Europe's small-scale wine producers, usually in competition with one another, have come together to fight what they see as the two biggest threats to their industry: the EU and multinational corporations. In France they're called vignerons, in Italy, vignaioli: small-scale wine producers who do everything from growing and harvesting the grapes to transforming them into wine in their cellars, then bottling and selling it. But, throughout Europe, the future of these artisan winemakers is under threat for a variety of reasons. In an attempt to address their problems and come up with some common solutions, the Slow Food organization invited winemakers from across the continent to participate in a three-day meeting of Vignerons d'Europe. Over 700 artisan wine producers and enologists from 16 European countries met in the Tuscan spa town of Montecatini Terme last weekend to compare ideas and experiences.
In France they're called vignerons, in Italy, vignaioli: small-scale wine producers who do everything from growing and harvesting the grapes to transforming them into wine in their cellars, then bottling and selling it.
But, throughout Europe, the future of these artisan winemakers is under threat for a variety of reasons.
In an attempt to address their problems and come up with some common solutions, the Slow Food organization invited winemakers from across the continent to participate in a three-day meeting of Vignerons d'Europe.
Over 700 artisan wine producers and enologists from 16 European countries met in the Tuscan spa town of Montecatini Terme last weekend to compare ideas and experiences.
Last night, we started seeing some Tweets from Google employees and others about a new Android-powered Google phone that was apparently handed out at an "all hands" meeting. Now Google is confirming that it is indeed "dogfood" testing a new Android device with employees around the world. But this isn't just another Android phone. Very trustworthy sources who have seen the phone say that it is the Google Phone we first wrote about last month (despite the uninformed saying we were dreaming). It will be branded Google and sold by Google as an unlocked phone, which could change everything. As we wrote in our original post: Google is building their own branded phone that they'll sell directly and through retailers. They were long planning to have the phone be available by the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer but will only have Google branding (Microsoft did the same thing with their first Zunes, which were built by Toshiba). There won't be any negotiation or compromise over the phone's design of features - Google is dictating every last piece of it. No splintering of the Android OS that makes some applications unusable. Like the iPhone for Apple, this phone will be Google's pure vision of what a phone should be. The phone itself is being built by HTC, with a lot of input from Google. It seems to be a tailored version of the HTC Passion or the related HD2 (Unlocker scored some leaked pictures back in October which are of the same phone). Update: Here is a more recent picture.
Last night, we started seeing some Tweets from Google employees and others about a new Android-powered Google phone that was apparently handed out at an "all hands" meeting. Now Google is confirming that it is indeed "dogfood" testing a new Android device with employees around the world.
But this isn't just another Android phone. Very trustworthy sources who have seen the phone say that it is the Google Phone we first wrote about last month (despite the uninformed saying we were dreaming). It will be branded Google and sold by Google as an unlocked phone, which could change everything. As we wrote in our original post:
Google is building their own branded phone that they'll sell directly and through retailers. They were long planning to have the phone be available by the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer but will only have Google branding (Microsoft did the same thing with their first Zunes, which were built by Toshiba). There won't be any negotiation or compromise over the phone's design of features - Google is dictating every last piece of it. No splintering of the Android OS that makes some applications unusable. Like the iPhone for Apple, this phone will be Google's pure vision of what a phone should be.
Google is building their own branded phone that they'll sell directly and through retailers. They were long planning to have the phone be available by the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer but will only have Google branding (Microsoft did the same thing with their first Zunes, which were built by Toshiba).
There won't be any negotiation or compromise over the phone's design of features - Google is dictating every last piece of it. No splintering of the Android OS that makes some applications unusable. Like the iPhone for Apple, this phone will be Google's pure vision of what a phone should be.
The phone itself is being built by HTC, with a lot of input from Google. It seems to be a tailored version of the HTC Passion or the related HD2 (Unlocker scored some leaked pictures back in October which are of the same phone). Update: Here is a more recent picture.
Gadget Lab Hardware News and Reviews DIY Book Scanners Turn Your Books Into Bytes By Priya Ganapati December 11, 2009 | 7:42 pm | Categories: Hacks, Mods and DIY For nearly two years, Daniel Reetz dreamed of a book scanner that could crunch textbooks and spit out digital files he could then read on his PC. Book scanners, like the ones Google is using in its Google Books project, run into thousands of dollars, putting them out of the reach of a graduate student like Reetz. But in January, when textbook prices for the semester were listed, Reetz decided he would make a book scanner that would cost a fraction of commercially available products. So over three days, and for about $300, he lashed together two lights, two Canon Powershot A590 cameras, a few pieces of acrylic and some chunks of wood to create a book scanner that's fast enough to scan a 400-page book in about 20 minutes. To use it, he simply loads in a book and presses a button, then turns the page and presses the button again. Each press of the button captures two pages, and when he's done, software on Reetz's computer converts the book into a PDF file. The Reetz DIY book scanner isn't automated-you still need to stand by it to turn the pages. But it's fast and inexpensive. "The hardware is ridiculously simple as long as you are not demanding archival quality," he says. "A dumpster full of building materials, really cheap cameras and outrageous textbook prices was all I needed to do it." Reetz went on to upload a 79-step how-to guide for building a book scanner (.pdf). The guide has sparked more than 400 comments. It has also spawned a website, DIYbookscanner.org, where more than 50 independent book scanners spread across countries such as Indonesia, Russia and Britain have contributed hardware refinements and software programs.
