May 20

Acer Shows Off A New 13.3-Inch Mobile Notebook

Posted in: Today's Chili

Acer-Aspire-V3-371-N34D_W

Acer has showed off a new 13.3-inch mobile notebook ‘Aspire V3-371-N34D/W’ to its range. Available in steel gray and platinum white color options, this entry-level notebook is equipped with a 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 LED-backlight non-glossy display, a 1.70GHz Intel Core i3-4005U processor, an Intel HD Graphics 4400, a 4GB DDR3 RAM and a 500GB 5400rpm hard drive.

Measuring 19.65mm thick and weighing 1.5kg, the system is built with Acer’s CrystalEye HD webcam, an SD card reader, 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x USB 3.0 port, an HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet and a 3315mAh battery. Running on Windows 8.1 64-bit OS, the Aspire V3-371-N34D/W provides WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 for connectivity.

The Acer Aspire V3-371-N34D/W will be available from June 4th for around 70,000 Yen (about $578). [Product Page]

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May 20

A New Line Of USB 3.1 Portable SSDs From Super Talent Technology

Posted in: Today's Chili

USB-3.1-Portable-RAIDDrive

Super Talent Technology hits back by announcing their newest line of USB 3.1 portable SSDs, the USB 3.1 Portable RAIDDrive. Available in sizes up to 1TB, these pocket sized SSDs consist of two M.2 SSDs within the enclosure that are set up in RAID 0 configuration and comes equipped with a USB 3.1 connection interface (it is also backwards compatible with USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports).

Performance-wise, the Portable RAIDDrive SSDs can deliver read and write speeds of up to 750 MB/s and 700 MB/s, transferring large files around such as media content only take a matter of seconds.

The USB 3.1 Portable RAIDDrive will be showcased at Computex in Taipei, Taiwan June 2-6 in the Nangang Convention Center at Booth J1211. Prices unannounced yet. [Press Release]

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May 20

Swedish Badass Ralph Persson Scares Off Charging Bear

Posted in: Today's Chili

Turns out the bear is just a big chicken.

A Swedish man who was outside training his beagle managed to scare off a charging Scandinavian brown bear using nothing more than an intimidating roar — and the short encounter was caught on video by both himself and his wife, Lena.

“I screamed all I could,” Ralph Persson told the local Hela Halsingland newspaper.

Persson said he was in the forests of Jamtland when he noticed the dog signaling danger. They spotted the bear and began filming it, and that’s when the animal came charging out of the trees.

With just seconds to react, Persson managed to keep cool and make himself as large, loud and intimidating as possible, as the video shows.

“To lie down and play dead, I do not believe in that,” Persson said, noting that he’s seen cranes scare off bears.

Persson, who is also a hunter, said he thinks the bear was just telling him he got too close while filming.

“This time, I went over the limit,” he told the newspaper. “You have to have respect for the animals.”

The right action to take in a bear encounter will depend on the type of bear and situation. Before venturing out into bear country, be sure to take the time to learn about the animals you may encounter and how to react in a way that will minimize your risk of getting killed and eaten.

The National Park Service has some bear basics here.

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May 20

Remember the Old Days When Bad Guys Robbed Banks?

Posted in: Today's Chili

It used to be that bad guys, called bank robbers, robbed banks. Now the banks are robbing us. Authorities just fined five of the world’s largest global banks $5.7 billion for rigging benchmark interest rates. This brings the tally of fines assessed seven top banks in Europe and the US to roughly $10 billion.

That’s not all

The relationship between businesses and customers is based on trust. How can anyone trust the banks and credit card companies after it was revealed in 2012 that the Libor rate was rigged? Shortly thereafter, we’re told that credit card companies and many of the largest banks were guilty of price-fixing credit card transaction fees. And, then we learned that JP Morgan Chase’s hedge fund losses, originally estimated at $2 billion, are now thought to approach $9 billion. These revelations come too soon after the financial crisis that has been estimated to cost US households $17 trillion in losses – roughly $100,000 per household.

