DC - Metro begins installing wireless service in 20 Metrorail stations
Metrorail riders soon will be able to use four major cell phone providers to make calls or access the Internet from 20 of Metro’s busiest underground stations.
Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, AT&T and T-Mobile began installing hardware at designated Metrorail stations this weekend that will allow Metrorail customers to make calls, send text messages or surf the Web from 20 stations starting Friday, October 16.
During the next two months, the companies will install a wireless network at the following Metrorail stations: Ballston, Bethesda, Columbia Heights, Crystal City, Dupont Circle, Farragut North, Farragut West, Federal Center SW, Foggy Bottom-GWU, Friendship Heights, Gallery Pl-Chinatown, Judiciary Square, L’Enfant Plaza, McPherson Square, Metro Center, Pentagon, Pentagon City, Rosslyn, Smithsonian and Union Station.
Customers at those stations will begin to see large, cabinet-like enclosures that will house the hardware at the ends of station platforms or on mezzanines, in areas that will not impede the flow of customers or impact the safe operation of the Metrorail system. New cables and antennae also will be installed as part of this work, which will take place late at night when the Metrorail system is closed
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
DC Metro begins installing wireless service in 20 Metrorail stations
Friday, August 14, 2009
Deposit Checks Via iPhone?
The app will work by letting customers take a photo of both sides of the check and then submitting it to USAA. According to The New York Times “customers will not have to mail the check to the bank later; the deposit will be handled entirely electronically, and the bank suggests voiding the check and filing or discarding it.” USAA also allows customers to make deposits using a scanner.
Although USAA has just one physical branch (but nearly 7 million customers), it seems like the type of application that could quickly catch on elsewhere, as it’s clearly a huge time saver to those of us that still receive lots of paper checks. It’s also another example of a growing trend of connecting camera phones to online services; for example, Amazon’s iPhone app lets you take a picture of a physical item, upload it, and then get back comparison quotes from other merchants.
Of course, with banking, security is a much more serious issue, and the Times notes that “to reduce the potential for fraud, only customers who are eligible for credit and have some type of insurance through USAA will be permitted to use the deposit feature.” Nonetheless, it gives a small bank in Texas a compelling feature that might make it attractive nationwide, at least to those of us that would rather not leave the house.
Check out a demo of USAA’s deposit feature in the video below:
From Mashable
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Pee Wee Herman is Back!
Paul Reubens is planning to revive his iconic alter ego Pee-wee Herman. The actor will be performing in The Pee-wee Herman Show at The Music Box @ Fonda in Los Angeles from November 8 through the November 19 and all his old friend - Miss Yvonne, Mailman Mike, Cowboy Curtis and Jambi the Genie - will be there. "I've put part of him away for a long time, but part of him has always been here with me," says Paul, who starred in the late 1980s Saturday morning show Pee-wee's Playhouse. "I think it will be like riding a bike - which is not a bad analogy for Pee-wee, by the way," he adds.
Story Here
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Ibiza Pics
Try this website for Ibiza Pictures from Day One
http://picasaweb.google.com/andrew.roszak/IbizaDay1?feat=directlink
Ibiza Pictures Day One
Ibiza Day TWO
Day 2 – slept in longer than we wanted – and it turned out that the scooter rental place was closed, hours are from 8am – Noon and then again from 5-9pm.
Headed out to the beach and in search of wi-fi. Spent a good amount of time on Punta de Baix and Platja de ses Figueretes. Lunch was good – we had a spanish omelette, some cheesy nachos, and a cheese pizza. Not bad – but their wifi would not work.
Around 7pm we headed back to the hotel area, we decided to rent a scooter for 24 hours – for 40 Euros. The guy renting the scooter did not speak English, and he was taken a bit aback by my Illinois ID Card (I left my drivers license at home for safe keeping). Eventually he gave in and we were on our way. Immediately we jumped on and headed to Cafe del Mar over in Sant Antoni to catch the sunset. The sunsets here at about 9:30. The scooter ride was quick, about 35 minutes – and we never went above 50mph. So basically, we drove from the East side of the island to the West side in 35 minutes. Cafe del Mar sunsets were made famous by Jose Padilla.
Unfortunately our sunset was a little bit cloudy – but it was still an amazing experience. We even got an amazing cabana / lounge thing – that had a great view.
Today we had a great day and visited a ton of beaches – will post more info tomorrow when we get back to Barcelona (and hopefully some internet).
