Scientists capture birth of new planet on camera, mother and child doing just fine -- Engadget

Scientists capture birth of new planet on camera, mother and child doing just fine -- Engadget:

"After all the pushing, squeezing and screaming, the universe has finally given birth to a new planet, in an eruption that two scientists managed to capture on film. The newborn pile of planetary pudge, named LkCa 15 b, was discovered by Drs. Michael Ireland and Adam Kraus, who, over the course of 12 months, successfully documented the event using Keck telescopes and a technique called aperture mask interferometry. Their findings, published in Astrophysical Journal describe a Jupiter-like gaseous planet that likely began forming some 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. Located about 450 light years from Earth, it's also the youngest planet ever observed, having dethroned the previous record-holder, which was about five times older. According to Ireland and Kraus, the LkCa 15 b is still being formed out of a circle "

How To Download Kindle Books from Your Local Library Website

How To Download Kindle Books from Your Local Library Website:
Library fans rejoice! The Kindle Lending Library service, announced in April of this year, has spread from its limited launch in Seattle to a far more accessible range of 11,000 libraries across the United States. The service mixes the routine and limitations of borrowing a book from a library with the lovely convenience of Kindle digital delivery. That is, libraries have limited digital copies of books, and only lend them out for certain periods of time, but you don't actually have to go to the library to check out a book.

Books can be checked out via participating library websites and synced to a Kindle via Wi-Fi or USB. And if you don't own the e-reader itself that's okay, too--anyone using the Kindle reading software can get in on the book borrowing action. Here's how to find out if your library's involved.
11,000 is a hell of a lot of libraries, but Amazon's not listing participating institutions on its website. You can either head to your local library's website and look around for some Kindle books, or browse to Overdrive, the digital delivery provider Amazon partnered with to make this whole Lending Library thing happen.
Head to the link above to perform a search for your library of choice by name or ZIP. If you'd rather browse, click on your region, select the country, and (assuming you're in the US) pick the appropriate state to find a list of libraries with Overdrive-supplied digital content.
As promised, all the usual Kindle features are available with library books. You can access private and public notes and highlights, see real page numbers, post to Twitter about how crazy the twist in the latest James Patterson book was, and so on. From what we've seen, lending periods range from 7 to 21 days. Is your local library Kindle-ready?

Occupy Wall Street Goes Global

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeOccupy Wall Street Goes Global

Time Has Provided a Wonderful Photo-Gallery of the OWS Situation.

Climate Change is Causing Species to Shift Faster Towards Poles, Says New Study

Climate Change is Causing Species to Shift Faster Towards Poles, Says New Study:

A new study published in Science magazine, shows that species are moving toward the poles three times faster and climbing higher twice as fast as previously reported in 2003. The study looks at how over 1,500 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, plants and insects have responded to a warming climate over the past 40 years.

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NASA Reports Third Warmest June-August on Record Globally as Dramatic Videos are Released Showing Consequences for Walruses

NASA Reports Third Warmest June-August on Record Globally as Dramatic Videos are Released Showing Consequences for Walruses:

NASA has just released global temperature data for June-August 2011, showing that it was the third warmest June-August on record, with the largest temperature departures from normal concentrated at the poles. In the Arctic, where sea surface temperatures in some areas reached record levels in August, sea ice declined to record or near-record levels. The U.S. Geological Survey and videographer Dan Zatz released today (13 September 2011) dramatic videos of walruses hauled-out along the Alaska shoreline of the Chukchi Sea -- leaving little doubt of the epic proportions of the disruption being felt in the region as it rapidly warms.

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Number of Walruses Hauled Out near Point Lay, Alaska, Swells to over 20,000

Number of Walruses Hauled Out near Point Lay, Alaska, Swells to over 20,000:

Just weeks before Arctic sea ice extent reaches a record or near-record annual low, observers estimate that over 20,000 walruses have hauled-out near Point Lay, Alaska. The aerial observers also have spotted dead walruses on their flights over the Chukchi Sea.