Everyone is still rattled from the financial meltdown

As if a loss of $17 trillion of wealth is not enough, everyone is still shook up because the world economy is shaky, Europe is having serious problems, and even China’s economy has continued to slowdown as a result of a diminishing worldwide demand. The banks and credit card companies should understand that we need honesty, transparency and stability from them – not reports of rigging, price-fixing, or more risky behavior.

Politicians make matters worse

You might think that politicians might do something to help fix the situation. It seems as if too many of them are doing the opposite – calling for more deregulation when experts believe that is what got us into this mess in the first place. The fox has been guarding the hen house, and the hens, most of the American pubic, are getting eaten alive. At least one of them could be chicken little’s mom.

The most stable of all the big banks

Prior to its reported loss of $2 million from one risky hedge trade, JP Morgan Chase was considered to be the most stable of the big banks. That’s what scares most people. If the most stable of the big banks engaged in this risky behavior, what are the others doing? Meanwhile, after estimates of its loses from a hedge trade gone bad grew to $7 billion, with some estimates going as high as $9 billion, you have to wonder why the CEO is taking such an aggressive stance against the regulators. Hopefully, the regulators are just doing the job they should have done in 2008 prior to the financial crisis.

Making customers pay again and again

What have banks and credit card companies done to rectify their mistakes? One might expect a lowering of fees to compensate the American public for the pain it has endured from…

  • Bailing them out

  • Learning the Libor rate was rigged

  • Hearing that the banks and credit card companies have settled with retailers over price-fixing charges

  • Knowing that credit card transaction charges typically get passed on to customers

  • Discovering that the most stable US bank is engaging in risky, dangerous behavior

Instead of lowering fees to help customers, what has happened? Fees have skyrocketed. Banks seem to be making customers pay more because of bank errors. Back in 2011, according to David Lazarus of the Los Angeles Times, early withdrawal fees at Bank of America went up nearly 1700% higher than previous fees. If you think that is ancient history, according to CBS Money Watch, bank overdraft fees reached a new high last September.

Banks are businesses that need to make money

While banks are businesses that need to make money, they should figure out how to do so without killing the geese that lay the golden eggs. If the fees are really necessary to stay afloat, the banks need to do a better job of marketing them as a transparent choice rather than as requirements that are often hidden or buried in legal language that most customers have difficulty understanding. So far these fees have only served to anger and frustrate customers — causing them to distrust the banks that levy them. If financial institutions really need to charge these fees to stay afloat, customers wonder how banks can afford to pay their executives huge amounts in spite of poor bank performance. There is definitely a credibility gap, and banks need to take responsibility for creating it.

If banks and credit card companies want to regain the public’s trust

To regain the public trust (that erodes further with each newly reported irregularity), banks and credit card companies need to be more transparent, do a better job of communicating, stop lobbying for less regulation (that many say caused problems in the first place), and stop engaging in fraudulent and risking behavior. Is that too much to ask?

Pointing fingers at others gets old quickly

If banks don’t take responsibility for their mistakes and continue to blame problems on regulators, customers, and anybody but themselves, the customers will leave. Where will they go? There will soon be new places, such as the Gang of Four (Apple, Facebook, Google, and Amazon) and PayPal. And there are the old ones, such as under the mattress or in a wall safe. Customers find it “hard to take” when banks pay them little or no interest while they are squandering their assets in so many different ways.