Today we jumped on the scooter and had a full day of exploring!
We first headed off towards the Hippy Market – which is located in Es Canar. On the way we passed through a town called Jesus and got a little turned around. About an hour after we departed, we ended up pulling into Santa Eulalia des Riu. What a wonderful town – and an amazing beach – beautiful sand, great atmosphere, and cheap! We had lunch at a cafe owned by some British folks – they were very nice and gave us a bunch of pointers about where to check out. The search for wifi continued – but no luck.
Next stop was the 'Hippy Market' an Ibiza tradition that occurs every Wednesday in Punta Arabi. It is a huge outdoor flea market – and they sell everything ranging from clothing to crafts to music cds. It was very very hot outside today and walking through the market became quite the task. After making a few purchases, we got out of there and were on the search for our next beach.
We headed for San Carlos – for Cala Boix beach. This beach was a long hike down a mountain but was worth it. Boix is known to have the island's best waves – and they were great today. es and then to Cala de Sant Viceno. MORE TO BE CONTINUED... SORRY INTERNET IS ACTING UP
Hello from IBIZA, SPAIN
Hello from Ibiza! This was written on Monday the 20th of July
We made it! Internet is spotty – so stay tuned for future updates.
Got in on Monday around noon – hopped a cab at the airport and headed for the hotel. 20 Euros later, here we are! The hotel has two pools and is located in between two beaches – BEACH NAMES
Today we went south – to the BEACH NAME. Beautiful day today – high in the 80s. We ate lunch at a little boardwalk right on the beach. 2 Barcardi Breezers and 2 'Kermit the Frog' drinks – as well as a Chicken Kabob, mozz and tomatoes, and a chicken sandwich. Not bad for 32 Euro.
We then continued to head south. We went to the famous Bora Bora beach club. It was not hopping like we thought it would be. Later we found out that noise ordinances prohibit the beach bars from playing music until 4:30pm – so that explains it.
One interesting fact, many of the places here do not take credit card – most of Ibiza, especially on the beach is a cash-only operation. That made things a little difficult today – so we spent the afternoon tracking down an ATM – which are not as common as you would think they would be. Eventually, after 3 attempts, we were able to secure some Euros! We then went and purchased some beach towels – 2 for 12 Euro – what a bargain.
After grabbing some money, we headed back to the hotel. We hit up a supermarket on the way, and grabbed some diet coke, water, beer – the necessities. I still have the Makers Mark from Duty Free – so I will probably tap into that sometime in the near future.
Back at the hotel, we hung out around the pool and caught the last few rays of the day. Then we headed up for a quick nap. It is now 9:30 pm local time and we are getting ready to head out to PRIVILEGE, the biggest club in the WORLD! Tonights DJ is Tiesto – so I am really looking forward to that.
Tomorrow we will be off exploring – perhaps maybe renting a motor scooter and touring around the island a bit.
Privilege was a great club, HUGE – over 12,000 people jam packed inside. Unfortunately, they do not allow cameras inside the club – although plenty of people snuck them in. That was bogus – and is mentioned no where until you show up at the door and they pat you down. Then, if they find your camera, you have to go to their gift shop and pay 4 Euro to 'rent a locker'. Such a scam!
Privilege had a big pool in the center of the club, with the DJ booth suspended above it. Very cool. We ended up heading down to Ibiza and drinking a little bit at a bar before heading out - they had a free shuttle so it worked out great. The funny thing is that the club is quite a bit of a walk from the bus drop off point – down a long windy and dark road – that does not have much of a sidewalk. Cars and taxis are constantly buzzing passed – it was kind of scary. The girls in their going out clothes and shoes also did not seem to enjoy that experience.
Got to the club about 1am and stayed until 5am. Tiesto came on around 2 or so. Amazing – all of a sudden a new DJ booth appeared out of no where – the entire back wall opened up and there he was, complete with his own lights – in fact he never used the 'house lights' at all – it was all his own amazing light show.
The pool provided water for this amazing waterfall – basically it would start pouring rain above the pool, and then a laser light show would be projected onto the water fall. Unfortunately many of the clubbers also took the opportunity to shower themselves off – they would jump on the rain and stick their head or arm or whatever body part would reach and get SOAKED. Since we were standing on the rail, every time the waterfall would go on we would get soaked from 'friendly fire'.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
First Day in Barcelona
As stated previously, we slept in today until about 4pm - The time change so far has been hard to get used to. In fact, I am writing this blog post at 5am local time.
