Twitter has been a buzz today with news that the cherished Mc Donald's Shamrock Shakes are back! Click here
I can not wait to get mine!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Shamrock Shakes are BACK!!
Cubs - Cactus League Update
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The Cubs won over the White Sox today to move to 4-0 in Cactus league play. Aaron Heilman, making his first Cactus League appearance, struck out four of the seven batters he faced and gave up one hit in two innings.
Brad Snyder hit a grand slam to spark a nine-run seventh, his first spring homer. Koyie Hill hit a two-run double with two outs in the fourth for the Cubs, the only National League team to begin spring unbeaten.
My new favorite, Micah Hoffpauir hit an RBI single to raise his spring total to eight RBIs. Hoffpauir has played in every game but will get Sunday off. "It's my birthday," said the infielder, who turns 29.
Kevin Gregg, who is competing with Carlos Marmol for the closer's job, gave up one hit and struck out one in one inning. New of note, today Marmol reversed his decision on WBC - stating that he will now play for the Dominican Republic in the WBC.
Today's game was played at the Cubs Spring Training Park, a HoHoKam Park, in Mesa, AZ before a record crowd of 13,010 - more than double than the 6,000 that were at HoHoKam to see the Cubs vs the Brewers on Thursday.
Marine One Security Info Breached?
An Internet security company claims that Iran has taken advantage of a computer security breach to obtain engineering and communications information about Marine One, President Barack Obama's helicopter, according to a report by WPXI, NBC's affiliate in Pittsburgh.
Tiversa, headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pa., reportedly discovered a security breach that led to the transfer of military information to an Iranian IP address, according to WPXI. The information is said to include planned engineering upgrades, avionic schematics, and computer network information.
The channel quoted the company's CEO, Bob Boback, who said Tiversa found a file containing the entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One.
"What appears to be a defense contractor in Bethesda, Md., had a file-sharing program on one of their systems that also contained highly sensitive blueprints for Marine One," Boback told WPXI.
Tiversa makes products that monitor the sharing of files online. A representative for the company was not immediately available for comment.
Boback believes that the files probably were transferred through a peer-to-peer file-sharing network such as LimeWire or BearShare, then compromised.
Full Story
Friday, February 27, 2009
News Round Up
Mayor who sent watermelon e-mail says he'll resign
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (AP) — The mayor of a small Southern California city says he will resign after being criticized for sharing an e-mail picture depicting the White House lawn planted with watermelons under the title "No Easter egg hunt this year."
Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose issued a statement Thursday saying he is sorry and will step down as mayor at Monday's City Council meeting.
Story
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Vegas casino sells 2-foot, 6-pound burrito at cafe
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas casino cafe is rewarding patrons who can put away a 2-foot, 6-pound burrito with a most logical prize — free unlimited rides on a roller coaster that runs in both forward and reverse.
The offer comes with a caveat, though: Those who accept the challenge but can't finish "The Bomb" burrito have to take a picture with an extra small, pink T-shirt that says "Weenie."
The NASCAR Cafe at the Sahara Hotel & Casino began selling the cheese-and-guacamole slathered burrito on Thursday for $19.95.
Those who can finish the monstrous entree get it for free, along with two unlimited coaster passes and a T-shirt proclaiming they "Conquered the Bomb."
Story
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Russian bomber neared Canada before Obama visit
By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian fighters planes scrambled to intercept an approaching Russian bomber less than 24 hours before U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Ottawa last week, Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said on Friday.
The long-range Bear bomber did not enter Canada's Arctic airspace but the two CF-18 fighters had to order the plane to "back off", MacKay told a news conference.
Story
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Connecticut incentives may lure Jerry Springer from Chicago
Steve Wilkos, Maury Povich may also relocate this summer
By Phil Rosenthal | Tribune reporter
February 28, 2009
Connecticut incentives may lure Jerry Springer from Chicago
Steve Wilkos, Maury Povich may also relocate this summer
By Phil Rosenthal | Tribune reporter
Normally, it's the fights on "The Jerry Springer Show" that get the attention. Now attention is focused on the fight for "The Jerry Springer Show," as the nationally syndicated television show looks to be headed out of Chicago and to Stamford, Conn.
Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell on Friday said the state and NBC Universal are working on a deal to establish a television production studio in Stamford, about 30 miles from New York City.
Sources close to the negotiations said NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, the company's syndicated television arm, plans to relocate "The Jerry Springer Show" and "The Steve Wilkos Show" from Chicago to the new facility this summer in time for the start of the 2009 television season. Maury Povich's syndicated NBC Universal program "Maury" also would move there from New York.
Springer's show has originated from NBC Universal's NBC Tower in Chicago since 1992, after making its debut a year earlier in Cincinnati.
Full Story
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Obama Beats out Jesus as America's Hero
Obama Beats out Jesus as America's Hero
President comes in first, Jesus number two
By MATT BARTOSIK
Updated 11:34 AM EST, Fri, Feb 20, 2009
Who would you say your hero is? Mother Teresa? Abe Lincoln? Jesus Christ? Those are all very good role models, but according to a new Harris poll, none of them were America's #1 answer.
When asked whom they admired enough to call their heroes, a cross-section of over 2,500 adult Americans mentioned President Barack Obama most often. Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King came in second and third, respectively.
The respondents named their heroes spontaneously and were not provided with a list of names to choose from.
Others in the top ten, in descending order, included Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, Chesley Sullenberger, and Mother Teresa.
Participants were asked to explain their choice of heroes. The most popular reasons were "doing what's right regardless of personal consequences," "not giving up until the goal is accomplished," and "doing more than what other people expect of them."
The same poll had been conducted in 2001. Back then, Barack Obama was completely unknown, and George W. Bush rated only 19th (and is now fifth on the list). Also at that time, John Wayne and Michael Jordan ranked 8th and 9th respectively and have now dropped out of the top 20. Colin Powell went from third to 16th.
It is also interesting to note that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ranks higher (12th) than her husband former President Bill Clinton (16th, tied with Colin Powell and George Washington).
The poll findings harken back to March 1966 when John Lennon told a British newspaper that he thought the Beatles were more popular than Jesus.
The backlash was incredible, with the American Bible Belt protesting in the South and Midwest, and conservative groups staging public burnings of Beatles' records and memorabilia.
Hopefully, Obama will be spared the grief Lennon got in the 60s.
"I'm not saying that we're better or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is," he said in a follow-up interview, claiming he was just stating a fact regarding the youth in England at that time.
Check out the complete list here
Complete Story Here
Pay Your Bills! Obama victory bash still owes Chicago $1.74 mil
February 20, 2009
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter/fspielman@suntimes.com
Chicago has yet to recoup the $1.74 million cost of President Obama's victory celebration in Grant Park -- despite a burgeoning $50.5 million budget shortfall that threatens more layoffs and union concessions.
"The Democratic National Committee has not yet paid us,'' Peter Scales, a spokesman for the city's Office of Budget and Management, said Thursday after questions from the Chicago Sun-Times. "We're reaching out to them this week."
Stacie Paxton, a spokeswoman for the Obama-controlled DNC, explained the reimbursement delay by saying, "We are still looking at various costs and bills.'' She would not say whether parts of the bill are disputed.
The city spent $1 million on police protection for the rally. The Office of Emergency Management and Communications racked up more than $120,000 in expenses, including $19,500 paid to police official Neil Sullivan to quarterback election night logistics.
In late October, Mayor Daley assured that the cash-flush Obama campaign would reimburse the city for every penny spent on the rally. "We have a financial crisis," he said at the time. "The City of Chicago could not afford $2 million on this because we're gonna be laying off people, cutting back. That [cost] would really be unfortunate. . . . It's a huge cost to the City of Chicago.
"This is not a presidential visit. . . . This is a political event, and they've agreed to pay for all those services -- all the expenses of that. ... It's costly, but they raised quite a bit of money. There's no [shortage] of money in that campaign."
The day after the Nov. 4 election, Daley was asked again whether the Obama campaign would pay up.
"Yeah. I don't know why you're so negative. ... What is this? He just won for president, and you say, 'He's not gonna pay his bills,' " the mayor said then.