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May 20

Huawei embraces all with LiteOS Internet of Things OS

Posted in: Today's Chili

huawei-liteosAs the mobile industry are starting to settle down around major players, some manufacturers are turning their eyes onto the next big target after our pockets: our homes, and sometimes our cars. The amorphous “Internet of Things” or IoT that encompasses almost anything and everything that can be made “smart” has become the most recent industry buzzword. Naturally, Huawei wants … Continue reading

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May 20

Hey ladies, this German billboard wants to sell you a beer

Posted in: Today's Chili

Here in America, women are far more likely to be featured in a beer commercial than actually targeted by one. However in Germany, Astra brand beer is focusing specifically on female drinkers with an unusual and automated billboard that speaks only to…

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May 20

Check Out Sigma’s Upcoming dp0 Quattro Compact Digital Camera

Posted in: Today's Chili

Sigma-dp0-Quattro

Here we have another upcoming compact digital camera from Sigma, the dp0 Quattro. Redesigned in every aspect, including the sensor, engine, lens and body, this travel-friendly camera is packed with a 29MP Foveon X3 Quattro CMOS image sensor, a newly designed 14mm F4 wide-angle lens, a 3.0-inch 920k-dot TFT LCD screen and Sigma’s TRUE III Image Processing Engine.

For low light shooting, the camera has an ISO sensitivity range of 100-6400 in 1/3 steps and it has P/S/A/M shooting modes for full control over your exposure. It even has RAW image capture at a max resolution of 5424 x 3616 for excellent editing capabilities.

The Sigma dp0 Quattro will become available in the UK towards the end of June for 899.99 GBP (about $1,399). [Product Page]

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May 20

Artist Samples Sounds From Classic Disney Movies, Creates Club-Worthy Earworm

Posted in: Today's Chili

YouTube’s Pogo, a.k.a. Nick Bertke, is back with yet another Disney-inspired earworm.

The Australian electronic music artist sampled music and dialogue from classic Disney films like “Pocahontas,” “Cinderella” and “The Little Mermaid” to create a remix fit for a rave.

Pogo is known for using samples from classic movies and TV shows to create trippy dance tunes. Previously, he’s created remixes using snippets from The Muppets, Scooby-Doo, Harry Potter, “Mary Poppins” and even “Pulp Fiction.”

Listen to his latest creation above.

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May 20

Rand Paul Ends Daylong NSA 'Filibuster'

Posted in: Today's Chili

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who took to the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon to demand a halt to National Security Agency collection of ordinary Americans’ phone data, ended his daylong speech just before midnight.

Paul, who has made NSA spying a theme in his 2016 campaign for president, delayed a vote on an unrelated trade bill with his 10 1/2-hour speech, which he quit at 11:49 p.m., 12 minutes before meeting the technical definition of filibuster.

“I will not let the Patriot Act, the most unpatriotic of acts, go unchallenged,” Paul said from the Senate floor. “The bulk collection of all Americans phone records all of the time is a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment.”

Paul’s speech was aided by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who made appearances on the floor to ask lengthy questions, giving Paul brief periods of rest.

The marathon speech comes 11 days before three 2001 provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire. They include the NSA’s claimed authority to collect bulk metadata from Americans’ phone records — a practice that an appellate court recently ruled isn’t authorized by the Patriot Act. Friday is the last day the Senate is scheduled to be in session before the those provisions expire.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has vowed to address the trade promotion bill, as well as the expiring Patriot Act provisions and an expiring highway funding measure, before the Senate leaves on a weeklong Memorial Day recess. He has signaled he may keep the Senate in session beyond Friday to complete all three measures.

The impact of Paul’s speech on a backlogged legislative agenda may be intentional. His first priority is to prevent a reauthorization of the Patriot Act. McConnell has floated a five-year extension, and other senators back a temporary extension to prevent the program from lapsing while Congress hashes out a permanent policy. An Obama administration official confirmed to the The Huffington Post that the expiring clauses of the Patriot Act will sunset at midnight on May 31.

McConnell, who is loathe to allow sections of the Patriot Act to expire on his watch, indicated on Tuesday a new willingness to allow a Senate vote on a House-passed bill that offers some reforms to NSA surveillance. Despite his disagreement with Paul on surveillance, McConnell backs Paul in the 2016 presidential race.

