Bill Foster, Tahoe Ski Patroller, Dies In Avalanche

SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ A second avalanche death was reported at a Lake Tahoe-area ski resort Tuesday as heavy snow continued to fall in the Sierra Nevada and cold rain drenched the Sacramento Valley late Christmas Day.

Bill Foster, 53, a veteran member of the Alpine Meadows ski patrol team, died at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno after being caught in an intentionally triggered avalanche Monday, the ski area said in a news release.

“Bill … was one of Alpine Meadows’ very best and most experienced professional ski patrollers,” with 28 years on the job, the ski resort’s statement said.

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AT&T to update Samsung Galaxy Note II with Multi-Window tomorrow

AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II

Most US models of the Samsung Galaxy Note II have already been updated with Multi-Window — a split-screen feature that allows users to view two apps at once — but AT&T is the last of the four national powers that hasn’t pushed the feature out to its customers. That will change tomorrow, as AT&T has confirmed to us in an email that it will roll out the new build over the air at some point during the day. We’re happy that users won’t have to rely on Samsung’s proprietary Kies desktop software to update their devices, but minor downloads like this are typically facilitated OTA. There’s no word on if the ROM will be pushed out in phases to minimalize the impact on AT&T’s servers, but don’t be terribly worried if you don’t get notified right away. Continue below to read the carrier’s official statement on the matter.

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Mark Cuban reveals gadget stash: Nokia Windows Phone, iPhone 5, Acer notebook

The last time we spoke about a celebrity-like person working with a one certain kind of gadget or another, it was Kate Beckinsale with her LG flip-phone used during Total Recall – now it’s time to speak about Mark Cuban’s choices, starting with “the new Nokia with Windows” (aka the Nokia Lumia 920). Though the serial entrepreneur didn’t specifically mention the 920 by name, his several mentions of the hero devices from each series of smartphone – the iPhone 5, he Samsung Galaxy [S III] – make the 920 a rather safe bet.

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Perhaps interesting beyond the idea that Cuban uses an Nokia Windows Phone device is the fact that he states how “it crushes the IPhone 5 [sic]. not even close.” The forum in which these comments spewed forth was a thread controlled by Cuban on the content sharing website Reddit – part of a series in which well-known or otherwise famous people are asked to speak to the users of the website in a very basic text-based thread of messages. This series of threads is called AMA or “Ask Me Anything” and resulted in the following questions and answers surrounding Cuban’s gadget use:

“1) When you buy something on Amazon or something, do you ever look at the prices? Or do you just buy whatever looks good and have it ship overnight?

2) Let’s say that you’re looking for a new mp3 player and earbuds and can’t decide which to buy, do you just buy whatever one you think is best? Or do you just go “fuck this, I’m a billionaire, and I’ll just buy everything & throw away the rest”

3) Speaking of which, what kind of laptop do you own? And mp3 player? Are they customized or are they whatever is on the market?” – ashton90

“1. i always look at the prices. And I belong to Prime to get better rates

2. I buy the one i like. I dont throw s*** away like that

3. I have a MacBook Air, but am trying the new Acer with Windows 8. I really, really like Windows 8 on my phone. I have 2 phones. first is samsung the 2nd was an Iphone5. THe new Nokia with windows replaced my Iphone 5″ – M.Cuban

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The devices Cuban is speaking about can be found in SlashGear’s own series of reviews – these are, of course, not guaranteed to be perfect matches to what Cuban is speaking about because of his relatively general naming structure, but let’s give it a whack anyway! First he’s working with a MacBook Air 13-inch (mid-2012), then a fabulous new Acer Aspire S7 with Windows 8 and a full touchscreen interface. He had the Apple iPhone 5 and what we must assume was the Samsung Galaxy S III with Android.

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For the Nokia Lumia device we’ve got several possibilities, even though we assume he’s speaking about the 920. He could also be speaking about the Nokia Lumia 810 from T-Mobile or the Nokia Lumia 822 from Verizon, both of them extremely similar to the most powerful of the Windows Phone 8 generation from Nokia, the Nokia Lumia 920. Have a peek at the whole lot!


