David Lidsky's Blog, page 4671

Goldman Sachs Crafts a 75-Page World Cup Odds Guide for, Y'know, Funsies

The word "banker" in footballing is the popular slur for the blind man masquerading as a referee who's just given the wrong side a penalty. Bet you won't find that in Goldman Sachs' 75-page guide to the 2010 World Cup; it's part betting guide, part show-off--and begs the statement: "So, this is what you're doing while the rest of the world is stumbling out of recession?" Another statement also up for begging: "Red card for whoever it was behind the guide's cover design (see above)."

As PR...

Driving Makes You Fat, Urban Sprawl Bankrupts You, Other Life-Saving New Urbanist Epiphanies

On the afternoon of July 6, 1999, Dr. Richard Jackson was summoned to the office of his boss, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jackson was then the head of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, and he knew that his boss was preparing an editorial on the biggest health threats American would face in the 21st century.

As Jackson tells it today, he spent the drive across Atlanta mulling the contenders. Was it asthma, which now affects nearly one in...

BlueBeat Brings Out Free, Streaming iPhone App, Record Company Lawyers Rejoice

BlueBeat, the Murph and the Magic Tones of the digital age, has brought out an iPhone app, says Music Ally. It's free, it streams your music, and it's probably got the record labels' lawyers sharpening their pencils in anticipation. Why? Something to do with the artists available: Beatles, AC/DC, and Bob Dylan, none of whom currently allow their music to be streamed.

It seems that the site's owner, Hank Risan, is undaunted by last year's court ruling that put the kibosh on his...

Hydra's Solar-Hydrogen Power Makes Clean Water From Dirty at 20,000 Gallons a Day

For the one in every eight souls around the world lacking access to pure drinking water, how about this: A solar-powered water purification system that spits out pure water, hydrogen and, just for kicks, electricity too. Could it get any better than that?

The device is called Hydra, and like its many-headed mythological namesake it truly serves a multitude of purposes: As its press release notes, "imagine a single trailer-mounted device that turns scum into over 20,000 gallons of pure water a...

Driving Makes You Fat, Urban Sprawl Bankrupts You, Other Life-Saving New Urbanist Epiphanies

On the afternoon of July 6, 1999, Dr. Richard Jackson was summoned to the office of his boss, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jackson was then the head of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, and he knew that his boss was preparing an editorial on the biggest health threats American would face in the 21st century.

As Jackson tells it today, he spent the drive across Atlanta mulling the contenders. Was it asthma, which now affects nearly one in...

Hydra's Solar-Hydrogen Power Makes Clean Water From Dirty At 20,000 Gallons a Day

For the one in every eight souls around the world lacking access to pure drinking water, how about this: A solar-powered water purification system that spits out pure water, hydrogen and, just for kicks, electricity too. Could it get any better than that?

The device is called hydra, and like its many-headed mythological namesake it truly serves a multitude of purposes: As its press release notes, "imagine a single trailer-mounted device that turns scum into over 20,000 gallons of pure water a...

BlueBeat Brings Out Free, Streaming iPhone App, Record Co Lawyers Rejoice

BlueBeat, the Murph and the Magic Tones of the digital age, has brought out an iPhone app, says Music Ally. It's free, it streams your music, and it's probably got the record labels' lawyers sharpening their pencils in anticipation. Why? Something to do with the artists available: Beatles, AC/DC and Bob Dylan, none of whom currently allow their music to be streamed.

It seems that the site's owner, Hank Risan, is undaunted by last year's court ruling that put the kibosh on his...

Yahoo and Nokia's Project Nike Partnership Seeks World Domination, Apple Rivary

Today's hot rumor is that Yahoo and Nokia are poised to announce a partnership deal on Monday next week, with the goal of reinjecting some spice into Nokia's phones and giving Yahoo a bigger audience. But really, it's all about Apple.

Yahoo sent out a high-profile invitation to select members of the tech press inviting them to a meeting on Monday at which Yahoo's CEO Carol Bartz will reveal an "exciting announcement about providing global consumers with rich online and mobile experiences....

Pennsylvania Attorney General and Gubernatorial Candidate Subpoenas His Twitter Critics

Pennsylvania is having an interesting week, politically. Representative Joe Sestak (from my home district--PA-7, represent) defeated long-term, moderate-Republican-turned-liberal-Democrat Arlen Specter in the Democratic Senate primary. Democrat Mark Critz defeated Republican Tim Burns by a whopping 10 points in a special election for the PA-12 seat vacated by John Murtha, even though the race was supposed to be a nail-biter. And now, the state's Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial...

Google's Silliest-Named Android Version Yet, Froyo, Brings iPhone-Baiting Features

Google's newest version of Android, 2.2 (otherwise known as Froyo--yeah, I know), was maybe not as well-leaked as we thought. Sure, we knew about tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot functionality, and Flash 10.1 support, but there's a lot more to Froyo than we realized.

First, what you see: a very slight redesign of the homescreen. The app drawer has the phone and browser icons pegged on either side, which is useful if you're the type of regressive oddball who actually makes phone calls with your...