On Dec. 9, the day the Sun-Times disclosed the $1.74 million tab, Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt referred questions to the DNC.
Paxton confirmed then that the rally was a "DNC-sponsored event" and that the party was discussing the itemized bill with the city.
THE BILLThe bill for Barack Obama's election night rally at Grant Park
Police $1 million
Emergency Management and Communications Office $121,578
Fire Department $85,965
Streets and Sanitation $71,694
Transportation $49,659
Cultural Affairs $2,567
Environment $2,309
CTA $201,500
Chicago Park District $202,440
(Park District breakdown):
Giant video boards $68,900
Electrical $37,185
Sound $37,500
Stagehands $29,850
Portable toilets $12,500
Security $7,505
Stage rental $6,000
Bike racks, barricades $2,000
Heavy equipment $1,000
Total bill $1,737,712
Link to this story
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Chicago Tea Party
Rick Santelli, reporting from the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, went on an epic rant regarding the stimulus package saying, "The government is promoting bad behavior," before turning to the traders on the floor and whipping them up into a frenzy. He also calls for a Chicago Tea Party in July, saying - at the 2:10 mark - "All you capitalists that wanna show up to Lake Michigan, I'm gonna start organizing it...I'll be dumping in some derivative securities..."
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Stimulus Cartoon Spurs Racial Debate
Updated, 5:01 p.m. | Gov. David A. Paterson, Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, the Rev. Al Sharpton and others expressed concern on Wednesday morning over an editorial cartoon in The New York Post that showed a police officer telling his colleague who just shot a chimpanzee, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”
Critics said the cartoon, drawn by Sean Delonas, implicitly compared President Obama with the primate and evoked a history of racist imagery of blacks. The chimpanzee was an apparent reference to the 200-pound pet chimpanzee that was shot dead by a police officer in Stamford, Conn., on Monday evening, after it mauled a friend of his owner.
Speaking at a conference of the New York Academy of Medicine on Wednesday morning, Mr. Paterson said that while he had not seen the cartoon, he believed that The Post should explain it. Given the possibility that some people could conclude the cartoon had a racial subtext, Mr. Paterson said the newspaper needed to clarify its meaning.
“It would be very important for The New York Post to explain what the cartoon was intended to portray,” Mr. Paterson said in response to a question about whether the cartoon’s depiction of a monkey was racist, as Mr. Sharpton has suggested. “Obviously those types of associations have been made. They do feed a kind of negative and stereotypical way that people think. But I think if it’s enough that people are raising this issue, I hope they would clarify.”
Oregon Trail headed to the iPhone
Gameloft announced Wednesday plans to release The Oregon Trail for the iPhone and iPod touch.
A game that's existed in one form or another since the early 1970s, The Oregon Trail was a trailblazing educational title for the Apple II and other early computer platforms. The game's refrain "You have died of dysentery" has even become enough of a cultural touchstone in recent years to spawn a t-shirt.
The game takes players across the famed Oregon Trail -- one of the few practical ways that early American settlers in covered wagons had to travel to the northwestern United States. The trail was notorious for taking a heavy toll on settlers, who succumbed to illness, starvation and occasional attacks from bandits and others on the way.
The iPhone version takes you from Independence, Mich. to Willamette Valley, Ore., making decisions and solving problems on the way. You'll have to ford raging rivers, survive bear attacks and avoid sickness and starvation, plus you play eight skill-based mini-games using the accelerometer, such as hunting, fishing, wagon repairing, river crossing, rafting, telegraphing, gold panning and berry picking.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Hysterical Airline Passenger
This one has gone viral.
A video of a hysterical passenger screaming at airline staff and writhing on the floor after missing a flight at Hong Kong airport has become a YouTube hit.
By Sunday, the three-minute clip of the furious woman had racked up close to 40,000 hits in three days on the video-sharing site.
The video starts with the screaming woman running towards the departure gate and bouncing off a female security guard, after she learned that her flight has been closed.