Mark Cuban reveals gadget stash: Nokia Windows Phone, iPhone 5, Acer notebook is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In Memoriam: Photographers Who Died In 2012

In the universe of serious, meaningful photography, the chance to honor the lives and careers of peers, colleagues and, occasionally, heroes in an end-of-year “those we lost” tribute comes with a grim, one-time-only satisfaction: namely, the opportunity to see, in one place, the work of photographers who would otherwise never, ever be shown together.

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Kourtney Kardashian Life & Style Cover Photo 3 Years Old

This week’s cover of Life & Style magazine features Kourtney Kardashian in a bikini, revealing how she got her figure back. However, the image accompanying the article is almost three years old, taken after the birth of Kardashian’s first baby. If you want to see what the actress looks like in a bikini now, after baby No. 2, you will have to wait for next week’s cover of Us Weekly to hit newsstands.

“That bikini shoot is almost 3 years old after my first baby. For the real reveal after baby #2 check out next week’s issue of US ‪@usweekly!” Kardashian tweeted on Wednesday.

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John Boehner: Fiscal Cliff Problem Requires Senate To ‘Act First’

WASHINGTON, Dec 26 (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday urged the Senate to pass its version of legislation to avert the “fiscal cliff,” in a sign that congressional efforts to avoid a budget crisis are coming back to life days ahead of the year-end deadline.

In a statement issued by Boehner and his top lieutenants, the Republican leadership team said “the Senate must act first” to revive efforts to avert the $600 billion in automatic tax hikes and spending cuts due to be triggered on Jan. 1.

They promised that the House would weigh whatever legislation the Senate produced.

Last week, Boehner’s back-up plan to keep most income tax rates low collapsed amid opposition from fellow Republicans who opposed raising taxes on those making more than $1 million a year.

The failed effort left uncertainty about what the next steps would be in avoiding the “fiscal cliff,” which economists have warned could hobble the U.S. economy and lead to another recession.

The Republican leaders added that if the Senate sent the House new “fiscal cliff” legislation, “The House will then consider whether to accept the bills … or to send them back to the Senate with additional amendments. The House will take this action on whatever the Senate can pass, but the Senate first must act.”

“The lines of communication remain open,” the leaders said, borrowing the same characterization they used for Boehner’s ultimately unsuccessful talks with President Barack Obama over the past month.

The House Republican leaders argued that it was the Senate’s turn to come up with a legislative solution because the House had produced two bills earlier this year to avert the “fiscal cliff.” One would have continued the Bush-era’s low income tax rates for another year, despite strong Democratic opposition to continuing the tax break for household incomes above $250,000.

Another bill would have replaced $109 billion in automatic spending cuts due to begin next month by stopping all of the planned military cuts and placing the entire burden on domestic activities, including some social safety net programs funded by the federal government.

Those bills were passed by House Republicans knowing they would be stopped in the Democratic-controlled Senate, which is insisting on raising tax revenues to help reduce the federal deficit.

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Amy D. Waterman, Ph.D.: The Beginning

Our float’s central image, two intertwined hearts, will stand above us: a beacon of what is good and hopeful about humanity. We begin again, as we must, standing strong against pain, loss and resignation.
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Bill Lucey: Nick Swisher Prepares to Return to the Buckeye State

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Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, even in Ohio.

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Sarah Dajani: Christmas Souks in Amman: Discovering the City’s Winter Spirit

I found Amman’s holiday spirit in its sense of community and entrepreneurship — inspiring, charming and uncompromisingly diligent — and the sense of giving, whether through art, music or food.
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Wait, It’s Too Late To Ask For This Awesome Butcher Block?

Brooklyn Butcher Blocks are custom pieces for your kitchen that are absolutely gorgeous. This walnut model is no exception. I want to possess it utterly. More »