Finesse and Synquis

Finesse and Synquis (pronounced "sin-qwiss") were often compared to Salt and Pepa in the 80s, but they totally were doing their own thing, delivering a color-coordinated, high energy, wedge-haircut good time with the help of several biker-short clad dancers. No wonder they drew such a crowd.

If you need more F&S, check out their music video for "Straight from the Soul" (it should be noted this video has been OMG Kevin"s Facebook status for over a week now)

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Still in the dark on Steve Jobs

Last month, I did a blog entry slagging off at the Apple board and its total failure of corporate governance, keeping shareholders in the dark about Steve Jobs, his health and the likelihood or otherwise of him staying at the company.

If nothing else, the board confirmed its ineptitude at the firm's annual shareholders meeting. As Reuters reports, the board just said Jobs remained deeply involved with the company, without spelling out exactly how, and refused to answer questions about reports that the US Securities and Exchange Commission was examining Apple's conduct in disclosing Jobs' health problems.

That's not to say shareholders seem to care that much. According to that report, they even sang "Happy Birthday" for the boy who turned 54 this week.

Still, they should be concerned. As David Coursey at PCWorld says, Steve Jobs is unlikely to return to Apple. He was more or less sending that signal by skipping the shareholders' meeting. And that, as Coursey says, raises questions about Apple's future. "As long as Steve Jobs can read a memo or look at designs and say, "this one, not that one," Apple is remains in good hands. But, we have already seen what happens when Apple loses i(t)s vision. When that happens, as it eventually must, its not clear Apple's creative culture will be able to pick up where one man's vision leaves off."

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I Mean Seriously, Americ

America, you"ve got to be kidding me. Did you really fall for all the sentimental crap the producers shoveled out about personality-free performer Michael Sarver? Apparently you did because the sympathetic yet bland roughneck earned a place in the American Idol top twelve last night, baffling thousands of people who surely expected that spot to go to Anoop Desai, Ricky Braddy, or at least Tatiana del Toro. In Ricky, we would have had a better vocalist. In Anoop, we would have had a better personality. And in Tatiana, we would have had a better crazy. C"mon now. This is just ludicrous.

After seeing Tatiana"s fluttering heart nearly send her fainting to the floor, I think we can all agree she"s a precious gift from the reality gods that needs to be savored, nourished, and encouraged. Why would we ever send her away so soon? Did you not see her emotional hysterics in the background? She is the unqualified star of this early season! Don"t vanquish her! I"m holding out for the Wild Card round, but honestly, I"m just not sure that"ll be good enough. Who knows what talent the next two weeks will bring. Only three wild cards can go on to the big twelve, and I fear the odds are stacked against Tatiana (not to mention Ricky and Anoop). Oooooh, I just hate when a nonentity like Michael Sarver excels. Simon said people should vote for him because he seemed like a nice guy who needed a break. Guess what -Â they all need a break. Damn you people for being so pliable!

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20 Best Free PC Games

ExtremeTech has compiled their list of the 20 Best Free PC Games around at the moment, and it’s pretty good. Flash games are specifically excluded, so there will be some games here that you’ve not seen before. Good to bookmark for those rainy Sundays.

We’re here to help you separate the wheat from the chaff. What follows are some of the best free PC games you can get online. Our rules are simple: 1. It must be an honestly free game… 2. No utterly simple flash games… 3. It has to run on modern Windows systems.

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Peek at Arlenis Sosa ad for Lancome

What can I say, except that she looks gorgeous and I can"t wait to see the rest of the campaign. Anyone ever use Lancome products? I seem to remember trying one of their Color ID foundations a few years back but not being impressed enough to buy it.

Source: Dominican Fashion Models

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Alex McCord Parents in the City

If you"re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I’ve been catching up with the Real Housewives of New York City Season 1 and Season 2.   It struck me time and again how close Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen are, it’s clear they are truly in love and devoted to each other.

Alex was gracious enough to talk to me about her life recently! The first thing I must mention is that she is really down to earth… that doesn’t really come across on the show. Originally from Kansas, Alex now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two kids, Francois and Johan.

