Monday, July 16, 2012

iPhone dorks get news, silencing The Boss and tacks at the Tour de France


- Because voting isn't effed up enough in Florida, why not throw another wrench into the works with the presidential election coming up in a few short months? Take it away, Florida election officials. Tell the whole world that from here on out, you will utilize a federal law enforcement database to challenge the eligibility of a person to vote as part of its effort to purge non-citizens from your voting rolls. In an unusual step, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will allow state officials access to the SAVE -- Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements - - database in an agreement that was announced Saturday by Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner and the Florida Department of State. After months of negotiations between state and federal officials, the two sides have reached an agreement and the deal could inspire Colorado, Nevada, Michigan and North Carolina -- states that could ultimately swing November's presidential election -- where officials are advocating for similar access. "Florida voters are counting on their state and federal governments to cooperate in a way that ensures elections are fair, beginning with ensuring the voter rolls are current and accurate," Detzner said in a statement. "Now, we have a commitment to cooperate from DHS and we look forward to a partnership that improves our election process." Fair and accurate voting in Florida? Hanging chads, the year 2000 and old people fooled by something as simple as a computerized ballot would disagree with that one. The database which lists those who are legally in the United States on either visas or "green cards" but not eligible to vote and is a web-based service that was created to help "federal, state and local benefit-issuing agencies, institutions, and licensing bureaus determine the immigration status of benefit applicants so only those entitled to benefits receive them," according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. After Florida officials sued last month to gain access to it, the two sides began working on agreement. However, media outlets have looked at some who might be purged from the voter rolls and found them to be legitimate citizens, so expect the process of removing bogus voters to be less than squeaky clean……….


- In the very near future, Apple dorks around the world will put their life on hold, kiss their loved ones goodbye and head out to stand in line for what will only seem like an eternity to throw down several hundred dollars for the iPhone 5. Until then, these tech enthusiasts are scouring message boards and doing regular Google searches for any leaks or details about what the new iPhone will look like, what sort of battery life it will have and what sort of graphics it will boast. The latest supposed leak came over the weekend with a fresh set of details and a small .jpg image that shows what the top back of the device is set to look like. If the picture is accurate, the iPhone 5 will have two glass panels on the back on top and bottom of a larger aluminum panel, with the glass panel at the top having a single LED flash and large lens for it’s back-facing camera. As the image leaked, tech analysts claimed it was a prototype for the device that saying is near production, with manufacturing plans in China reportedly instructed to be prepared for the start of production for the iPhone 5. Other rumors have suggested that the new model will be taller, but not fatter, than the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The iPhone 5 is also expected to have at least a dual-core processor (as the iPhone 4S does now with the A5 manufactured by Samsung) and maybe even four CPU cores. Its dock will also have a dock connector on its bottom that’s the first in the Apple mobile line not working with the 30-pin connectors that have been on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touches since the start. You can now start breathing again and realize that the world around you still exists, Apple dorks…………


- Who shuts down The Boss AND a former Beatle mid-concert? Authorities in London, that’s who. Rockers Bruce Springsteen and Sir Paul McCartney were silenced on Saturday night as they headlined the Hard London's Hyde Rock Calling event in Hyde Park and dared to push half an hour past a city-imposed concert curfew. McCartney, who is freaking British and probably should have received more leeway, had joined Springsteen on stage at the end of the singer's headline slot and both men found their microphones cut off at 10:30 p.m. before they could address the crowd. Springsteen, who has always been huge in Europe, is known for his long shows and had been rocking out for more than three hours when he was cut off. He tore through out hits such as "Born In The USA" and "Because The Night," then welcomed McCartney to the stage to sing Beatles hits "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Twist and Shout," but both men had their microphones shut off and had to leave the state in silence as a stunned crowd looked on. The concert was truly an all-star event as Springsteen, who played with his E Street Band as always, had earlier invited Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello on stage to perform two songs and brought singer John Fogerty up for one song. He also saluted a fan man holding up a banner asking him to play the song "Take 'Em As They Come," and listing the concerts around the world where he had requested it. Springsteen spotted the banner, held it up on stage and praised the "big investment" the fan had made to see him in places including Madrid and Paris. "Tonight, my friend, this is your lucky night. You're going to hear this damn thing,” Springsteen announced. "It's a completely obscure track I wrote for The River when I needed some rock songs." Just think what an evening it could have been if the ass hats in charge hadn’t pulled the plug on the show………….


- Not everyone is a cycling fan. In the United States, almost no one is a cycling fan now that alleged steroids-user Lance Armstrong isn't winning one Tour after another. But someone in southern France not only hates cycling, but also has far too much free time on his or her hands. That someone dumped hundreds of tacks on the road as the race neared the city of Foix, causing that around 30 competitors in the main pack to suffer flats near the day's steepest climb, the Mur de Peguere, as Luis Leon Sanchez led a breakaway far ahead of the trouble to win the stage. One rider crashed as a result of the tacks and French police, who line the course route by the hundreds for crowd control each stage, were called in to investigate. Normally their job is keeping the flag-waving, costume-wearing kooks who try to run beside and interact with the riders away from the action, but now they have a real-life crime to investigate. In a race where France riders have already battled crashes, flares, and dogs straying into their roads, tacks in the road just seems like overkill. Bradley Wiggins of Britain, the current leader and holder of the fabled yellow jersey, withstood the “attack” and avoided the chaos it caused. He did hold up for second-place rider Cadel Evans, who He had to wait three times for help dealing with flats and lost nearly two minutes at one point before teammates arrived and gave the former world champion a rear wheel. Wiggins honored cycling etiquette by not attempting to capitalize on Evans' misfortune and urged the peloton to slow down to allow Evans to return to the pack. The two men finished in the same time: 18 minutes, 15 seconds behind Sanchez, the winner of the 119-mile ride between Limoux and Foix in southern France. Here’s hoping fans along the rest of the race course keep their office supplies at home when they go out to watch the festivities………

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