Jul 01
We’ve been keen on Xbox Music
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Jul 01
Smart TV manufacturers subjected to ‘coercive sales tactics’ by Google, says ETNews
Posted in: Today's Chili
Smart TV providers who wish to use HTML5 for their streaming ecosystems have been running into a wall with YouTube, according to Korea’s ETNews. It said Google has insisted TV makers place the app on their systems’ main page and pass a Smart TV “browser conformity test” at its US headquarters, too. As a result, companies like Samsung have had to wait up to three months for YouTube certification. A key part of this allegation is that that TV makers who opted for Mountain View’s Android-based Google TV instead of HTML5 wouldn’t face such problems, but meanwhile, we’ve contacted Google for its take on the matter.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Google
Source: ETNews
Jul 01
A Bitcoin ATM capable of gobbling up currency from over 200 countries and converting it instantly to the virtual currency is expected to hit the public this quarter, potentially shifting Bitcoins themselves into the mainstream. The machine, made by Lamassu, can switch physical to digital cash in fifteen seconds, the manufacturer claims, simply scanning in
Jul 01
Jul 01
Brazil Protests Reach Confederations Cup Final As Demonstrators Clash With Police Outside Rio’s Maracana Stadium
Posted in: Today's ChiliProtesters armed with screwdrivers and slingshots clashed with police near Rio’s legendary Maracana football stadium where Brazil defeated Spain to win a third successive Confederations Cup.
Earlier in the day, thousands of demonstrators marched toward Maracana, most of them peacefully.
“There won’t be a final,” chanted some of them, who earlier released 20 balloons into the sky with a huge poster reading “FIFA, get out.”
But a small group of hooded protesters lit a fire in the street and hurled stones at police who responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets as police helicopters circled overhead.
The demonstrators ran in all directions under a cloud of tear gas but police awaited them at every corner.
“Unfortunately, the incidents were started by demonstrators who hurled makeshift bombs and stones at police,” Henrique Guelber of the Center for the Defense of Human Rights, told the G1 news website.
The demonstrators responded to calls on social media to turn out to back the national squad but also to protest the country’s inadequate public services — a key gripe at the core of two weeks of demonstrations that have rocked the South American giant.
More than 11,000 police and troops were mobilized to ensure security for 78,000 fans at the Maracana arena.
The hosts’ victory thrilled the partisan crowd, most of whom wore the Selecao’s green and yellow jersey.
The tournament was hit by unprecedented social unrest, with more than 1.5 million Brazilians taking to the streets nationwide over the past two weeks.
“We are against the privatization of the stadium and forced housing displacement, linked to the 2014 World Cup and the (2016 Rio summer) Olympics,” said Renato Cosentino, a spokesman for one of the groups sponsoring Saturday’s protest.
Hundreds of demonstrators also rallied in the Tijuca district, about one mile from Maracana, dancing and chanting: “FIFA, pay my (bus) fare” or “Maracana is ours.”
“I am here in an act of patriotism, for more education, health, transport — and less football,” said 69-year-old Nelson Couto, wearing the green and yellow colors of the Brazilian flag.
Police invited the country’s Bar Association as well as federal and state prosecutors to monitor their security deployment following charges of police brutality during earlier protests.
“Stop the genocide of Indians” or “political asylum for (WikiLeaks chief Julian) Assange,” read some of their placards held by the demonstrators.
Despite the festive atmosphere, many Brazilians are angry at the $15 billion being spent to host the tournament and next year’s World Cup.
Protesters complain the government has found billions of dollars to build brand new stadiums for 12 World Cup host stadiums while transport, education and health remain underfunded.
Some of the demonstrations have been marred by sporadic violence and vandalism.
Leftist President Dilma Rousseff, whose popularity has plunged since the start of the unrest, did not attend the final.
Two weeks ago, she and FIFA President Sepp Blatter were booed by demonstrators at the opening game of the tournament in Brasilia.
The mass protests, which appear to tapering off this week, were the largest in Rio where they brought 300,000 people into the streets Sunday on June 20, when they degenerated into violence, looting and scenes of urban guerrilla warfare.
