How Junk Science Sent Claude Garrett to Prison For Life

JUST BEFORE DAWN, on the unseasonably warm morning of February 24, 1992, a small house caught fire in Old Hickory, Tennessee, a few miles northeast of Nashville. The one-story cinderblock home, located at 114 Broadway Street, in a low-income neighborhood called Hopewell, was shared by 35-year-old Claude Francis Garrett and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Lorie Lee Lance. Claude did construction jobs, and Lorie waited tables at the Uno’s Pizzeria while going to school part time. As the fire tore through the living room, devouring the furniture, smoke and flames rose rapidly behind the front windows, then burst through the door. Across the street, a dog started barking.

Daily Roundup: Pebble Time, GTA V delays and more!

In today’s Daily Roundup, Pebble turns to Kickstarter to announce its new watch. Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto V on the PC has been delayed again, Google is working on a new Chromebook Pixel and Apple’s latest iOS and OS X betas include more diverse em…

Telltale Games and Lionsgate are working on a 'Super Show' TV series

Telltale Games has created quite the following with episodic titles like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. Now, with the help of Lionsgate, the studio is looking to tackle a televisions series with a similar approach: a game/show hybrid the studi…

Pebble Time Smashes Through $6.5M On Kickstarter In Half A Day

time Early this morning, we noted that the Pebble Time — Pebble’s new color e-ink smartwatch — had smashed through its $500,000 goal in an absolutely preposterous seventeen minutes. We don’t generally do play-by-play updates on Kickstarter campaigns, but this one is a bit too crazy not to note. The Pebble train just won’t stop. Nine hours after the launch of the… Read More

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet Will Be Shown Off On The 3rd Of March

xperia z4 tabletAfter launching the Xperia Z3 Tablet last year, we can only imagine that Sony might have new tablet in the works, and sure enough according to Sony’s very own Xperia Lounge application, the Xperia Z4 Tablet has been revealed. The folks at Xperia Blog managed to grab a screenshot of the app, which you can see to your right, that shows that the tablet will be announced on the 3rd of March.

Sony has no formal press event at MWC 2015 which seems to corroborate the rumors that the company might not have any major announcements. The company will be at the event although the rumors are claiming that we might simply be looking at a booth rather than a full blown press event, so the 3rd of March certainly falls inside the MWC timeframe.

Not much is known about the upcoming Xperia Z4 Tablet at the moment, although Sony’s description suggests that we can look forward to a 2K display along with an “ultra fast” processor, although the exact make and model is still a mystery. Late last year we had heard rumors of the upcoming tablet.

The rumors suggested a 12.9-inch display with a 3840×2400 resolution. It was also rumored to be powered by the Snapdragon 810 chipset, the latest from Qualcomm, and would come with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. Some of the specs are a bit suspect so take it with a grain of salt for now, but do check back with us next week where hopefully we will have more info for you guys.

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet Will Be Shown Off On The 3rd Of March , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Could Face Supply Constraints At The Start [Rumor]

Samsung-Galaxy-S6-Sprint-Teaser-620x215If the rumors are to be believed, we could be looking at the Samsung Galaxy S6 being released in April. Unfortunately it seems that new rumors have surfaced which suggests that while the phone could be released in April, availability of it might be a bit scarce. According to sources of ArsTechnica, they have been tipped off that the upcoming curved Samsung Galaxy S6 could be face shortages at the start.

It seems that Samsung is experiencing some yield issues for the curved display, meaning that while the phones might be available for purchase, the low inventory would lead to customers either having to wait long periods for their order, or will see them walk away without a new phone due to the lack of stock.

ArsTechnica’s sources have also informed them that Samsung will asking for quite a lot for their new phones. Their source claims that the 64GB curved Galaxy S6 is expected to retail for a whopping $1,076, while the 64GB non-curved model will go for $963. We have to say that these prices are definitely a lot higher than what Samsung has been charging, but perhaps the new materials and displays could be the reason why.

In any case these reports should be taken with a grain of salt for now, but Samsung is expected to unveil their new handset (or handsets) on the 1st of March, so check back with us then for more info. In the meantime are the rumored prices a bit of a put off for some of you guys? Or would you be more than happy to pay that much for the Galaxy S6?

Samsung Galaxy S6 Could Face Supply Constraints At The Start [Rumor] , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Apple & Google Dominate Worldwide Smartphone Market At 96%

idc 2014If you’ve ever wondered why app developers tend to release for either iOS or Android, or maybe both, it is because these two platforms are the largest at the moment, and a recent report from the IDC seems to confirm that. According to the IDC, they found that in 2014, Apple and Google’s combined market share was sitting at the 96% mark.