Alex doesn’t pretend to have a perfect life, but she does seem to have it all figured out! If you’ve wondered how she keeps her slim figure she attributes good genes and practices. Crediting adulthood as enough impetus to watch what she eats hasn’t hurt much. Motherhood has given her more cause to avoid processed foods and keep things as natural as possible. She viewed her pregnancy as an athletic event, keeping active and in shape. Alex has even made her own ketchup and yogurt to ensure the best ingredients! I am impressed AND convinced - I’ve got a lot of work to do!

Alex has also learned that great skin can be less work. Cleansing is really only necessary once a day in her case so she cleanses and moisturizes at night. In the morning she splashes some water and moisturizing if necessary for the day. Drinking lots of water and getting plenty of rest are also important and so I had to ask if it was truly possible to get a full night’s sleep with two young children. The enthusiastic response was YES! The key is not to react to every little sound in the night and let them fall back asleep on their own. She’s been blessed with two great sleepers.

On the topic of urban parenting, the topic of her upcoming book, Alex has a lot to say. Living in a walking community is far different from the minivan lifestyle and affords many advantages. Most obviously - built in exercise!  Another aspect is interacting with the neighborhood, people from all walks of life and beliefs. Alex was firm that no matter where people come from they all want what’s best for their children. Children can learn best from being in environments where there is diversity of culture and thought.  As a lover of all things cultural, the family makes trips to the first class resources the city offers, opera, aquariums and museums.

With all of that the importance of family rituals is key to keeping balance and the family takes dinner together every night, playing games and talking with the kids. Keeping the “quality time” high-quality and interactive is the key to their parenting strategy. As for the over-the-top influences of other over indulging city parents? Alex says it’s not an issue, they keep a firm grip on the reality of what a dollar will buy you, Francois recently raided his piggy bank to buy a coveted DVD.

What about those less than perfect kid moments on the show? well no one is perfect and let’s face facts, would we be entertained by 100% perfect kids? nope, the most dramatic bits make the cut.  How would your family and life look on the little screen?

It’s been all over that Alex has recently lost her job with Victoria’s Secret, read her thoughts on her blog… The upcoming parenting book by the McCord - van Kempen family will provide stories on raising two young children in the city in a story format.   Details to follow…

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Bullshit Detector

The Local Government Association in the UK has compiled a list of bullshit terms that should not be used by councils. If you pay council tax, then you might be interested in how much bullshit you"re getting for your money. Well now"s your chance to find out.

There was only 1 bullshit term found on The Presurfer.

Enter the URL of a web page to check for bullshit.

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ScreamBody

ScreamBody is a Wearable Body Organ. ScreamBody is a portable space for screaming.

When a user needs to scream but is in anynumber of situations where it is just not permitted, ScreamBody silences the user"s screams so they may feel free to vocalize without fear of environmental retaliation, and at the same time records the scream for later release where, when, and how the user chooses.

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I'M OFF TO SEE IMOGEN HEAP!

First Train Home official video

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When You Hand Out Pink Slips

© Mykl Roventine


BusinessWeek ran a good article this week on things not to say when the time comes to hand someone their pink slip.

People are getting laid off. Right and left, east and west, all over the place. And it"s not always because they deserve to be let go.Job cutting is never easy, but it often becomes progressively harder as we go deeper into an organization. At the beginning, employers may be able to lay off only weak employees they might have considered letting go anyway. While these weak performers are human beings worthy of dignity and respect, we can make ourselves feel okay about their terminations because they are based on merit.

The deeper we get, the less likely it is that we honestly can say that a job elimination is simply a matter of letting go those who should have been let go years ago. Now we are letting go of solid performers who would remain employed in a good economy.If you have to do the deed, there are some basic things you should avoid saying. You can think of it as being sensitive (why would you feel the need to say mean things to someone you"re not going to see anymore?) or you can think of it as reducing your corporate liability in the layoff. But it"s really just an issue of being smart about it.