Today was a great day. We got to see a lot. We hopped on the hotel's shuttle and headed downtown. They dropped us off at a place with some wonderful fountains - and, of course, a Mc Donalds. 
We then ran into a city worker who was hauling trash. He spoke English fairly well, and was excited to tell us all about his city. He recommended that we go on a short walk down to the boardwalk area - by the ocean. So we did just that. On the way, we happened to pass this store - not sure what it was all about, but I thought it made for a good photo op. Unfortunately, it was closed, so I was not able to get my happy pills for the day. A lot of the stores were closed today. 
The area around the ocean was really neat - lots of boats and little huts selling jewelry and other touristy stuff. We continued to follow the ocean and eventually found the beach.
We discovered a lot today, from a Casino, to the Zoo, to a lot of awesome 'green spaces'. This is the first city I have ever been in that really integrates nature into the city. Numerous times we would be walking and then, out of the blue, there would be a beautiful park - additionally this town has a TON of awesome water features - it seems like everywhere you look there is a fountain, creek, or waterfall. Very cool and very easy to forget that you are in a city that is home to 1.5 million people.
The area by the Zoo was extra nice. Very well kept up. - See previous posting about that.
Interesting things - the people seem to be in love with crepes with chocolate sauce on top of them - they sell these things EVERYWHERE. We have not tried one yet, but it is on our list for tomorrow. Also, the native Spanish people are kind of hard to identify - they really just blend in with everyone. Often times it is very difficult to determine if someone is American, British or Spanish.
We ate dinner at a nice outdoor seafood place on the ocean. Beautiful view. The food was okay - I had Spanish rice mixed with assorted seafood. Abby chose rice with assorted veggies. Hopefully tomorrow we will score some good food. Lots of KFC, McDonalds and Dominoes pizzas here.
On our way back to the hotel, our taxi passed by the Palau Nacional - which is located on top of a magnificent hill called Montjuïc, the views from the Palau Nacional are unmatched anywhere else in the city, and the museum is surrounded by a handful of other museums. Barcelona’s Palau Nacional appears, at first glance, to be a very grand, old building. Looks can be deceiving! This sprawling structure that houses the National Art Museum of Catalonia was actually built in 1929 for the International Exhibition. This thing was lit up like a Christmas tree. It was truly amazing - and this picture does not do it justice. Will visit and photograph upon our return to Barcelona in a few days. There were water fountains galore as you approached the building - and then this amazing sunburst of light behind it. Really something.
Alright, well it is 6am here now, I am going off to lay down for a bit and hopefully catch an hour of sleep. The shuttle bus leaves for the airport at 9am then off to Ibiza on the 11am flight.
Day One: DCA to JFK and JFK to BCN
Well, it is official, the trip to Spain is up and running! Things started out great - we got to the DC airport about 1.5 hours ahead of time, which was unnecessary - but we wanted to play it safe.
After checking in, we enjoyed some mozz sticks and wings from TGI Fridays. Security was a breeze, they actually opened a second line right as we arrived so we flew through. The flight to NYC JFK was amazingly short - a mere 38 minutes. However, once we landed we drove around the airport forever - it took nearly 20 minutes to get to our gate!
The flight was supposed to take off from JFK to Barcelona at 6:45pm - due to a late arriving plane, we did not end up leaving until around 715 or so. There were a ton of people from Spain on the flight, far out numbering the Americans. One Spanish high school class was returning home - thankfully we did not have to sit by them.
Before boarding we stopped at the duty free and picked up a bottle of Makers Mark and a bottle of Captain Morgan. We decided to crack open the Captain once we were about 2 hours into our flight - we ended up finishing the entire bottle! Stupidly, I gave the empty bottle to the flight attendant when they were going through the plane and asking for garbage. Once we landed in Barcelona, one of the male flight attendants told us that "just for future reference, you can not serve yourself alcohol on the plane, only we are allowed to do that"... lol opps..
The movies on the plane were lame! They were showing a bunch of kids movies, like Ice Age - which is very odd considering the flight was an overnight flight. So we chilled out and caught up on some reading. The flight was nice and quiet - a big plane with 7 seats across. Luckily, we got to sit in an extra row - man the extra leg room was NICE!
We watched the sun come up as we were descending into the Barcelona airport. It was quite beautiful. Customs presented no problem - we quickly flew through and grabbed a cab (although we found out later that the hotel offered a free shuttle) 25 Euro later we were at the hotel. Btw, the exchange rate is about 100 US Dollars for 63 Euro.