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Stimulus Has Passed
Senators Snowe, Collins and Specter sell out the GOP to allow the Democrats to pass the stimulus bill. The bill now goes to President Obama for signature. Not one Republican voted for the bill in the house - and only 3 Republicans voted for the bill in the Senate. Not quite the bi-partisan spirit that President Obama had hoped for.
The bill, which was about 1,100 pages was released last night around 11pm ET.
How much is a trillion dollars? Well....here are some things we could do with a trillion dollars:
Everyone knows the automakers are struggling, and we all know that
families are too. Solution: Use the 1 trillion to purchase 43 million
2009 Chevy Malibus. This would mean that one out of every seven
Americans would receive a brand new 2009 Malibu.
Assumption: Based on 23,000 per Malibu
Obesity in America is on the rise, health experts often claim that obesity causes Americans to spent more on health care than they would if they were fit and healthy. With $1 trillion we could provide every American a 6 year gym membership.
Assumption: Using national average of 50 dollars a month for a gym membership.
We could purchase 83,333,333,333 Dominos pepperoni pizzas – which equates to 275 Cheese Pizzas for every American.
Assumption: 12 dollar Dominos pepperoni pizza
It would take a military jet flying at the speed of sound, reeling out
a roll of dollar bills behind it, 14 years before it reeled out one
trillion dollar bills.
The House voted on the bill around 9am this morning. Below is Republican Leader Boehner talking about how ridiculous it is to vote on a bill which no one has had a chance to read.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Plane Crashes in Buffalo
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Friday, February 13, 2009 -- 12:30 AM ET
-----
Commuter Plane With 48 Aboard Crashes in Buffalo
A Continental Express flight from Newark to Buffalo crashed
into a house about 4 miles from the Buffalo airport on
Thursday night, according to a spokesman for the National
Transportation Safety Board. The plane carried 48 passengers
and crew, said the spokesman, Ted Lopatkiewicz.
Stimulus Means Caterpillar Will Rehire Laid Off Workers, Or Does It?
You Have to watch this video and ask yourself - who is telling the truth?
CEO Contradicts Obama on Rehiring Employees
Caterpillar Head Says More Layoffs Likely, Even With Stimulus Funding
BY KAREN TRAVERS AND JAKE TAPPER
Feb. 12, 2009
At a Caterpillar Inc. plant in Peoria, Ill., today, President Obama said that his proposed economic stimulus would allow the company's CEO to rehire recently laid-off employees. But the head of the company said he will have to fire more workers before he can rehire anyone who has been let go.
Obama has said twice in the past two days that Caterpillar CEO James Owens indicated his company would be able to rehire some of the 20,000 recently laid-off employees.
"Yesterday, Jim, the head of Caterpillar, said that if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off," Obama said today in Peoria.
But when asked today if the stimulus could do that, Owens said, "I think, realistically, no. The honest reality is we're probably going to have more layoffs before we start hiring again."
Full Story
Barack Obama's homecoming adds flight limits
February 12, 2009 10:02 PM
Small plane pilots flying near Chicago this weekend will need to learn the ways of Washington: Be well aware of flight restrictions for miles around a sitting president or be prepared to be escorted from the area by an F-16 fighter jet.
Starting before Friday evening's arrival of President Barack Obama and lasting until his planned departure Monday, temporary flight restrictions will be in place for an area 60 nautical miles wide, centered roughly on his South Side home.
Such restrictions are commonplace over Washington and have also been used above other presidential retreats, including former President George Bush's ranch near Crawford, Texas.
Aviation sources say the Secret Service will evaluate the weekend to see if restrictions should be expanded or reduced in the future. Obama and his family are expected to arrive at O'Hare International Airport as part of their first trip to Chicago on Air Force One.
The restrictions do not affect commercial airlines, but they will dramatically affect small-plane pilots, including those who might enjoy a casual flight along the lakefront.
Private aircraft will still be able to use Midway Airport, but the rules require significant advanced planning and security provisions that general aviation pilots typically have not had to follow until now, aviation officials said.
"You can get into Midway, which is about 2 miles inside the no-fly zone. But it will take a lot of work to make that happen," said Chris Dancy, spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
A no-fly zone with a 10-mile radius will be in place, with exceptions allowed for commercial service as well as law enforcement, military and air ambulance flights.
