Dvorak News Blog

Apple Sells One Million iPads

By hhopper Monday May 3, 2010

Apple on Monday said it sold its 1 millionth iPad last Friday with the introduction of the iPad 3G model.

The company didn’t say how many iPads of each model were sold, but we do know that on April 8 during the iPhone OS 4 event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the company had sold 450,000 iPads, so sales have remained brisk. The first model of the iPad, known as the Wi-Fi-only model for its most notable difference from the new 3G version, hit the market April 3.

Bank of America in Albuquerque Targeted by Protesting Vandals, 6 Locations Trashed

By McCullough Monday May 3, 2010

27 Comments

We’re Number 24! We’re Number 24!

By Uncle Dave Monday May 3, 2010

23 Comments

Remember when the US was touted as the shining example of freedom to the rest of the world? Yeah, not so much anymore.

The U.S. media is the 24th most free in the world – and dropping

Freedom of the press has declined for the eighth year in a row, according to Freedom House’s annual report. And while the media has focused on the lack of media freedoms in such places as China and Venezuela, they’ve virtually ignored the U.S. position – No. 24 (PDF).

And following in the footsteps of the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration seems intent on making the media less free.

Windows 7 Deletes System Restore Points on Reboot!

By Uncle Dave Monday May 3, 2010

51 Comments

My brother stumbled on this disturbing item which caused a number of others to chime in that this apparently is not an unusual problem.

I did a clean install of Win7 about 3 1/2 weeks ago and have had no problems. 2 days ago I discovered that no system restore points were available. After spending many hours researching the issue, I’ve taken the following steps but none have helped:

1. Completely uninstalled AVG and installed Microsoft Security Essentials.
2. Tried turning off System Restore, rebooting, turning it back on.
3. Checked the SR schedule in Task Scheduler, all seems fine. It creates restore points just fine, it just won’t keep them on reboot.
4. Scanned computer thoroughly with three different anti-malware programs, no problems found.
5. Did a sfc /scannnow, no problems reported.

One guy contacted Microsoft with this rather bizarre answer and (not unexpected) request for money to research their problem:

Microsoft thought this might have something to do with my domain it but would not troubleshoot it for me without paying the fee, which I cannot afford.

Posted using a Mac

Your papers, please…

By Uncle Dave Sunday May 2, 2010

45 Comments

Found by Mark McCullough

Why Should Smart Students Stay in School?

By Marc Perkel Sunday May 2, 2010

58 Comments

I’m wondering, why should smart students stay in school when they could stay home and better educate themselves?

In this age of Google and the Internet if you took a smart kid who wanted to learn, they could self educate on the web and get a far better education than they can in public or private schools. School is like doing prison time to bright students when they have to endure teachers who are far dumber than they are. Smart students are forced to learn at a rate so slow it’s like watching grass grow.

I think that the school system is obsolete and that it’s time for bright people to quit wasting time and organize to self-educate. Let the first class be a social network of students and your first assignment is to organize into your own online school community.

Who likes this idea?

Headline of the Week: Chef Dies After EEL Was Put up his Bum

By McCullough Sunday May 2, 2010

28 Comments

Shocked doctors in Sichuan, China, found the sea creature in the 59-year-old man’s rectum after his death, it has been reported. The 50cm long Asian swamp eel was allegedly inserted into the unnamed man’s bottom, after he passed out drunk, by pals playing a prank on him.

Medics said the eel had devoured his bowels.

And the SUN was there.

Orwellian Tactics Used to Intimidate Tax Delinquents

By McCullough Sunday May 2, 2010

25 Comments

“We DO know who you are, and we have a missile locked onto your coordinates”

Does China Control Whether or Not We Can Have Electric Vehicles?

By Uncle Dave Sunday May 2, 2010

27 Comments

The auto industry seems to be moving towards embracing hybrids and electric vehicles. One needs only look at examples like the 2011 Nissan LEAF and 2011 Chevy Volt, or the the new Chevy Volt MPV5 EV-crossover concept.

However, there’s growing concern that the industry is casting a rather blind eye to what exactly the impact of its leap might be. […] The current third-generation Toyota Prius uses 25 lbs. (11 kg) of expensive rare-earth metals — approximately twice the amount found in a standard vehicle.

