After just unveiling the Ascend Mate7 last September, it seems that Huawei is gearing up for yet another smartphone launch, at least based on this TENAA sighting and a teaser for the company’s own Weibo account. This time, however, it won’t be much of a big jump as it is a spinoff from the Chinese OEM’s existing Honor 6 smartphone. … Continue reading
It’s not just old rock albums that get remastered when technology moves on: this image of Jupiter’s ice-covered moon, Europa, has just been given a revamp by scientists from NASA.
The self-driving car is still a little way off hitting the mainstream , but when it does it could change the way we travel around our cities. Certainly design consultancy IDEO thinks so, if these concepts are anything to go by.
Life can he hard for the armchair particle physicist, forever knowing that other people have their own Large Hadron Collider and you don’t. Thankfully, the folks at CERN remember what it was like not to have a LHC of their own, which is why the…
Earlier this year at MWC 2014, Microsoft made an appearance, although it was namely to announce new Windows Phone partners. Well for those wondering if Microsoft will be making an appearance at 2015’s MWC, it seems that they will, thanks to a leaked website, Microsoft’s presence at MWC 2015 has been “confirmed”.
Of course we will wait for the official announcement or confirmation, although the idea of Microsoft making their presence felt isn’t such a stretch of the imagination. After all it was earlier this year that the sale of Nokia’s cellphone division to Microsoft was officially completed, not to mention Microsoft had recently made the Lumia brand official by dropping the Nokia name.
Also, let’s not forget that Microsoft’s first official Windows Phone the Lumia 535 was recently announced as well. With that being said, all of this seems to suggest that Microsoft’s presence at MWC 2015 will no longer be just as a company promoting its mobile platform, but as a handset manufacturer.
There have been rumors that Microsoft could very well unveil their flagship Windows Phone handset then which could run on Windows 10 which has been pegged for a release in 2015, but either way it should prove to be an interesting affair, so do check back with us then for the details. In the meantime who’s excited to see what kind of flagship smartphone could Microsoft cook up with them now taking the reigns?
Microsoft Presence At MWC 2015 “Confirmed” , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Sometimes bugs in software exist that never get discovered or fixed, simply because the conditions it takes to produce them are extremely complicated which is why they might have gone unnoticed during testing. A good example was about a little more than a week ago that Microsoft had finally patched a 19-year old Windows bug.
Now that’s just a bug, imagine if it is a piece of malware that has been lurking for many years on end, which is something the folks at Symantec (via The Next Web) have recently discovered. Dubbed Regin, apparently this is a piece of malware that has been present in Windows-based PCs for the past few years.
It was first discovered back in 2008 and went on to 2011 where it infected several organizations’ and individuals’ systems. It then resurfaced in 2013 and according to Symantec, Regin has apparently been designed specifically to remain as inconspicuous as possible, which is why it might explain how the malware has kept such a low profile over the years.
The goal of the malware is to spy on its users and to collect data on them. Unfortunately Symantec has yet to discover how to remove the malware from your system or how you might be able to remove it should you discover it lurking, but according to the company, they believe “that many components of Regin remain undiscovered and additional functionality and versions may exist. Additional analysis continues and Symantec will post any updates on future discoveries”
Symantec Discovers Regin Malware That Has Been Lurking For Years , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
From the 1960s to the early ’70s, Betty White hosted the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We say: Can we bring back this tradition? Take a look at our beloved Betty in action — and in promos (along with her co-host, actor Lorne Greene) — and see if you don’t agree.
On the basis that facing your fear and trying new things keeps you young, Janey Hedge of High50 takes herself to a south London yoga studio on a Monday morning to try naked yoga for the first time. Yoga is about seeing yourself clearly, after all…
Approaching the venue in south London, I berated myself. Why on earth had I volunteered to strip off my clothes in front of people I’d never met before? In broad, pitiless daylight?
Granted, I’ve always been up for to taking myself out of my comfort zone, particularly as middle age traditionally has a tendency towards conservatism. I’ve never wanted to be that typical mumsy type who plays things safe as life rushes by. But this was surely a step too far.