The BusinessWeek article gives some good guidance on the topic.

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Picnic by Juicy Couture

The speaker dimensions are 12"H x 13"W x 6"D. There"s no word on the wattage, so the sound quality is anyone"s guess. The kit is available for $248. Just like the tagline says it"s "everything you need to take your beau or bestie out for a picnic."

Via UberGizmo

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Staying safe in snow

The inviting expanse of shimmering snow contrasts with the non-malignant blue sky above. The ski instructor briefly goes over the planned run, his first charge glides off into the distance and sets off a slab avalanche. The group all look on helplessly as their friend is buried under a wall of snow. Bernhard Budaker of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA knows this kind of scenario is all too common. But scientists at the Institute recently developed a new avalanche airbag system for ABS Peter Aschauer GmbH, in which an electronic unit ensures a ski instructor or friend of any similarly hapless individual can remotely trigger the airbag stowed in their backpack. The product went on sale in December 2009. Avalanche airbags have been in use for over a quarter of a century. A simple tug on the activation handle will inflate two airbags stowed in a backpack. The massive extra volume they create gives the body additional buoyancy the skier is no longer buried under the snow.

To date, however, the problem has always been that skiers have had to activate the airbag inflation system themselves. If skiers fail to notice in time that they've set off an avalanche, the airbag won't help them, says Budaker. But now the IPA group manager and his team have replaced ABS's manual activation unit with an electronic system, and fitted a new trigger: We've redesigned the activation handle to incorporate many electronic components, so airbag inflation can be initiated by other members of a skiing party as well. It will be perfectly easy to retrofit all the old-style backpacks with the new system. When the traditional activation handle is pulled, it creates a pressure wave in the tube, which punctures a gas cartridge and causes the airbags to inflate. In the new system, a pyrotechnic element is used to ignite the gas cartridge. As Budaker explains, the electronic solution offers the advantage of allowing all the airbags carried by a particular skiing party to be networked: We transmit on 868 and 915 Megahertz. The optical application programming interface permits specific groups to be defined. Group members simply need to touch all their handles together for them to become a unit. One option is for the ski instructor to be designated the master, his charges the slaves in this case, only the master can trigger the others' airbags. Alternatively, all members of the group can be designated masters and help each other in an emergency. The activation signal currently has a range of between 350 and 500 meters, but this distance can be extended, given that every group member effectively acts as a relay station as each trigger handle passes on the signal.........

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In search of speed

You couldn't have asked for a better day for a competition. It's minus five degrees, the sun's shining and there's not a breath of wind. The snow's perfect and the biathlete's in top form. He's one of the best he can win the race. Often there's only a few thousandths of a second between the victor and the vanquished, so the gliding ability of his skis is very important. And this depends on several factors, not least whether the wax mixture he's applied suits the particular type of snow.

Anyone looking for optimal ski performance must first understand the laws of friction. That is why wax and ski coating manufacturers are counting on the expertise of scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg. The researchers have been studying the gliding ability of skis and know how to make ski athletes go like the wind. Prof. Dr. Matthias Scherge, Head of the new Microtrobilogy Center in Karlsruhe, says: The snow, the ski coating and the wax that is applied all unite to form a single entity. We can't alter the snow, but we can adapt both the wax and the coating to suit particular snow conditions. The scientists use a special technique to analyze the friction and gliding effects; they simulate the contact between a single snow crystal and the coating with the aid of a test rig, and then measure the coefficient of friction in relation to temperature. It's the first 10 to 15 nanometers of the coating surface that.........

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Inmates comfortable with diversity

'Ethnicity, Identity and Social Relations in Prison', carried out by Dr. Coretta Philips of the London School of Economics, explored how prisoners' ethnic identities helped them cope with prison life, and whether such identities informed a social pecking order and the formation of gangs. More specifically, it explored the influence of prison practices on prisoner and group identities.

