Hasta La Gadget!

We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol’ Federal Communications Commission’s site. Since we couldn’t possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we’ve gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy!

Continue reading FCC Fridays: June 29, 2012

FCC Fridays: June 29, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A little-discussed ramification of Thursday’s landmark Supreme Court health care decision is that it could make things harder for the nation’s heaviest workers.

The decision upholding the Affordable Care Act has cleared the way for a planned increase in the penalties that employers can impose on workers who don’t participate in company wellness programs and, in some cases, who don’t meet certain health targets such as an appropriate body mass index. In other words, the obese may wind up paying penalties for being overweight. Smokers, too, may get hit.

The language of the penalties under corporate health plans is often written in terms of “incentives,” where the “absence of a surcharge” on health care premiums is an “incentive” for employees to agree to take part in a wellness program. Read another way, that means workers who don’t agree to participate have to pay a fine. President Barack Obama’s health care law raises the limit on how high a penalty employers can set to “incentivize” participation in the programs, which typically consist of health risk assessments (often including blood tests), fitness classes, disease management plans and nutrition education.

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Some parents need a serious timeout. No negotiation, no bargaining, no giving in. Off you go to be by yourselves and think about what you’ve done.
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It seems there is a great dichotomy when it comes to money for college. On one hand, parents want what’s best for their children, but then they encourage them to make poor financial choices when selecting colleges.
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Do you love RX-78 Gundam? Then the Grand Pacific Le Daiba hotel in Minato Ward, Tokyo has a place for you. That’s because beginning today, the hotel now offers rooms with interior decorations featuring the characters from the “Mobile Suit Gundam” animated series. The Gundam-themed rooms, dubbed as “Project Room G” features illustrations of the characters on the walls as well as other cool Gundam-themed furnishings and ornaments. It’s the place to be for Gundam and robot lovers alike.

Room rates are expected to cost ¥27,000 per night or roughly $340 based on today’s exchange rate. The Pacific Le Daiba hotel reportedly spent 10 million yen ($125,000) to set up the Gundam-themed rooms. Of course, this is nothing new in Japan. After all, Gundam is the brainchild of a Japanese animator named Yoshiyuki Tomino. In April in year, Gundam Front Tokyo installed a huge, life-sized Gundam statue as well as a museum, all in the honor of Gundam. The Grand Pacific Le Daiba hotel hopes that its Gundam-themed hotel will appeal to all Gundam lovers out there. So, could this be your ideal hotel for the weekend?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Lego Eva Gundam: I want!, Gundam Video on Demand hits North America,