That’s a big problem as rare earth metals, known scientifically as lanthanides are almost exclusively controlled by China. Could this stranglehold slow progress of these new vehicles and hasten China’s ascent to the world’s most dominant economy?
[…]
The biggest uses of lanthanides are in the battery pack and electric motor of hybrids and EVs. Bryce believes that lanthanide demand will outpace supply as early as 2013, slowing the industry’s growth and allowing China to raise its resource prices. He states, “There are no significant supplies (of lanthanides) that can come on stream in anything close to the time span the market need.”

Sing Along with the Fringemunks — The iPad Song

By Uncle Dave Sunday May 2, 2010

16 Comments

Do Animals Have A Right To Privacy?

By Uncle Dave Sunday May 2, 2010

15 Comments

I guess we won’t know for sure until one sues in court. Probably a ball licking dog or Dramatic Gopher’s agent.

Wild animals should not be filmed for television shows because it breaches their privacy rights, according to a leading academic.

Brett Mills, of the University of East Anglia, claims documentary producers are ignoring the fact that animals try to hide from humans, which implies they do not consent to being filmed.

“It might at first seem odd to claim that animals might have a right to privacy,” Dr Mills wrote in the journal Continuum.

“We can never really know if animals are giving consent, but they often do engage in forms of behaviour which suggest they’d rather not encounter humans, and we might want to think about equating this with a desire for privacy,” he added.
[…]
However, Piers Warren, from the group Filmmakers for Conservation, ridiculed Dr Mills’ claims, saying: “How can you say whether an animal wants to be filmed? No animal will understand the concept.”

Obama Doing Stand-up at Media Dinner (VIDEO)

By Jacob Galt Saturday May 1, 2010

16 Comments

Via Jack Liberty and Politico.

Ex-Member of Stray Cats

By hhopper Saturday May 1, 2010

14 Comments

Thanks Gasparinni.

“God told me to rob this bank!” Well, I guess that changes everything…

By Eideard Saturday May 1, 2010

25 Comments

A bank robber who placed a Walmart bag on his head before passing a note with his real name on it was held at gunpoint by a customer…until Palm Bay police arrived and arrested him.

Floyd Francis said in the note that he wanted to rob the bank without a weapon because “I am a son of God.” He wrote that he goes by the name YungSoulji and provided the address of his MySpace.com page. Later, at the Police Department, he said Jesus told him to “go get money this morning, today.”

“I am a black Muslim. I am a black Christian. I am a Black Rastafarian … Always smoke weed get high,” the holdup note reads, in part.

Francis, 23, went into Space Coast Credit Union, 152 Malabar Road, a little before 2 p.m. and put the bag on his head while in line, then took off the bag and handed a teller the bag and the note, police said.

The note instructed the teller to, “put di money innah di Bag.” The teller complied.

A customer who saw what was going on and has a concealed-weapons permit got a gun from his car, pointed it at Francis and ordered him to the ground…

Anyone dumb enough to believe all the crap he believes – has to commit the dumbest crime of the week?

If the Legislation Passes, Your New Car WILL Have a Black Box — For Your Own Good

By Uncle Dave Saturday May 1, 2010

60 Comments

Insurance companies will love this. The Authorities will love this. Wives and husbands being cheated on will love this. In short anyone can, legally or with a little bribe money, find out where your car has been.

Congress is now eyeing new legislation that would force the automotive industry to make safety updates to vehicles in the wake of the massive recalls by Toyota. If the legislation were made into law, all automakers would be required to install black boxes into their automobiles and to pay fees to the government to fund safety agencies.

The black boxes would record vehicle parameters leading up to an accident to help investigators determine if the accident was an issue with the vehicle or driver error. The draft of the legislation was released by Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman of California. The legislation would also remove any caps on civil penalties a carmaker was subject to.

The legislation would also give the NHTSA the power to order an immediate recall of vehicles if it finds that there is an “imminent hazard of death or serious injury.” Other sections of the draft legislation would impose new safety standards that relate to brake override systems and preventing pedals from being trapped on the floor.