The hotel is amazing - 5 star all the way. Luckily, we were able to get checked in right away and head up to our room. It was about 10:00 am Barcelona time - around 3am Chicago time. We went up and crashed until about 4 in the afternoon.
Barcelona, Spain - Picture Gallery Now Online
I have uploaded some of the pictures from Barcelona on Sunday - you can view them by CLICKING HERE
Arc de Triomf - Barcelona, Spain
The Arc de Triomf (English: Triumphal Arch) is an archway structure in Barcelona, Spain. It was built for the 1888 Universal exhibition, as its main access gate by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas.
The arch is built in reddish brickwork in the Moorish Revival style. The front frieze contains the stone sculpture "Barcelona rep les nacions" (Catalan for "Barcelona welcomes the nations") by Josep Reynés. The opposite frieze contains a stone carving named "Recompense", a work from the earliest period of Josep Llimona.
The top of the arch is decorated with the Barcelona coat of arms as well as a representation of all 49 other Spanish provinces, work of Torquat Tassó and Antoni Vilanova.
The arch is located between Passeig de Lluís Companys and Passeig de Sant Joan, at the end of a wide promenade connecting with the Park of the Ciutadella.
Here is a video I shot of the Arc de Triomf
Parc de la Ciutadella - Barcelona's Beautiful Park!
View of the lobby of the Hesperia 5 Star Hotel in Barcelona
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Leaving New York - JFK bound for Barcelona Spain
overnight flight - total distance of 3,878 miles!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Cubs Win But Santo is Missed!
in the hospital the few weeks suffering from a kidney infection. Abby
and I wanted to express our affection for Santo and wish him a speedy
recovery - we have really missed him in the broadcast booth the last
few weeks. Fortunately th camera man for Comcast Chicago spotted us
and put us on TV during the DC Nationals v Cubs Game - Hopefully Ron
saw it!!! Get well soon Santo!!!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Poland Sues 50 Cent over Cancelled Concert
American rapper 50 Cent is being taken to court in Gorzow, western Poland, for cancelling a concert that the city spent 100,000 zloty promoting.
Legal teams from Gorzow and 50 Cent met Wednesday to discuss the case.
50 Cent was supposed to play in Gorzow in August 2008 as part of a promotional concert series for the city. After cancelling the concert, 50 Cent’s handlers did not refund the city the money spent, or set up alternative arrangements.
“We signed a contract for 200,000 zloty [47,000 euro]. The city logo appeared on posters. In every advertisement for the rapper, the city’s name appeared. We were convinced it was a good idea,” says Jolanta Ciesla, spokesperson for the city’s legal team.
The concert was to take place in the sports stadium in Gorzow with a capacity to hold 10,000 of the rapper’s Polish fans. Initially, when the city realized that the event was not turning out as planned, they attempted to push the concert back a month. Still, no tickets were sold.
The city had paid out 100,000 zloty in sponsorship, with plans to pay the second 100,000 zloty after the event. “Organizers expected to fulfill the contract and gain publicity for the city. We are of the opinion that this was not an advertisement for us at all but the opposite: an ‘anti-advertisement,’” adds Ciesla.
The concert organizers have not publicly disclosed why the event was cancelled. “Our legal department is handling the case,” says Michal Torz, from the Gdansk Shipyard Centre, the organizers of the concert.
From thenews.pl
Red Light Cameras and Speeding Cameras Generate Tickets, Controversy, and News Stories
Personally, I believe that all of these devices should be banned. The goal of law enforcement is to protect the citizens, not be a revenue raising device. The tickets issued by these machines are bogus, especially because you are considered guilty - leaving you with the burden of proof proving your innocence.
First up, CHEERS TO Schaumburg, Illinois:
This week, Schaumburg called their contract with RedSpeed, citing no improvements in safety and a flood of angry-motorist grief. This decision was made after red-light cameras at the village's lone picture-snapping intersection netted more than $1 million in tickets.
Chicago Tribune
Second - Jeers to Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson
While defending the camera ticket program he stated, "I guess you can say that's true with every ticket that's issued,I guess all tickets should be disbanded because all tickets are moneymakers."
Johnson said when police first started using radar guns to nab speeders, it didn't cause a public uproar like red-light cameras generate now. Well no doubt, Mr. Johnson - that is because police officers, HUMAN BEINGS, have judgment and do not issue citations that are arbitrary.
