. Most of the script, which will be drafted by February, will be loosely based on Eminem's own life and music, according to Deadline.com. Southpaw is being penned by Kurt Sutter, the creator of FX's hit series Sons of Anarchy and will be distributed into theaters by Dreamworks.

"I took meetings with Marshall's producing partners over the past 7 years, looking for something to do together," Sutter told Deadline.com. "I know he's very selective and doesn't do a lot. But he shared so much of his personal struggle in this raw and very honest album, one that I connected with on a lot of levels. He is very interested in the boxing genre, and it seemed like an apt metaphor, because his own life has been a brawl."

According to Sutter, the movie will be a metaphorical narrative of the "second chapter" of Eminem's life. "At its core, this is a retelling of his struggles over the last five years of his life, using the boxing analogy," Sutter continued. "I love that the title refers to Marshall being a lefty, which is to boxing what a white rapper is to Hip-Hop; dangerous, unwanted and completely unorthodox. It's a much harder road for a southpaw than a right handed boxer." Allhiphop.com

Alien Planet May Be in Habitable Zone After All

The orbits of planets in the Gliese 581 system are compared to those of our own solar system. The Gliese 581 star has about 30 percent the mass of our sun, and the outermost planet is closer to its star than we are to the sun. Gliese 581d might be able to sustain liquid water on its surface.

 

 

The alien planet Gliese 581g has been getting a lot of attention recently as a possibly habitable world, but a case is building for its next-door neighbor as a good candidate for extraterrestrial life, too.

Gliese 581d, another planet discovered around the star Gliese 581, may well lie in the "habitable zone" of the star — that just-right distance range that can allow liquid water to exist — new atmospheric-modeling research suggests. The finding follows closely on the heels of a similar study, published earlier this year, that reached the same provisional conclusion.

"The fact that two models find conditions for liquid water could exist, that strongly implies that it is possible," said the new study's lead author, Philip von Paris of the Institute for Planetary Research at the German Aerospace Center in Berlin. "It doesn't seem impossible to have life there." Space.com

Fluoride in Water Linked to Lower IQ in Children

Exposure to fluoride may lower children’s intelligence says a study pre-published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a publication of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (online December 17, 2010).

Fluoride is added to 70% of U.S. public drinking water supplies. According to Paul Connett, Ph.D., director of the Fluoride Action Network, “This is the 24th study that has found this association, but this study is stronger than the rest because the authors have controlled for key confounding variables and in addition to correlating lowered IQ with levels of fluoride in the water, the authors found a correlation between lowered IQ and fluoride levels in children’s blood. This brings us closer to a cause and effect relationship between fluoride exposure and brain damage in children.”


“What is also striking is that the levels of the fluoride in the community where the lowered IQs were recorded were lower than the EPA’s so-called ‘safe’ drinking water standard for fluoride of 4 ppm and far too close for comfort to the levels used in artificial fluoridation programs (0.7 – 1.2 ppm),” says Connett. In this study, 512 children aged 8-13 years in two Chinese villages were studied and tested – Wamaio with an average of 2.47 mg/L water fluoride (range 0.57-4.50 mg/L) and Xinhuai averaging 0.36 mg/L (range 0.18-0.76 mg/L).

MTV's 'No Music' Strategy Pays Off With Soaring Ratings

In February, MTV dropped "Music Television" from its logo, and voila, viewership has gone up. A lot. According to the Street, MTV just posted its largest annual ratings increase since 1999 -- 1999, that halcyon time when there was Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys and "TRL"!

"The people who watch it today, they don't refer to MTV as music television," MTV's marketing chief Tina Exarhos said in the no-duh statement of the decade when the network made the logo switch -- its first such major redesign in the channel's 29-year history. And, no duh, the highest-rated show this year was "Jersey Shore." Which means more non-music shows are on the way. "In 2010 we've seen enormous ratings growth as a result of the process we began almost two years ago to reinvent MTV for a new generation," MTV general manager Stephen Friedman told the Street. "We look forward to a strong 2011 when we'll further diversify our lineup with new scripted series 'Skins' and 'Teen Wolf' alongside returning hits like 'Jersey Shore' and 'Teen Mom 2.' " 

The ratings do prove a point -- the next generation of MTV viewers doesn't seem to care about whether they're seeing music on the channel (they have something called the Internet where videos roam free!). The only people who go nuts when stats like this emerge are folks old enough to remember "120 Minutes" and "Yo! MTV Raps." A tiny note of consolation for that beleagured demographic, which includes The Amp: Ratings for one of MTV's remaining music tentpoles, the Video Music Awards, were also up significantly this year, too.

"Call of Duty: Black Ops" sets record for Activision

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard Inc has raked in more than $1 billion in worldwide sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops, the latest installment of the U.S. game publisher's most successful franchise.
That performance built on the previous benchmark of $650 million of sales in the game's first five days, which set a five-day global record for a movie, book or videogame, the company said.

"In all of entertainment, only 'Call of Duty' and 'Avatar' have ever achieved the billion dollar revenue milestone this quickly," Activision Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick said in a statement, referring to the blockbuster alien epic helmed by James Cameron. Wall Street's expectations run high for Activision's holiday quarter, based also on the company's latest World of Warcraft installment. But sales in the $50 billion U.S. video game industry -- which has been slow to bounce back from the recession -- are down 5 percent for the year to November 30.

Despite a strong November, research group NPD estimates that overall sales of gaming hardware and software for 2010 are likely to range from $18.8 billion to $19.6 billion, the top of which would be roughly flat with last year.

Buzz Heavy! Ciara featuring Ludacris - Ride

Janelle Monae - Tight Rope

Coming Soon to Theaters : Michael Jordan "Invincible"

WTF? FASHION MINUTE! DEC 21ST

Angelina Jolie, 

Last but not least ... Angelina Jolie, who wore a figure skating costume from the waist up and a garbage bag from the waist down to the Spanish premiere of her latest spy flick, "The Tourist." 

 

 

Cher, Fashion 

In addition to bombing at the box office, the stars of "Burlesque" have been bombing at nearly every red carpet premiere. At the film's London debut, Cher dared to don this lacy Julien Macdonald mess, along with a fur-trimmed leather jacket and bright orange wig.

 

Christina Aguilera, 

Following in Cher's footsteps was her campy co-star Christina Aguilera, who appeared extremely uncomfortable in her chintzy-looking Zuhair Murad frock, fishnet stockings, and fur stole.

 

Naomi Judd, 

Speaking of catastrophic coifs, check out the disastrous 'do (and matching dress!) Naomi Judd wore during a recent shopping spree in Beverly Hills.

 

Oprah Winfrey, 

Naomi's pal, Oprah Winfrey, also delivered a fashion faux pas this week. The retiring talk show titan posed for pics upon arriving at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens in this Blanche Devereaux-esque ensemble.

 

 

Rumer Willis. 'nuff said.

 

Ciara, 

Dear Santa, All we want for Christmas is for Ciara to learn how to dress. Love, omg!