For nearly two years, Daniel Reetz dreamed of a book scanner that could crunch textbooks and spit out digital files he could then read on his PC.
Book scanners, like the ones Google is using in its Google Books project, run into thousands of dollars, putting them out of the reach of a graduate student like Reetz. But in January, when textbook prices for the semester were listed, Reetz decided he would make a book scanner that would cost a fraction of commercially available products.
So over three days, and for about $300, he lashed together two lights, two Canon Powershot A590 cameras, a few pieces of acrylic and some chunks of wood to create a book scanner that's fast enough to scan a 400-page book in about 20 minutes. To use it, he simply loads in a book and presses a button, then turns the page and presses the button again. Each press of the button captures two pages, and when he's done, software on Reetz's computer converts the book into a PDF file. The Reetz DIY book scanner isn't automated-you still need to stand by it to turn the pages. But it's fast and inexpensive.
"The hardware is ridiculously simple as long as you are not demanding archival quality," he says. "A dumpster full of building materials, really cheap cameras and outrageous textbook prices was all I needed to do it."
Reetz went on to upload a 79-step how-to guide for building a book scanner (.pdf). The guide has sparked more than 400 comments. It has also spawned a website, DIYbookscanner.org, where more than 50 independent book scanners spread across countries such as Indonesia, Russia and Britain have contributed hardware refinements and software programs.
Ms Jess Hurd, a well known and highly respected photojournalist has made a formal complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (`IPCC') after officers from the Metropolitan Police Service stopped her under terrorist legislation when she was working in a professional capacity covering a wedding on 10th December 2008 at the Ramada Hotel in London Docklands. Despite the officers being fully aware of her status as an accredited photo journalist and Ms Hurd explaining her presence and offering her identifying Press Card, she was still questioned and her footage viewed by officers, purportedly interested in her as a potential terrorist. <snip> Ms Hurd's camera was forcibly taken from her by the officer, despite her protests that there were safeguards in place to ensure a free press. The officer's response was: "We can do anything under the terrorism act".
<snip>
Ms Hurd's camera was forcibly taken from her by the officer, despite her protests that there were safeguards in place to ensure a free press. The officer's response was: "We can do anything under the terrorism act".
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Photojournalist Jess Hurd has filed a complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Commission after she was stopped, searched and detained last year while covering a wedding As revealed by BJP on 15 December 2008, Hurd was detailed for more than 45 minutes after she was stopped on 10 December under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The photographer had been covering the wedding of a couple from Dale Farm in Essex. Read our full report here.Now, Hurd with the National Union of Journalists, has filed a complaint, seeking a full apology, and confirmation that the officers involved have received training in relation to the appropriate use of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act and the responsibilities set out in the Association of Chief Police Officers Police Media Guidelines.
Photojournalist Jess Hurd has filed a complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Commission after she was stopped, searched and detained last year while covering a wedding
As revealed by BJP on 15 December 2008, Hurd was detailed for more than 45 minutes after she was stopped on 10 December under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The photographer had been covering the wedding of a couple from Dale Farm in Essex. Read our full report here.Now, Hurd with the National Union of Journalists, has filed a complaint, seeking a full apology, and confirmation that the officers involved have received training in relation to the appropriate use of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act and the responsibilities set out in the Association of Chief Police Officers Police Media Guidelines.
...seeking a full apology, and confirmation that the officers involved have received training in relation to the appropriate use of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act...
There, fixed. keep to the Fen Causeway
Paging Marco! Video of what appears to be a reversing spiral starts at about 1'00" in. About the only thing I could recognize in the talk was "UFO". China will not be outdone, I guess. And they saw it first, if this is to be believed.
FIRST UFO INCIDENT FOR OUR COUNTRY UFO incident causes sensation throughout half of China Long Ruyi It was a clear, brightly starlit night, on 24 July 1981, in southwest and northwest China as well as a large area of southern and southcentral China. The Milky Way slanted across the night sky and there was no moon. Suddenly at 2238 hours, a strange star-shaped bright spot was sighted by a large number of people in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces when it appeared in the sky to the north. The glimmer became brighter, began to oscillate and then a cloud-like band of light formed around the circumference of the bright spot. The huge spiral shaped UFO with its bright silver color lighting up the cloudless night sky was an especially striking, magnificent and grand sight in contrast with the star-studded sky. In the brief six or seven minutes from its appearance to its disappearance, some 10,000,000 people simultaneously witnessed this extraordinary sight in the night sky., In the first few month after the incident occurred, approximately 40 newspapers* periodicals, and radio stations have published and broadcast some 70 news reports and analytical research articles concerning this incident. The New China News Agency transmitted this information to the entire world and the Hong Kong press continues to print reports with impressive layouts. The U. S. Center for UFO research in Illinois has also followed this event with great interest. According to the Chinese Association for UFO Research, such a huge spiral UFO has occurred at least three times in the last four years over northwest China. During the inquiry into these matters, three main viewpoints have been formed: "the meteor theory", "the aircraft theory", and "the flying saucer theory".