Despite the social turmoil, which began in Sao Paulo in early June over the rising cost of public transport, polls show more than two-thirds of Brazilians support their country hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1950.
Brazil is the most successful country in World Cup history, with five wins.
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Jul 01
Troy Thompson, Aspiring Clothing Designer, Homemade Mask Recipe For Tightening Pores
Posted in: Today's ChiliIt was a scorcher when we spotted Troy Thompson and her brightly colored turban just steps away from one of our favorite lunch spots. We loved how the aspiring clothing designer kept her strands protected from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
“I’m really into different prints, and power clashing really describes my personality. This was a fabric that was $4 a yard and I just bought one yard,” said Thompson. “I get tired of wearing the wrap the same way, so I do whatever looks good — put it on and start tucking.”
Thompson’s head wrap styling is pretty impressive, but what really blew our minds was her flawless skin. Her secret: a homemade mask recipe made with turmeric, avocado and a little yogurt.
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Jul 01
WASHINGTON — Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) hinted Monday morning that she might be interested in running for governor.
After the senator’s 11-hour filibuster over abortion rights last week made her a national hero and an instant icon for women’s rights in Texas, speculation has been rampant over her next move. It could be a run for governor: Davis told NBC News Monday that she is taking a “second look” at the 2014 gubernatorial race.
Davis’ stand last week helped — at least temporarily — defeat an abortion bill that would have closed down all but five abortion clinics across Texas and severely curtailed access to the services. That bill followed a law that passed out of the last legislative session, requiring women to get a sonogram before having an abortion. Davis galvanized voters not just with her filibuster but with her own personal story of raising two children as a single mother. Gov. Rick Perry (R) used her background to attack her.
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Jul 01
Jul 01
Last week, Microsoft‘s product planning manager Albert Penello called the next-generation console specs “meaningless,” saying that the games will be the ultimate deciding factor on which console is better. However, it seems many critics took Penello’s words harshly and thought that Penello was bashing the PS4. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with downplaying the competition,
Jul 01
Germany: NSA Spying Is Unacceptable ‘Cold War’ Behavior, Doesn’t Help U.S.-EU Trade Deal
Posted in: Today's ChiliBy Stephen Brown and Annika Breidthardt
BERLIN, July 1 (Reuters) – Germany said on Monday if media reports of large-scale U.S. spying on the European Union were confirmed, it would be unacceptable Cold War-style behaviour between partners who require trust to forge a new transatlantic trade area.
“If it is confirmed that diplomatic representations of the European Union and individual European countries have been spied upon, we will clearly say that bugging friends is unacceptable,” said Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert.
“We are no longer in the Cold War,” he said.
Berlin felt surprised and “alienated” by the reports and had conveyed this to the White House and Merkel would speak to U.S. President Barack Obama directly about the issue soon, he said.
Fury among America’s allies over former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations of secret surveillance programmes were exacerbated this weekend by a German magazine report that the NSA had tapped communications at EU offices in Washington, Brussels and at the United Nations.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said most governments use “lots of activities” to defend their interests.
According to Der Spiegel, the NSA taps half a billion phone calls, emails and text messages in Germany in a typical month, much more than any other European peer.
The European Union has demanded an explanation and Germany’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the U.S. ambassador to discuss the revelations later on Monday, officials said.
EU politicians say talks between Brussels and Washington about creating the world’s biggest free-trade area could even be at risk. Germany wants such a deal, which would foster growth and job creation on both sides of the Atlantic, Seibert said.
But he added that “mutual trust is necessary in order to come to an agreement. We must negotiate on the agreement in an atmosphere of trust and on a level playing field and that is the atmosphere that needs to be created.”
Seibert brushed aside a suggestion by the opposition Greens that the EU should provide a safe haven for Snowden.
Juergen Trittin, parliamentary leader of Germany’s third biggest party, said 30-year-old Snowden “should get safe haven here in Europe because he has done us a service by revealing a massive attack on European citizens and companies”.
(Additional reporting by Michelle Martin and Gernot Heller; Writing by Stephen Brown; Editing by Alison Williams)
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