In January 2009 British broadsheets voiced fears of a flourishing gang culture in UK top-security prisons following an inspection report on Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire. By contrast, the LSE research - comprising ethnographic studies conducted in Kent over eight months each at a young offenders' institution and an adult male prison - observed that, superficially at least, there was an acceptance of diversity amongst prisoners, with some welcoming it.

There were no gangs in either institution, and no religious or ethnic pecking order. However, prisoners tended towards same-ethnicity friendships, and formed groups providing physical protection, for sharing, and for access to items such as mobile phones and drugs. Muslim groups encompassing a range of ethnicities were both envied by non-Muslims for their potential for seeking concessions on religious grounds, and disparaged for their solidarity.........

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Judges' rulings are being swayed by campaign contributions

Labor law expert Michael LeRoy says he found evidence that judges' rulings are being swayed by campaign contributions from businesses, based on a new study of more than 200 state court cases. | Photo by L. Brian Stauffer

Photo by
L. Brian Stauffer

A pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling could aggravate the influence of corporate campaign spending that already has skewed justice in some of the nation's courts, a University of Illinois labor law expert warns.

Michael LeRoy says he found evidence that judges' rulings are being swayed by campaign contributions from businesses, based on a newly released study of more than 200 state court cases. The study will appear in the Iowa Law Review.

He predicts justice would tip even more out of balance if the Supreme Court strikes down limits on election spending in a high-stakes challenge to the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reforms Act of 2002, usually known as the McCain-Feingold bill.

The high court's ruling, expected as early as this week, could give corporations, unions and activist groups virtual free rein to run election-time ads for and against candidates, legal analysts say, and lay the groundwork for direct donations to political campaigns.

"It would open up the spigot for judicial contributions and greatly aggravate the problem, further politicizing and polarizing some of these state courts," said LeRoy, a professor of labor and of law.

Debate over the looming court ruling in the case - Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission - has centered largely on how the flood of money would affect presidential and congressional elections. LeRoy says the impact on judicial campaigns is just as worrisome.........

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Lifestyle Traits and Foreclosure Rates

A homeowner's station in life and personal spending beliefs and habits are important indicators of the borrower's potential for home-mortgage default, say scientists in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Business.

"Our research has shown that a borrower's personal traits and behaviors have considerable influence on their willingness and ability to repay a mortgage loan and avoid foreclosure," says Stephanie Rauterkus, Ph.D., UAB assistant professor of finance.

"Traditionally, the industry has focused on default pressures like income, credit scores or loan-to-home-value ratios, but our research has shown that borrowers who may look identical by these traditional measures could have very different default probabilities based on their behavioral characteristics," she says.

The study, Behavioral Determinants of Mortgage Default, was authored by Rauterkus, her husband Andreas Rauterkus, Ph.D., UAB assistant professor of finance, and Grant Thrall, Ph.D., professor of geography at the University of Florida.

The scientists considered a sample of 7,000 mortgages from public records in Jefferson County, Ala. Borrowers were classified into one of 12 so called LifeMode groups, which were based on classifications established by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).........

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Historical Medical Videos from Wellcome Trust

Wellcome Trust has a Youtube channel on which they feature videos from the 20th century including films about surgeries, medical issues and the everyday lives of doctors.

A new digital collection of moving images on 20th-century healthcare and medicine is now online. Over 450 titles – 100 hours of film and video – have been transferred and are freely available under Creative Commons licences.

Here are a few examples:

Cruel Kindness: a 1967 UK educational film about childhood obesity



Acute appendicitis from 1931:



Caesarean section from 1930:



(Hat tip: BoingBoing)

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Things to Do if You Get Sick on Vacation

© Leonid Mamchenkov


Fodor's has some useful tips availabel for what to do if you get sick on a trip.Getting a cold or the flu is bad enough, but when it strikes less than 24 hours before getting on the plane-or worse, while you're flying-panicking won't speed up your recovery. Rather than succumbing to a sneezy fate, take immediate action by following these top five tips en route.Top number one? Check your carry-on along with the rest of your bags so that you don't have to haul around any extra weight. You don't need the stress. Read the other tips

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Satisfied and Well-informed Consumers

Expert consumers like to be surprised by unusual product presentation, while novices crave familiarity, so claims a new Pitt/USC study titled "Smart Subcategories: How Assortment Formats Influence Consumer Learning and Satisfaction," to be reported in the recent issue of "Journal of Consumer Research".