So the cameras are not moneymakers? Well consider this fact dug up by the Daily Herald - As of June 30, 2009, Elk Grove Village's seven red-light cameras generated $928,749 in their first year of operation. By comparison, the village received roughly $600,000 in revenue from other traffic tickets during that time. That, sir, I would call revenue generating / money making.
Next, Jeers to the Montgomery County (Rockville, Md.) Judge Who threw out camera speeding tickets issued to on duty police officers.
A Montgomery County judge has thrown out speeding tickets issued to four county police officers.
Automated cameras snapped pictures of the officers' cruisers exceeding the speed limit while the officers were on duty. The violations are as follows: 50 in a 25mph zone, 51 in a 25 mph zone, 36 in a 25 mph zone, and 46 in a 35mph zone.
Circuit Court Judge Ronald Rubin ruled Monday that the officers' right to due process had been violated because the police department doesn't have a written policy outlining when on-duty officers are exempt from speed camera tickets.
This decision has outraged some citizens, especially those who feel that law enforcement officers should be held to the same standard as ordinary citizens. "They are afforded more due process than the average citizen," said Assistant State's Attorney Teresa Casafranca.
From the Examiner
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Send Your Name to Mars!
NASA is offering you the ability to send your name to MARS!
Simply fill in your name and it will be included on a microchip on the Mars Science Laboratory rover heading to Mars in 2011!
Click Here for NASA
Introducing BingTweets
Microsoft's new search engine, BING, has now launched a second site - Bingtweets.com
Basically, Bingtweets combines Bing search with Twitter search and trending topics.
For example, search "Harry Potter" and you will receive Bing search results on one side of the page and, on the other side, recent tweets containing the same term. BingTweets also has a “Trending Topics” box that extends beyond Twitter’s top ten to include currently popular topics, places, people, and products.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
ABC's Virtual View - Reenacts The Old Baby Through a Security XRay Machine Trick @abc
While security at Federal buildings is no laughing matter, this report by ABC World News did make me chuckle, especially at the use of the "ABC Virtual View", which is used to reenact different events.
This time, virtual view provided us with an inside look into what happened when an officer shot a mirror in the bathroom while playing 'quick draw'.
And in my personal favorite - Virtual view also showed us how it looked when a security officer at a federal building allowed an infant in a baby carrier to go through the xray machine. 
The virtual view begins around the - 9:15 mark.
Federal Protective Service Busted
Monday, July 13, 2009
Real World - Washington, DC #DC #MTV #RWDC
Apparently MTV's REAL WORLD is filming here in DC. Filming began on July 2, and it will be the 23rd season
To follow the news on the Real World DC Crew check out Twitter:RealworldDCNEWZ
or check them out on
Facebook
Bring em on! Southern Illinois Mayor Acts like a Buffoon on Fox Chicago Tv
Marion Mayor:Detainees
Love Sand, Camels
Updated: Monday, 06 Jul 2009, 12:42 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 06 Jul 2009, 12:42 PM CDT
A downstate mayor says “go ahead, bring on the Gitmo detainees.” Robert Butler is the mayor of Marion. He says the town's medium security prison could be upgraded to host the unwanted prisoners. He talks to Mike and Jan over the phone.
In the interview, Jan asks Butler if he’s worried that the detainees will be living in his city if they get out of jail.
Butler responds by saying, “I cannot imagine that they would care to stay here. We don’t have any camels and there isn’t any sand. So, I’m sure that if they were released they wouldn’t be coming here to this community. They’d be going some place else.”
Later in the interview, Butler explains more about why Marion should hold the prisoners.
He says, “We’ve got our American thugs there. Let’s put the terrorist thugs there. Our American thugs are going to take care of them and so we go from there.”
From Fox Chicago
Obama to throw out first pitch...
Barack Obama will be adding baseball broadcaster to his résumé. SI.com learned Sunday that the President will join Fox Sports announcers Joe Buck and Tim McCarver during Tuesday's All-Star Game. Obama is expected to be in the booth sometime between the third and fifth inning. SI.com reported earlier that the White House was considering Fox Sports' request to interview the President during the game.
Obama is scheduled to throw out the first pitch Tuesday in St. Louis at Busch Stadium. He will be joined by former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter in a seven-minute video address to be aired during the pregame ceremony. The video will honor 30 Americans whom MLB and People magazine have recognized for service to their communities.
