Google Pulls the Plug on Launch of TV Sets

Google-TVGoogle is on the verge of introducing internet surfing directly from television sets, only not just yet. Google Inc. has requested that some manufacturers delay the planned launch of these TV sets which are based on their company’s software, until they do some tweaking on said software.

The Wall Street Journal reported the delay, quoting people who are knowledgeable about Google’s plans. According to the report, Google sent out word to a portion, but not all, of the hardware manufacturers not to announce the release of any new products yet, allowing them to make some necessary improvements in the software.

Despite this announcement Samsung Electronics Co Ltd will not be delaying release of their version of the Google TV at the Consumer Electronics Trade Show scheduled for early January in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Benefit From TV

While it is virtually impossible to prevent your kids from staring at that TV screen, it is important to maximize the positive aspects of their television watching. Try the following:
1. Check TV listings and program reviews for shows that make for good family viewing. Watch shows together – and then talk about them afterwords. Use the program as a starting-off point to discuss your family’s views and values or to learn more about the subject featured on the program.
2. If you are going to permit your child to watch a program alone (or with friends), watch it first.
3. Check the ratings – these age-group rating tools are there for your benefit
4. Plan a family TV schedule that everyone can agree on – then ensure that the schedule is enforced.
5. Plan fun and interesting alternatives to TV watching – arts and crafts, reading, board games, outdoor activities, a cooking evening – the choices are endless!

The Health Benefits of Potatoes

potatoIt is often forgotten that potatoes are in fact a very healthy vegetable. They are rich in complex carbohydrates which supply energy, but are relatively low in calories. One medium sized potato also contains around five grams of fiber, which is incredibly healthy for the digestive system. Potatoes are also rich in vitamins and minerals.

Potatoes contain the most potassium of all fresh fruits and vegetables, including bananas. One potato has over 800 milligrams, which is close to 20% of the ideal amount to be consumed on a daily basis. Potassium is necessary for body growth and cell maintenance. It’s also important for the functioning of the nervous system, as well as normal muscle contraction, including the heart muscle. It is also an electrolyte which helps to balance fluids in the body.

Potatoes are rich in Vitamin C and B6 as well, which boost the immune system and contribute to the healing of wounds and blood clotting.

Jobs Doll Deal on EBay

Remember that cute Steve Jobs look-alike in plastic which was produced in China without the permission or even the knowledge of Apple’s main man? Recall his dapper jeans, iPhone, removable trademark eyeglasses and sport shoes?

In case you don’t remember, M.I.C. Gadget, headquartered in China, managed to manufacture and sell 300 of the delightful action figures for $99 each before Apple sent a formal complaint to them insisting that the creation of the toy was an “unauthorized use of a person’s name or likeness, subject to a lawsuit under California Civil Code Section 3344.”

Unwilling to go the lawsuit route, G.I.C. halted their manufacture. Now the plastic Jobs doll is a collector’s item, and was recently purchased on eBay at 25 times cost, for $2,500. There are rumors that the sale was bogus, however, something that is not beyond eBay possibilities. Suspicions were aroused due to the fact that there was only one bid on this item, and was sold immediately for the full asking price. Then a few days later another Jobs doll appeared, ready for auction, at the same asking price.

New Cure for AIDS?

German doctors claim to have cured AIDS. The patient, who was infected by both the virus and leukemia, received a bone marrow transplant from a donor who had a genetic mutation which is known to grant immunity to the virus. The mutation affects a receptor, or cellular doorway, that the AIDS viruses usually breach in order to infect the cell. The mutation has been known to researchers since the 90s, and is most common in people of a Northern European descent.

Nearly four years have passed since the transplant, and the patient appears to be free of the virus, and it cannot be found hiding anywhere in his body. The patient has given samples from his colon, liver, spinal fluid and brain; the places where the virus commonly hides before rebounding in patients who have stopped their medication.

The problem with the cure is that is a long, complicated, painful process. “It’s not practical and it can kill people,” Dr. Robert Gallo of the Institute of Human Virology, who helped discover the virus that causes AIDS. “It is possibly a cure, that’s for sure, you won’t know for absolute sure until the person dies and undergoes extreme PCR (genetic) analysis of post-mortem tissue.”