It wasn’t too late to pull out with some feasible-sounding excuse, even at the last minute. I could blame a late-running train, a cold that’d knocked me sideways, even that moody teenager of mine having another of her domestic crises. She surely required my urgent attention at home.
With faltering steps, I persuaded myself to continue, although doubts continued to raise their ugly heads. Why hadn’t I persuaded a girlfriend to come along for moral support?
So Why Won’t You Come To Naked Yoga With Me?
Every female friend to whom I’d mentioned my experiment had recoiled in horror while coming up with a list of random and contradictory preconceptions: they’ll all be super slim and gorgeous; obviously you don’t do yoga naked unless you’re an exhibitionist; all the men will either be leering sex maniacs; it’ll be a hardcore gay thing.
And what about hair? You’ll have to get waxed ‘down there’. Imagine doing the ‘downward facing dog’ position behind somebody with a hairy bum! In other words, my girlfriends thought I was stark raving mad and wouldn’t have joined me even if I’d begged.
The walk had been five minutes of hell, but I’d somehow ended up at the venue. As I waited for the teacher to turn up, other participants arrived. To my relief, the four men looked completely normal. Not a rubber-clad gimp or dirty mac between them.
Nevertheless, I prayed for a woman to make an appearance. At the prospect of four men and me, all nude, I couldn’t help but feel slightly vulnerable.
Personal safety hadn’t been something that had occurred to me, but what if, despite their seeming normalcy, the guys suddenly had a rush of blood to the groin and lunged at me, the lone female?
The Naked Yoga Teacher
The arrival of our teacher, Annette, quickly put my mind at rest. She was so pleasant and calm, so obviously not weird, that I felt churlish for having had doubts. It began to dawn on me that it’s a peculiarly British trait to both fear and mock nudity.
In the downstairs shower room, I took off my clothes and wrapped myself in a sarong. Annette had suggested I bring some if that made me feel more comfortable. They’d also be needed to cover the yoga mat I was borrowing.
Pushing aside squeamish thoughts about hygiene (would anybody leak, break wind, or fanny fart?) I made my way up the stairs to the studio.
Four naked men lay on mats with their eyes closed. Scrunching up my own eyes, because I didn’t want to seem to be gawping at their willies, I hurried to a spot by Annette. Lying down while gripping my sarong close, I stared at the beamed ceiling and attempted to relax.
Indian music was playing gently, subtle-smelling incense was burning, and a fan heater blew warmth into the room. It was 10am on a Monday morning and I was being invited to chill out – bliss.
‘Spread Your Legs Hip-Width Apart’
Annette’s quiet voice instructed us in our practice. “Keep your eyes closed,” she calmly reminded us as we did positions that involved bringing up our legs with knees bent and parted to hip width. I tugged my sarong so it safely covered my exposed groin. “You’re ok, you can do this,” I reassured myself.
We glided through a series of poses until the fateful moment came — it was time to rise from prone to standing. Taking a deep breath, I dropped my sarong to the floor and stood in full, naked glory.
Nothing happened. Nobody rudely stared at my soft belly and no longer pert breasts. Thoughts ran through my mind as my confidence bloomed: I’m 50-plus, I’ve given birth to two children. I am strong and invincible. I am woman!
I hadn’t even realized there was another female in the room, apart from our teacher and me. It was reassuring to see that her body wasn’t perfect either, and nor was Annette’s. We were just people: stripped of our outer trappings, bare as babies and kind of beautiful as a result.
By the time the class drew to a close, I can honestly report that I felt happier in my skin. I’d sneakily peeked at strangers’ nudity and hadn’t been aroused, repelled or shocked. It’s clothes that accentuate sexiness, I thought, because the nude body itself is downright normal, even wholesome.
My fellow yogis agreed. Once we’d got dressed again, I chatted to a couple of them. Colin, 56, told me, “We’re so prudish in this country and regard the human body as indecent or demeaning. But this is a very respectful space where nakedness is an everyday part of life.”
Stephen, 59, said, “You don’t notice anyone else while doing the class; you’re just at one with yourself and looking inwards, not outwards.”