Detractors of the House NSA reform bill complain it would still allow the government to request data records collected by phone companies. “In other words,” explained Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) in a recent Facebook post, “the bill doesn’t let the government require Verizon to turn over all its records without limitation, but nothing appears to prevent the government from requiring Verizon to turn over all it records for all its customers in the state of New York. Only a politician or a bureaucrat wouldn’t call that bulk.”

Paul has similar concerns, but also has pushed for votes on amendments to the bill. Paul and Wyden have prepared five or six amendments aimed at ending bulk data collection and adding privacy safeguards.

Paul’s supporters quickly organized a rally on the steps of the U.S. Capitol after Paul began his speech just after 1 p.m.

“I’m sitting at work, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Let’s go down there. We’re so close, let’s go down there and stand with him,’” said Cliff Maloney Jr., who works at Young Americans for Liberty in northern Virginia. “I would call them liberty-minded Republicans. We’re the new face of the Republican Party,” Maloney continued, gesturing to approximately two dozen Paul supporters.

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“I think the government should get out of the way and stop monitoring our cell phones and devices.” said 22-year-old Justin Greiss. “I’m all about Rand 2016!” Greiss said he would stay as long as Paul keeps talking. “At least we can take bathroom breaks,” he said.

Paul’s stand against surveillance is likely to give him a significant fundraising boost in his presidential campaign.

In March 2013, Paul spoke for 13 hours on the lack of transparency in drone warfare in an effort to stall Senate confirmation of John Brennan as CIA director. The next day, he was rewarded with $15,654 in contributions from high-dollar donors, according to Federal Election Commission data reviewed by the Guardian and Center for Responsive Politics. Paul averaged $1,549 a day in contributions for 2013, including low-dollar contributions.

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May 20

Celebrities React To David Letterman's Departure From Late Night

Posted in: Today's Chili

People love this guy.

The stars came out in droves on social media to congratulate legendary comedian David Letterman on an amazing career as he retires from late night after 33 years. He’s kind of a big deal. People know him. From movie stars and comedians to athletes and presidents, you don’t accumulate this many famous friends and admirers for no reason.

President Barack Obama


Jimmy Kimmel


Albert Brooks


Ellen Degeneres


Steve Martin


Patton Oswalt

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David Letterman’s last show is Wednesday night. I’m writing this now because I know I’ll lose it after watching him talk…

Posted by Patton Oswalt on Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Oprah

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My last HA HA with Dave tonight. #ThanksDave

Posted by Oprah Winfrey on Friday, May 15, 2015

Allison Williams

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In honor of #HorizonsGivingDay and the wonderful David Letterman.. Top 10 Reasons Why Your Day will be Better if You…

Posted by Allison Williams on Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Zooey Deschanel

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#thanksDave <3

Posted by Zooey Deschanel on Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Mindy Kaling

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Thank you, Dave. ❤️

Posted by Mindy Kaling on Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Sean Hayes

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To my hero, David Letterman: You will be greatly missed in late night. Thanks for being so kind & generous to me over…

Posted by Sean Hayes on Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Carmelo Anthony

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Tonight is the end of an era. #ThanksDave Late Show with David Letterman

Posted by Carmelo Anthony on Wednesday, May 20, 2015

The New York Yankees

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Our wonderful city won’t quite be the same without David Letterman. #ThanksDave

Posted by New York Yankees on Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Billy Eichner

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Making Letterman laugh meant so much to me. Thanks Dave and everyone at The Late Show with David Letterman for having me…

Posted by Billy Eichner on Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Broad City

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it was a lit-er-al dream to be on your show Late Show with David Letterman. farewell!!

Posted by Broad City on Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Jim Gaffigan

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Watching David Letterman as a teenager in Indiana changed my entire outlook on life. #thanksdavehttp://www.whosay.com/l/VHzaAlY

Posted by Jim Gaffigan on Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Demi Moore

Mike Huckabee

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Hillary Clinton

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