Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Obama releases list of top money 'bundlers' (AP)

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama's re-election campaign identified its top fundraisers on Tuesday, including 61 people who each raised at least half a million dollars. Altogether, the more than 440 fundraisers collected at least $75 million to help Obama win a second term.

Among them are embattled former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee late last year returned $70,000 in contributions from Corzine and his wife following questions about the collapse of MF Global, the financial firm Corzine ran.

Corzine is no longer raising money for the re-election, campaign officials said.

The campaign divided the list into four groups based on how much money donors raised: $50,000-$100,000, $100,000-$200,000, $200,000 to $500,000 and those who raised more than $500,000 apiece.

The donors represent a broad network of contributors, many of them longtime Democratic Party stalwarts.

The list includes two fundraisers linked to Solyndra LLC, the California solar company that received a $528 million federal loan and then later declared bankruptcy, prompting a federal investigation. Steve Spinner, an Energy Department adviser, raised at least $500,000 and Steve Westly, a venture capitalist who was an unpaid adviser to the department, raised between $200,000 and $500,000.

Though Obama rejects contributions from lobbyists, his top fundraisers include individuals involved in the business of influencing government.

Michael Kempner, among those who raised more than $500,000, is president and CEO of MWW Group, a public relations firm with a large lobbying business. Kempner himself is not a registered lobbyist.

Sally Susman, another fundraiser in the $500,000-plus category, is executive vice president for policy, external affairs and communications at Pfizer Inc., a job that includes directing the pharmaceutical giant's government relations operations.

California figured most prominently on Obama's roster of big money "bundlers." Sixteen are from California and 13 are from New York.

Top fundraisers include movie producers Jeffrey Katzenberg and Harvey Weinstein, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Actress Eva Longoria was in the second highest tier, bundling $200,000 to $500,000 for Obama's re-election.

___

Online:

Obama campaign fundraiser list: http://www.barackobama.com/pages/volunteer-fundraisers-Q4

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_el_pr/us_campaign_money_obama

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New Sundance film lets a computer shuffle the plot every time (Yahoo! News)

whiteonwhite:algorithmicnoir uses a computer to create a new movie every time it's played

It's fun rewatching a?movie you love over and over again, but it sometimes gets old when you already know its plot twists like the back of your hand. Eve Sussman's new film overcomes this problem by telling a different story every time it's shown, thanks to a computer that edits it in real time.

The flick called?whiteonwhite:algorithmicnoir was recently shown thrice at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and each screening told a story vastly different from the other. According to Sussman and co-writer Jeff Wood, one screening was painful to watch, one was mediocre, and one was outstanding. Their secret lies in a program that strings full a movie together out of 3,000?video clips, 150 pieces of?music, and 80 voiceovers.

Installed on a Mac G5 computer tower they dubbed "serendipity machine," the program relies on tags to choose the clips it plays ? a process similar to how internet radio?Pandora works. So if the first clip the computer picks is tagged "science," the program looks for other clips with the same tag and chooses one among them as the next sequence.

Wood and Sussman admit that the program doesn't always work the way they expect it to, but that aspect lends the movie a semblance of reality. "We all have good days and bad days. We have moments where [something] interesting happens that you might try to hold onto, but you can't. In that way, [this film] is just like life," Sussman tells Wired.

whiteonwhite:algorithmicnoir focuses on a geophysicist named Holz, and has a predominantly chilly atmosphere emphasized by its grayish tone. It's inspired by classic sci-fi films?Alphaville by Jean-Luc Godard and?Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky. After Sundance, the movie will be shown at the?Berlin International Film Festival and at the?Santa Fe SITE contemporary art space.

[via?Wired]

This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20120131/tc_yblog_technews/new-sundance-film-lets-a-computer-shuffle-the-plot-every-time

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Monday, January 30, 2012

2012 SAG Awards: What the Stars Wore! (omg!)

2012 SAG Awards: What the Stars Wore!

Ooh la la!

The Who's Who in television and movies joined their actor peers for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in L.A. Sunday, and female stars from both the big and small screens dazzled out on the evening's red carpet.

