Jan 01
Jan 01
Jan 01
Next year could be a very good year for watching comets. A comet was discovered this past September that is expected to fly within 1.2 million miles of the center of the Sun on November 28, 2013. If things go well, as the comet approaches the Sun, its heat will begin to vaporize the ice in the comet’s body creating a spectacular show in the heavens.
Comet ISON comes from the Oort Cloud, which is a cluster of frozen rock and ice that circles the Sun about 50,000 times further away than Earth’s orbit. Every so often material from this cloud breaks free and begins a long trip towards the Sun. Astronomers say that ISON’s path is very similar to a comet that passed the Earth in 1680 that was reported to be so bright it could be seen in daylight.
However, there is a chance that the comet might not survive its brush with the Sun. According to NASA, the comet could break apart as it nears the Sun or fail to produce the tail of particles we hope will be visible from the Earth. If that happens, legions of skywatchers around the world will be sorely disappointed.
Assuming the comet survives, researchers believe that ISON would be visible in the nighttime and early morning sky with the naked eye between October 2013 and January 2014.
[via Reuters]
Jan 01
Your 2013 New Year’s Eve celebrations are probably over, but if you want to add some pizzazz to your next party 364 days from now, grab a set of these special champagne flutes that feature a laser-etched sparkling point on the bottom producing a non-stop stream of bubbles. More »
Jan 01
Letters To Our Ancestors: An Introduction To 150th Anniversary Of The Emancipation Proclamation Project
Posted in: Today's ChiliOne hundred and fifty years ago today, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. In celebration of this milestone in American history and the impact it had both on the nation and the Black community, we’ve decided to do something a little special.
Letters To Our Ancestors is an anthology of heartfelt letters to those who came before us on this day of remembrance and celebration. We’ve asked leading Black community members to share their own words of gratitude, mourning (and sometimes apology) to that generation of brave souls who embarked into a new world after hundreds of years of subjugation.
Below, you’ll find letters from all walks of life. Read through them and share your own letter in the comments section. We’ll be highlighting your comments and thoughts throughout the day.
Read More…
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Jan 01
iOS Do Not Disturb bug gives some users the gift of silence on New Year’s Day (update: horribly timed video)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
If you’re running iOS 6, your smartphone, media player or tablet may be taking a bit longer than usual to shake that post-party hangover. Users are reporting that the latest Apple OS’ Do Not Disturb feature remains engaged even after its scheduled period has ended, with the misstep linked to January 1st. As you can see in the screenshot above, the feature fails to flip off automatically, as confirmed by the crescent icon beside the current time — adjusting the date does seem to offer a temporary fix. When enabled, Do Not Disturb flips the device to silent mode, so you’ll need to keep an eye on the screen in order to catch phone calls, text messages and other notifications. The tool does not disable alarms set through the native Clock app, however.
There doesn’t appear to be an official fix available, but if you’re experiencing this issue, you can cancel that last-minute Genius Bar appointment — Apple reps aren’t likely to have a solution just yet. And, if you’ve been trying to reach an iPhone owner without success, expect a call back only once they’ve had a chance to check their device. New Year’s bugs seem to be an annual tradition at Apple — the alarm is a frequent target, and while this is the first year for an extended DND, the feature just launched in late 2012 with iOS 6.
[Thanks, Martyn]
Update: So, apparently Apple didn’t get the memo. Cupertino’s latest iPhone 5 ad, titled “Dream” and embedded after the break, transports you to the wonderful world of Do Not Disturb. Venus and Serena Williams are playing ping-pong and everything is white. So fun. And when was the ad first released? Just this morning. Didn’t you get the notification?
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Jan 01
Happy new year and congratulations go out to Hugh Hefner and his new wife, Crystal Harris.
Apparently second time’s a charm for the couple who were originally set to marry in June 2011, before Harris called off the couple’s nuptials at the last minute.
According to TMZ, 26-year-old Harris and 86-year-old Hefner tied the knot at the Playboy Mansion before the Lothario’s annual New Year’s Eve party.
Jan 01
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Gunmen in northwest Pakistan killed five female teachers and two aid workers on Tuesday in an ambush on a van carrying workers home from their jobs at a community center, officials said.
The attack was another reminder of the risks to women educators and aid workers from Islamic militants who oppose their work. It was in the same conservative province where militants shot and seriously wounded 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai, an outspoken young activist for girls’ education, in October.
Jan 01
Renault‘s first Alpine sports car will arrive before the end of 2015 the company says, as much as two years ahead of the initial schedule, and promising a driving experience roughly in line with a Mazda Miata. The project – a joint effort between Renault and Caterham announced back in November – will not “betray the DNA of Alpine” Renault marketing chief Stephen Norman told Autocar, saying that the car “must be light and look different, and have a touch of French dash.”
Think serious driver’s car yet without too much compromise or discomfort, however. “It won’t be more hardcore than a Mazda MX-5 [Miata]” Norman said. “What we do will not be soft, but not hardcore like a Peugeot 106 Rallye.” Under the hood will be a roughly 250bhp Renault engine.
Alpine interest surged back in 2012, when Renault revealed the A110-50 concept, a fiftieth-anniversary rethink of the original A110 that proved its merit on an aurally-pleasing lap of the French Alps. The new Renault/Caterham Alpine may not be quite so extreme, however; Norman says it will be priced at under £50,000 ($81,000) and be positioned as a Porsche Boxster or Audi TT rival.
“It’s not a car for dandies, though” Norman says. “We know who the buyer is: he’s either French or a Francophile. And the car has technical innovation as part of its DNA.”
The first Alpine model is unlikely to have the garage to itself for long. “Renault and Caterham will combine their skills to build models in large and small volumes” the two companies said back when the project was revealed.
Renault Alpine on road by 2015 with Miata-style driving focus is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Jan 01
10 Most Memorable Animals Of 2012
Posted in: Today's ChiliFrom Vetstreet’s Shayna Meliker:
Maybe it’s just us, but 2012 seemed like a great year to be a celebrity animal. From sour-faced kitties to dogs who backflipped their way to Vegas, amazing pets dominated our TV screens, bookshelves and Internet memes.
We caught up with the year’s most buzzed-about pets to get the inside scoop on how they’re wrapping up the year — and what 2013 may have in store for them.
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