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Gorgeous South African Home Sits Amid the Treetops

Gorgeous South African Home Sits Amid the Treetops:

Read the rest of Gorgeous South African Home Sits Amid the Treetops

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Post tags: Capetown, eco design, glass curtain, green design, South Africa, sustainable design, treehouse, Van Der Merwe Miszewski Architects

Swedish Daycare Is Testing Out GPS Tracking Devices On Their Children

Swedish Daycare Is Testing Out GPS Tracking Devices On Their Children:

We attach GPS tracking devices to our cars, our phones, and even our pets, so why not our children – right? A daycare in Sweden is conducting an experiment that places GPS tracking devices on kids while they are outside of the confines of the nursery walls. If a child is abducted or strays, transmitters attached to the devices will report to a synced mobile phone, signaling something could be amiss. A seemingly harmless safety measure, some think it is going to far – what do you think? Share your thoughts with us ahead.

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Post tags: child abduction prevention, child kidnapping prevention, child safety, daycare safety measures, electronic tracking kids, gps for kids, GPS tracking device for children, keeping kids safe, kids safety, Malmo, Purple Scout, Sweden, tracking kids

Ode to a Bookstore Death

Ode to a Bookstore Death:
This from Galleycat:

As Borders closed forever this weekend, one patron snapped a photograph of a bitter bookseller’s manifesto at an unidentified store: “Things We Never Told You: Ode to a Bookstore Death.”

So funny!

The starvation of America’s middle class

The starvation of America’s middle class:

When people discuss solutions to “world hunger,” they tend to think in terms of far-flung third-world locales afflicted by long years of drought. Yet, according to a new interactive map from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hundreds of “food deserts” stretch across America, from the East Coast to West Coast. These “deserts” comprise 10 percent of the country. Moreover, 1 in 7 people in the U.S. now subsist on food stamps, and, in 2009, nearly 15 percent of U.S. households were found to have low or very low “food security,” meaning that, on a regular basis, nearly 50 million Americans ran short on food. Even for many members of the traditional middle class, America is no longer the Land of Plenty.

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If Washington had a Klout score, what would it be?

If Washington had a Klout score, what would it be?:

What’s your Klout score?

Klout CEO and cofounder Joe Fernandez looks forward to the day when everyone is regularly asking and answering that question. Klout started in New York City when Fernandez took to Twitter in order to communicate with family and friends after having his jaw temporarily wired shut. The company migrated to San Francisco, and has begun to play a unique and evolving role in the social media landscape. Klout rates users’ influence in social media using an algorithm that incorporates activity on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Last.fm, Flickr, Blogger and, as of Tuesday, Google+, among other networks.

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Getting Back To Nature

Getting Back To Nature

KINDLE LIBRARY LENDING IS HERE - It's Official today, at 11,000 libraries

KINDLE LIBRARY LENDING IS HERE - It's Official today, at 11,000 libraries: KINDLE SOFTWARE AND PUBLIC LIBRARY ACCESS

Amazon's press release today boasts the following:



"Kindle the only e-reader to deliver library books wirelessly; read on any Kindle or free Kindle app.

Amazon's Whispersync technology automatically stores and synchronizes bookmarks, margin notes and highlights -- all available the next time you check out or buy the book."



Since this is fairly momentous for Amazon's Kindle customers, I'll quote the entire press release so you can see how they're presenting this today. [Emphases in the quoted release are mine]

'SEATTLE, Sep 21, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

(NASDAQ: AMZN)-Amazon.com today announced that Kindle and Kindle app customers can now borrow Kindle books from more than 11,000 local libraries in the United States. When a customer borrows a Kindle library book, they'll have all of the unique features they love about Kindle books, including Whispersync, which automatically synchronizes their margin notes, highlights and bookmarks, real page numbers, Facebook and Twitter integration, and more. For more information about borrowing library books for your Kindle or free Kindle apps, go to www.amazon.com/kindle/publiclibraries. To start checking out Kindle library books, visit your local library's website.



"Starting today, millions of Kindle customers can borrow Kindle books from their local libraries," said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle. "Libraries are a critical part of our communities and we're excited to be making Kindle books available at more than 11,000 local libraries around the country. We're even doing a little extra here - normally, making margin notes in library books is a big no-no. But we're fixing this by extending our Whispersync technology to library books, so your notes, highlights and bookmarks are always backed up and available the next time you check out the book or if you decide to buy the book."



Customers will use their local library's website to search for and select a book to borrow. Once they choose a book, customers can choose to "Send to Kindle" and will be redirected to Amazon.com to login to their Amazon.com account and the book will be delivered to the device they select via Wi-Fi, or can be transferred via USB.