Major League Baseball says the video will mark the first time all of the living U.S. presidents will participate in a ceremony at a sporting event. Following the video, Obama will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.From CNN / SI.Com
http://tinyurl.com/nzocfl
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Filming of Police Raid for TV Show Outrages DC Residents
Montgomery County police officers staged a fake raid in Northwest D.C., complete with guns drawn and police lights blazing, sparking outrage from local residents who were not warned that the cops were acting for a TV show.
About a half dozen off-duty officers, who wore county uniforms and drove county police cars, were hired by a local production company to stage a police raid on 315 Aspen St. NW, which is about a quarter of a mile from the Montgomery-D.C. border.
"If the D.C. police had been in Montgomery County, that's all [anyone] would have talked about," said an irate Kelly Craven, who lives a few houses down from the raided house.
The filming was for a show called "Prison Wives," which is about women who fall in love with and marry prisoners, according to neighbors. The show is in development for the cable channel Investigation Discovery, according to its Web site.
Julie Schor, who lives next door, and other neighbors said they were angry when they found out that the police were there to be filmed and the community had not been notified.
"I wasn't told nothing," Hall said, adding that the police "took their time" when he asked them to move their cars out of his driveway.
The police also tied up traffic by speeding up and down the two-lane residential street with their flashing lights on, neighbors said.
Police spokeswoman Lucille Baur said the blame for the "very unfortunate" incident lies with the production company for not alerting residents before filming.She said the department allowed officers to participate because it was told that filming would occur inside the county's borders.
The Silver Spring production company, Sirens Media, issued a statement apologizing to the residents for not following the "correct protocol" to notify the District before filming.
Had they cleared the film shoot with the city first, Sirens would have been required to get a permit and paid to have traffic diverted, according a spokesman for the District's film office, who added that the city would have "over-communicated" to the neighborhood about any planned filming involving guns.
Story from the Examiner
Friday, June 26, 2009
Michael Jackson Death Prompts Bus Brawl
Jackson Remark Prompts Knife Threat
Suspect In Bus Confrontation Arrested
POSTED: Friday, June 26, 2009
UPDATED: 3:23 pm EDT June 26, 2009
NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Broward Sheriff's Office said a man's comment about the death of Michael Jackson prompted a confrontation on a Broward County Transit bus Thursday evening.
James Kiernan, 60, of Coral Springs was riding the bus near Kimberly Boulevard and State Road 7 when he received a text message saying that Jackson had died. He told the other passengers on the bus about Jackson's death.
The bus driver commented, saying
Jackson should have been in jail long ago, BSO said.
"The world just lost a great musical talent," Kiernan said.
For some reason, BSO said, that comment enraged another passenger, 54-year-old Henry Wideman of North Lauderdale. Police said he told Kiernan to shut up, and Kiernan said, "I can say whatever I want."
According to BSO, Wideman started yelling profanities, pulled out a 6-inch folding knife, moved toward Kiernan and threatened him as Kiernan backed away.
The bus driver told his dispatcher of the situation and pulled over near Rock Island Road and Kimberly Boulevard to wait for police.
BSO said Wideman got off the bus and went to a nearby Quick Stop, where deputies arrested him. Wideman
faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Story from JustNews
Thursday, June 25, 2009
DC - Metro Operator was NOT on cell phone
There had been some speculation about whether Jeanice McMillan, the Metro operator who lost her life in Monday's Red Line crash, had been using her cell phone at the time of the collision, but Metro says she wasn't, WTOP reports.
"We know where her cell phone was -- it was not on her. It was in a backpack," Metro General Manager John Catoe said. Investigators have also reportedly found evidence on the rails at the crash site that the brakes were activated several hundred feet before impact.
"The train itself was trying to stop for several hundred feet," Catoe says. "There's not one letter of evidence that our operator did anything to cause the accident."
More from WTOP - DC
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Howard Stern Programing Not Featured on iPhone App
When Sirius XM released its iPhone application last week, one of the conspicuous omissions was Howard Stern.
After fielding a call from a fan on Monday,
Stern discussed why his channels won't be featured on the iPhone app.
"It was a rights thing, a contractual-rights thing," Stern told listeners. "It was a rights issue and a whole entanglement thing. So, we're not on it.
Maybe one day, we will be."
Stern sidekick Artie Lange chimed in, saying,
"Apple shouldn't profit off Howard Stern."