This is the combination of Google’s market share which is at a staggering 81.5% and Apple’s 14.8%. The remaining platforms from Microsoft and BlackBerry accounted for 2.7% and 0.4% respectively. Now it is clear that Google’s Android platform is in the lead, but the IDC claims that despite Google’s lead, Apple is said to be raking in 90% of the industry’s profits all the same.

According to IDC research manager Ramon Llamas, “Many of the same drivers were in play for Android and iOS to tighten their grip on the market. A combination of strong end-user demand, refreshed product portfolios, and the availability of low-cost devices – particularly for Android – drove volumes higher.”

This isn’t to say that other platforms are performing badly, in fact Microsoft’s Windows Phone lineup has a couple of hits too, like the Lumia 520 which topped carrier charts and was found to be the most popular Windows Phone handset around the world.

Apple & Google Dominate Worldwide Smartphone Market At 96% , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Two Ex-Army Rangers Believe Flip Flops And Sarongs Will Defeat ISIS

I recently met two ex-Army Rangers in a bar, and got onto the topic of the war against ISIS. They told me they knew the solution: flip flops. I scoffed, which probably isn’t something you should do to an Army Ranger’s face. And they put me in my place.

Read more…



Highly Skilled Immigrant Spouses Can Soon Work In U.S.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — When Neha Mahajan’s husband got a job transfer from New Delhi to New Jersey, she was excited to come along. But the thrill faded when the television reporter realized there was no way she could get a job in the United States because immigration rules barred her from working.

Over six years, she became deeply frustrated. That changed Tuesday when the Obama administration announced a visa rule revision that will let spouses of some highly skilled immigrants apply to work in the United States starting this year.

“This rule has come as a big, big relief to me,” Mahajan said during a press call organized by immigration reform activists. “I can finally dream of being myself.”

Leon Rodriguez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the change will encourage more highly skilled workers to come to the United States on H-1B visas and apply for green cards to stay here. He said attracting those workers — and their spouses — will give a boost to America’s economy.

“They are, in many cases, in their own right highly skilled workers,” Rodriguez told reporters, adding that many families struggled financially when a spouse couldn’t work, and in some cases returned to their country.

Employers can hire foreign workers under H-1B visas after proving there are no qualified candidates available in the U.S. Each year about 85,000 are issued, mostly in tech firms.

Until now, their spouses have been issued a different H-4 visa which made them ineligible to get a Social Security number. They simply couldn’t legally earn any money.

“This is a long-awaited change that will do nothing but good for all,” said Austin, Texas, immigration attorney Daniel Kowalski. “H-4 spouses will benefit, putting their skills to productive use, and easing the stress on families previously burdened by having one talented spouse sidelined. There is no downside.”

The Obama administration announced plans to make the change last May. The government estimates as many as 179,000 spouses could apply for work permits in the first year, and another 55,000 each year after. Applications will be accepted starting May 26.

The announcement comes as the Obama administration battles with Republicans over plans for more expansive immigration measures that could allow 4 million immigrants in the country illegally to seek work permits and protection from deportation.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the measures, and the Obama administration has since appealed.

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Taxin reported from Tustin, California.

My Night Out: Looking for Love At 'Honeymoon In Vegas'

Broadway’s Honeymoon in Vegas has the electricity of the city after which it is titled. Rob McClure’s giddy slapstick humor as Jack Singer is contagious, and Tony Danza as Tommy Korman is just well… he’s Tony Danza! The female lead Brynn O’Malley takes on the role of the irresistible Betsy Nolan, and she perfectly plays the part of the girl next door sandwiched between these two men vying for her affection.

The show centers around Betsy and Jack’s relationship, which is threatened when Tommy swoops in determined to sweep her off her feet with a better life. In that “better” life, Tommy goes to lengths to plays the part of the perfect man — well, perfectly — and Betsy starts to get swept away. The show continues on from there, with the fourth star of the show (which shines just as bright as the others) being the theme of love.

Love, and what we will do for love, is pervasive throughout the show. There’s definitely some irony to the show being set in the city of sin (not exactly where you expect to find true love!).

And Tommy does what many of us do at one point in our lives — tries to become the person that he thinks Betsy wants him to be. But I think, and I bet most of you would agree, that finding love should be about being who you truly are (with all your imperfections) and not about trying to “win” someone. Why’s that? Because I don’t believe that love can be won, and we also never really know what someone will love about us until it happens. So the very thing that you are trying to hide about yourself might actually be the thing that the other person is the most attracted to.

I left the show with my friend (no … we didn’t pick up any men in the theater despite the fact that love was in the air) feeling just a little freer to be who I am. I smiled hello to the first person I saw on the street outside the theater and was greeted with a shake of the head and “are you going to walk or what?” Totally imperfect, totally New York. But knowing that someone is comfortable being who they truly are — imperfections and all — is more attractive than any suave, smooth-talking, well-dressed Tony Danza any day. No offense Tony.