Customers can check out a Kindle book from their local library and start reading on any generation Kindle device or free Kindle app for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry or Windows Phone, as well as in their web browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.



"This is a welcome day for Kindle users in libraries everywhere and especially our Kindle users here at The Seattle Public Library," said Marcellus Turner, city librarian for The Seattle Public Library. "We're thrilled that Amazon is offering such a new approach to library ebooks that enhances the reader experience."



When borrowing a Kindle book from their local library, customers can take advantage of all of the unique features of Kindle books, including:

• Whispersync technology wirelessly sync your books, notes, highlights, and last page read across Kindle and free Kindle reading apps


• Real Page Numbers let you easily reference passages with page numbers that correspond to actual print editions


• Facebook and Twitter integration makes it easy to share favorite passages with your social networks


• Popular Highlights show you what our community of millions of Kindle readers think are the most interesting passages in your books


• Public Notes allow you to share your notes and see what others are saying about Kindle books

To start checking out Kindle library books, visit your local library's website. '

So, there it is ! It's actually here. I reported in an update to the previous blog article that Mobileread Forum posts from two members discussed downloading the library books with regular-Kindle-3 models using updated Kindle software version 3.3 (as opposed to the v3.1 for the regular Kindles), but a few Kindles remained at v3.1 and v3.2.1.



If there is any change in the software being quietly aired to some Kindle 3 customers using both types of Kindle 3 models, it's not part of any general update on their Software page today which allows you to download the latest official versions. I imagine downloading is no problem since that is normal, but non-crucial changes would involve checking for 3G downloads and preventing them as well as wording that 3G downloads won't be possible for this type of download and to use a USB transfer if WiFi access is not available. The Kindles before Kindle 3 had 3G wireless with no WiFi module, so this will affect many who have been used to wireless downloads. But this library lending is one feature upgrade that will include all Kindles for once, going back to Kindle Classic from 2007.





Kindle 3's (UK: Kindle 3's) K3 Special ($114) K3-3G Special ($139) DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones

Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources. Top 100 free bestsellers. Liked-books under $1

UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones

Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

X.commerce Innovate Developer Conference 2011 - PayPal Innovate

E-BAY is opening an E-Commerce Solution called X. Commerce, they will lauch it on Oct 12 and 13th at the conference.

This will be hard on hand made sellers

X.commerce Innovate Developer Conference 2011 - PayPal Innovate:

'via Blog this'

Lodon's Hot New Look for 2012 Hot off the Presses

London's 2012 Fashion, Hot On the Runways. View it by clicking here.

Twitvid - Share videos and photos on Twitter

Twitvid - Share videos and photos on Twitter: ""

'via Blog this'

Google+ Now Has Klout

Google+ Now Has Klout:
Tweet

Today we’re excited to announce Google+ is now integrated into Klout. As the fastest growing social media destination of all time, Google+ quickly became a highly requested feature. With it’s intuitive handling of privacy and sharing – bridging the public/private divide – it’s captured our attention from the start.



Google+’s unique social controls allow for unique engagement and amplification:

• 
  
  Users can tailor their content to a specific audience or open it up to the public.


• 
  
  The scale of in-line discussions Google+ makes possible is unprecedented and a powerful way to influence others.


• 
  
  As the market leader in search, Google has also integrated public posts into their search results, expanding the audience of content creators and their potential influence.

We’ve seen people using the service as a blog replacement, a user feedback system and, of course, to post pictures of their cats. In all of these cases, we’re interested in measuring your ability to drive action: getting added to circles won’t increase your Klout score but getting comments and +1’s on your posts from influential users certainly will.

You can connect your Google+ account from the dashboard right now and you’ll be among the first to have it integrated into your Score.

Blogger Buzz: Your images never looked so good

Blogger Buzz: Your images never looked so good

Need time? Get time Get HootSuit and Get Started Now

Facebook Traffic to Retail Up 92%, Twitter Shoppers Spend More Than Google

Facebook Traffic to Retail Up 92%, Twitter Shoppers Spend More Than Google: The recently released Online Consumer Report from RichRelevance offers several valuable insights for online retailers in the lead up to the 2011 holiday shopping season. Data gleaned from over 200 million shopping sessions on major U.S. retail sit...