After trying to find the words to answer Lange,
Stern responded with a simple, "Yeah, that's it."
Stern's production company is paid $100 million each year by Sirius XM.
I guess that fee just isn't enough to include his channels in its iPhone app.
Story from CNET
Monday, June 22, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
US State Department to Twitter: Keep Iranian tweets coming
Senior officials say the State Department is working with Twitter and other social networking sites to ensure Iranians are able to continue to communicate to each other and the outside world.
By necessity, the US is staying hands off of the election drama playing out in Iran, and officials say they are not providing messages to Iranians or “quarterbacking” the disputed election process.
But they do want to make sure the technology is able to play its sorely-needed role in the crisis, which is why the State Department is advising social networking sites to make sure their networks stay up and running for Iranians to use them and helping them stay ahead of anyone who would try to shut them down.
For example, senior officials say the State Department asked Twitter to refrain for going down for periodic scheduled maintenance at this critical time to ensure the site continues to operate. Bureau’s and offices across the State Department, they say, are paying very close attention to Twitter and other sites to get information on the situation in Iran.
Because the US has no relations with Iran and does not have an embassy there, it is relying on media reports and the State Department’s Iran Watch Offices in embassies around the world. The largest such offices are in Dubai, Berlin and London, all home to large Iranian expat communities.
But officials say the internet, and specifically social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, are providing the United States with critical information in the face of a crackdown on journalists by Iranian authorities.
FROM CNN
Twitter Reschedules Maintenance Around #IranElection Controversy
Twitter is playing a crucial role in the ongoing controversy over the disputed Iran elections. Meanwhile, earlier today Twitter publicized on their status blog that there would be maintenance at 12:45am ET/9:45pm tonight and it would last for at least 90 minutes.
While that would’ve been convenient for users in the US, it would’ve meant the maintenance would be scheduled for Tuesday morning Tehran time, when activity on the ground is likely to be intense. Taking this into account, Twitter, in conjunction with their network host, NTT America, have rescheduled maintenance to tomorrow afternoon US time – the middle of the night in Iran.
Story from Mashable.com
Friday, June 5, 2009
Facebook Strikes Again - 20 year old faces parole violation after drinking photos posted
Facebook drinking photos show parole violation in fatal DUI case
Court orders woman, 20, to wear alcohol ankle monitor
Having their pictures posted on Facebook while partying with friends may not seem like a big deal to many college students. But for a Campton Hills woman charged in a DUI-related fatal crash, those pictures had serious consequences.
Under orders from a Kane County judge, Erika Scoliere, 20, was outfitted Thursday with an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet after police found online photos of her consuming alcohol on Facebook.
The woman, who is awaiting trial, was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI after a July 2007 collision in South Elgin that killed a motorcyclist.
As a condition of her bail, Scoliere had been ordered not to consume alcohol or be around people who are drinking, but South Elgin police found photos of Scoliere, who attends college in Ohio, drinking with friends.
"It appears the defendant is having a grand old time drinking tequila," Judge Thomas Mueller said during Wednesday's court hearing as he leafed through copies of the pictures.
" 'Erika passed out in my bed. Ha Ha,' " the judge said, quoting one of the captions.
Story from the Chicago Tribune
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tony La Russa Sues Twitter Over Fake Twitter Account
Tony La Russa, the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, is up in arms over the fact that someone other than him tweeted under his likeness and that Twitter permitted it. In fact, he’s so pissed that he’s taking Twitter to court.
So what’s the fuss all about? Apparently the individual tweeting as Tony La Russa (@tonylarussa was removed after the lawsuit was filed) made statements that the real Tony didn’t appreciate. So he’s suing Twitter and the causes of action include trademark infringement, trademark dilution, cybersquatting, misappropriation of name and likeness, invasion of privacy, and intentional misrepresentation.
As Exhibit A demonstrates, the fake La Russa had all of four followers (just think of how many people know about this story now) and tweeted with a few obscenities and inappropriate remarks that are understandably offensive. We can also see, however, that the Twitterer in question wasn’t masquerading as La Russa, but instead a very obvious fake. The bio reads, “Bio Parodies are fun for everyone.”
According to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the complaint for damages states, “As a direct and proximate result of Defendant’s actions as stated herein, Plaintiff (La Russa) has suffered significant emotional distress, damage to his reputation, and damage to the goodwill of his mark.”
Story: June 3rd, 2009 | by Jennifer Van Grove from Mashable.com