"How can retailers help consumers become more informed about the products they use while also making them happy?" write authors Cait Poynor, Pitt assistant professor of business administration in the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, and Stacy Wood, University of South Carolina professor of marketing. The answer seems to be in organizing products tailored to customers' knowledge levels. Their research indicates that simply organizing a store's existing stock in different ways can improve consumers' learning and their degree of satisfaction.

What works for one consumer may not work for another, however. The authors observed that highly knowledgeable consumers liked being surprised by product formats; conversely, novice consumers had an easier time when familiar with product groupings.

The data was collected from 123 undergraduate students who completed a two-part study as part of their course work. Both parts were carried out online where the presentation of information could be manipulated. The benefit of an online environment is the infinite number of ways Web sites can be organized, says Poynor.........

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Yale Admissions Video

In some ways, you gotta admire Yale for going out on a limb and producing an entire musical admissions video with which to promote the finer elements of their storied institution. On the other hand, you also have to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. Granted, this video still can"t touch the pure brilliance of Appalachia State University"s recruiting efforts (the benchmark for all catchy collegiate tunes), but really, who can?

Nevertheless, this video, titled "That"s Why I Chose Yale," plays sort of like a forgotten number from Enchanted. I half expected Amy Adams to come swirling into frame, crooning "How doooo yoooooou knoooowwww???????" But alas, the best we get is Brian Williams, who thankfully refuses to sing his two cameo lines. As for the rest, well, it"s mainly just a bunch of effete guys with very high voices exalting the many splendors of residential colleges and varied course offerings.

Personally, I like the Dartmouth"s recruiting videos more, which are both conveniently located after the jump....

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Egg Shape Mobile Living Space

This unit, the blob VB3, is mainly made by polyester, and holds all necessary items one could possibly need as bathroom, kitchen, lighting, sleeping space and several niches for storage.

Moreover, the nose can be opened automatically and functions as a porch. While being closed, it blends into a complete smooth blob.

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Epson Artisan 810 Multifunction Printer

For most people space is at a premium and even though they have become household necessities, a computer printer, fax machine, digital scanner and a photocopier take up too much room.

So the answer is the popular, "all-in-one unit", or "multifunction device", as they are now called, but are they as good as separate units?

The latest entry by Epson in this crowded field is their Artisan 810 and it looks like an all around winner.

This puppy does everything, except scan negatives, and is Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectable so check out Epson's Artisan 810 Multifunction Device.

Take a camera with you whenever possible, and look around, you'll find a picture somewhere.

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Getting the Best Prices on Cheap Flights: Book In Advance to Save Money Says Southall Travel

Most people nowadays plan and book their entire vacation online. It is a much easier process that does not involve a middleman like a travel agent and the whole procedure is within your control. You can actually book a vacation even a year in advance and get good deals on the same. Most of the online travel websites even offer a combination package that has both airfare deals as well as cheap hotel deals. You have an option of booking a vacation with your desired time, location, and even budget with the help of Internet.

However you must also do a little bit of research to understand how you can actually grab a good deal. Recently Southall Travel reported how most UK travelers are missing out on cheap flights due to poor booking habits. This is happening since people are booking flights at a shorter notice while you can actually save a lot of money if you book tickets in advance. This is true in case of all flight tickets and also for all destinations. So if you keep this in mind when booking tickets online, you can automatically save a lot of money. Airlines also offer a wide range of offers to their regular customers and usually have loyalty programs for them. If you are a corporate flier, even then you are liable to get a wide range of benefits and discounts. When looking for good deals you can visit the travel websites which will show you the offers from all major airlines and this will make it easier for you to take a decision and buy tickets. ........

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