Women’s Body Confidence
Tina, 41, had a different take. “I was glad you were here too, because I didn’t want to be the only woman,” she said. “I think we’re shyer as a gender, less body confident. Did you notice, for example, how none of the men covered themselves while you, Annette and I all did at the start and end of the class?”
“Perhaps there’s more societal pressure on women to have a perfect shape while men are happy to let it all hang out?” I suggested.
“Maybe,” she replied. “But when all’s said and done, the naked body is actually completely banal.”
We all agreed that naked yoga wasn’t something we’d have done as young people, when we had more hang-ups and cared too much what other people thought. “The older you get, the more comfortable you become with who you are,” said Tina.
I went home feeling quietly proud of myself, having faced the challenge and found it exhilarating. I’d even discovered a secret liking for being naked with strangers. What beckons next — pole dancing?!
As to sex, which my friends insisted naked yoga was all about? My husband had hoped it would do wonders for us, but my classmates warned me otherwise.
“You feel on a high immediately afterwards, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into better action in the bedroom,” went the general consensus.
Annette begged to differ, saying, “It puts you in tune with your body, makes you more spontaneous and accepting. In that way, it benefits your sex life, as well as other parts of your life.”
So there’s only one thing for it: practice makes perfect.
(Janey went to a class at Naked Yoga London)
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Earlier on Huff/Post50:
We’ve added two or maybe three states to the marriage equality map this week: Montana, South Carolina, and sort of Kansas. Let’s start with Montana, where a District Court Judge ordered the state to start issuing marriage licenses this week. Montana is the last state in the Ninth Circuit to get the freedom to marry. Attorney General Tim Fox will appeal the ruling, but he’s not seeking a stay, probably because he knows there’s no point, since the Ninth Circuit will definitely uphold this decision, and the Supreme Court won’t review it. Marriage is here to stay in Montana.
And marriages have also started in South Carolina. That’s the last state in the Fourth Circuit to get marriage. Attorney General Alan Wilson had asked the Supreme Court to block marriage, pending an appeal, but they declined. Wilson’s appeal will still go to the Fourth Circuit, but they’ve already overturned marriage bans in neighboring states, so just like in Montana, marriage is there to stay.
Now on to Kansas. This is a tricky one. A District Court judge struck down the state’s ban, and the stay on the ruling expired at the end of last week. Some counties have started issuing marriage licenses. But others haven’t. And state agencies are refusing to honor the licenses that have been issued, since Governor Brownback is appealing the decision. Kansas is in the Tenth Circuit, where the every other court has overturned marriage bans, so they have virtually no chance of stopping marriage. Governor Brownback will lose his appeal, it’s just hard to say when.
A lawsuit in South Dakota is moving ahead. A federal judge there rejected the state’s claim that the 1972 case Baker v. Nelson prevents a federal ruling. Just a few weeks ago, the Sixth Circuit cited Baker as justification for upholding a marriage ban, so it’s a promising sign that the South Dakota judge rejected that argument.
Florida attorney general Pam Bondi has filed appeals in multiple cases to try to stop marriage. Her chances of prevailing are not great. But for now, marriage is still on hold in Florida. In Louisiana, gay couples have asked to skip the Fifth Circuit and go right to the Supreme Court for a ruling. And over in Alabama, the state has cited the work of Mark Regnerus in its latest brief. Regnerus is the author of a discredited study on gay parenting, which a federal Judge in Michigan called “entirely unbelievable and not worthy of serious consideration.” So, good luck with that, Alabama.
And finally, the National Organization for Marriage is not doing well. New tax filings show donations dropped over 50% in 2013, with the group ending the year $2.5 million in debt. NOM has faced large fines over the last year due to campaign finance violations, and donations have dropped sharply since the organization really hasn’t had a major victory in several years.
Yep, it’s that time of the year again. More than just the turkeys and family reunions, a lot of people in the US are looking forward to (or, conversely, dreading) the days that immediately follow as auspicious times to buy those gadgets you’ve been waiting all year to get your hands on. And at reduced prices even! To help you … Continue reading
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