GET ALL THE DETAILS ON WHAT THE STARS WORE AT THE 2012 SAG AWARDS

Glee's Lea Michele showed some leg in a sexy Versace gown with a hip-high slit, silver pointed-toe Casadei shows, Lorraine Schwartz jewels and a Fendi bag.

PHOTOS: The best and worst-dressed stars at the 2012 SAG Awards

The Help's Emma Stone ditched the evening's formal floor-length gown look and opted for a fun and flirty black strapless Alexander McQueen cocktail dress teamed with jewelry by Tiffany & Co.

Modern Family's Sofia Vergara dazzled in her go-to style: a custom, form-fitting Marchesa fishtail silk satin crepe gown. She paired the raspberry-colored number with Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

PHOTOS: Sofia Vergara's stunning red carpet style

Click here to see what other stars including Angelina Jolie, Michelle Williams wore on Sunday night.

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news2012_sag_awards_stars_wore_024758847/44350289/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/2012-sag-awards-stars-wore-024758847.html

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Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y470p launches with Radeon HD 7690M GPU

Who knew a "p" packed so much punch? Just weeks after Lenovo cut loose with a boatload of new machines, the outfit has quietly slipped out an even newer model tailored for gamers. The 14-inch IdeaPad Y470p looks just about like the existing Y470, but swaps out the middling NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M for a far more potent Radeon HD 7690M. (For those wondering -- yep, that's the same chip in HP's new Envy 15.) There's also a 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, an optional 1TB HDD, JBL speakers and a native 1,366 x 768 screen resolution. The unit tips the scales at 4.85 pounds with a six-cell battery, which is supposedly good for up to four hours of usage (in presumably ideal conditions). Other specs include a Blu-ray Disc drive, a two-megapixel webcam, HDMI out and USB 3.0. For now, at least, it looks as if eager beavers can get one headed their way for as low as $799, but the more specced-out models are reaching well over $1,200.

Continue reading Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y470p launches with Radeon HD 7690M GPU

Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y470p launches with Radeon HD 7690M GPU originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/UgtbXZ1eOv4/

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Apple-fan cop uses app to catch iPhone thief (Digital Trends)

Apple-iPhone-4SA quick-thinking cop used his knowledge of Apple products to lead him to an iPhone thief within 30 minutes of the device being stolen.

The New York cop, Officer Robert Garland, spoke to the New York Times about the incident, which took place in Manhattan on Thursday.

Garland said the episode began when a woman working at a Tuci Italia store on the Avenue of the Americas was robbed of her iPhone at gunpoint as she was using the device to watch YouTube videos during a break.

Officer Garland arrived at the scene of the crime with his colleague, Sgt. Richard Coan, to find an upset and shaken victim.

Once Garland understood it was an iPhone that had been stolen, he realized that there was a fair chance he could locate it. You see, being a fan of Apple products and himself owning an iPhone, iPad and various Mac computers, Officer Garland knew a thing or two about all things i and was therefore familiar with the popular Find My iPhone app, a piece of software that does exactly what it says on the tin.

Without missing a beat, he entered the victim???s Apple ID into his own iPhone and using the app, pinpointed the location of her phone on a map.

Wasting no time, Garland and his colleague followed the information on their map in the hope that they???d be able to make a quick arrest.

After a short time they were confident they could see the robber, outside a Food Emporium store on Eighth Avenue and 49th Street. To confirm it was the right man, Garland pressed the ?Play Sound? button on the app, which immediately caused a pinging sound to emanate from the stolen phone.

The cops moved in and sure enough they found the victim?s phone stuffed down one of the man?s socks. And the woman?s reaction to Garland?s recovery? ?She was ecstatic,? he told the New York Times.

Of course, the free Find My iPhone app will also come in useful when you misplace your phone, so be sure to download and enable the app on your iOS device. Then if you lose your phone, all you need to do is sign in to icloud.com through any Internet-enabled computer or simply use the Find My iPhone app on another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to see its location on a map. You also have the ability to display a message on the phone in case someone finds it, or clear the device of all its data if you?re worried about security.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

More from Digital Trends

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Apple?s Grand Central Terminal store set to open on Friday

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20120127/tc_digitaltrends/applefancopusesapptocatchiphonethief

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