Those flying in the larger restricted space will need to submit applications at least 48 hours in advance and will be subject to searches not typically required for small planes. Three area airports outside the boundaries have been designated for planes to land and have pilots and passengers screened before continuing into the area.
Controllers at Midway predicted the measures will reduce the number of general aviation flights to the Southwest Side airport.
Rob Mark, a Chicago-area flight instructor and former airline pilot, said pilots he has talked to about the restrictions are frustrated by the inconvenience they will create. "You have to protect the president, but I think this is a little silly," he said.
Full Story
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Winds are a blowing!
National Weather issued a Wind Advisory for DC,VA,and MD starting tonight at 2AM until Friday AM. Tomorrow with winds of 20 t0 30 and gusting up to 50 MPH. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Showers likely with isolated thunderstorms this evening then a chance of showers after midnight.
Monday, February 9, 2009
BiPartisan Apparently Equals 3 Votes
Feb 9, 7:04 PM (ET)
By DAVID ESPO
WASHINGTON (AP) - An $838 billion economic stimulus bill backed by the White House survived a key test vote in the Senate on Monday despite strong Republican opposition, and Democratic leaders vowed to deliver legislation for President Barack Obama's signature within a few days.
The vote was 61-36, one more than the 60 needed to advance the measure toward Senate passage on Tuesday. That in turn, will set the stage for possibly contentious negotiations with the House on a final compromise on legislation the president says is desperately needed to tackle the worst economic crisis in more than a generation.
The Senate vote occurred as the Obama administration moved ahead on another key component of its economic recovery plan. Officials said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would outline rules on Tuesday for $350 billion in bailout funds designed to help the financial industry as well as homeowners facing foreclosure.
Monday's vote was close but scarcely in doubt once the White House and Democratic leaders agreed to trim about $100 billion on Friday.
As a result, Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania broke ranks to cast their votes to advance the bill.
Complete Story
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Another Nominee Means More Trouble
Solis Senate Session Postponed in Wake of Husband's Tax Lien Revelations
Updated 3:30 p.m.
By Michael A. Fletcher
A Senate committee today abruptly canceled a session to consider President Obama's nomination of Rep. Hilda Solis to be labor secretary in the wake of a report saying that her husband yesterday paid about $6,400 to settle tax liens against his business -- including liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years.
The report, by USA Today, came just before the Senate's Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee was slated to meet to consider Solis's nomination, which had been delayed by questions over her role on the board of the pro-labor organization American Rights at Work. A source said that committee members did not learn about the tax issue until today.
"Today's executive session was postponed to allow members additional time to review the documentation submitted in support of Representative Solis's nomination to serve in the important position of Labor Secretary," read a joint statement issued by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), the panel's chairman, and Mike Enzi (Wyoming), the committee's ranking Republican. "There are no holds on her nomination and members on both sides of the aisle remain committed to giving her nomination the fair and thorough consideration that she deserves. We will continue to work together to move this nomination forward as soon as possible."
No new date has been set for the hearing. The disclosure about Solis's husband comes after tax problems caused trouble for three of Obama's top appointees, leading two of them -- HHS-nominee Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer, who was to be chief performance officer -- to withdraw.
Asked about the USA Today report at the White House daily briefing, press secretary Robert Gibbs emphasized that the nominee's tax returns are in order.
"Well, I read the story in USA Today, and it quotes somebody that works here, so obviously we've -- we know about this story. I'll say this. We reviewed her tax returns, and her tax returns are in order," said Gibbs.
"The story denotes that her husband had some issues with paying a business tax, and obviously that tax is -- should be paid. He's -- she's not a partner in that business, Gibbs continued. "So we're not going to penalize her for her husband's business mistakes. Obviously, her husband, I think, has and should pay any taxes that he owes. "
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Senator Gregg Will Not Vote On Stimulus
Senator Judd Gregg, nominated to head the Commerce Department in the Obama White House, delivered a double blow to the prospects of a stimulus bill passing the Senate when he let it be known on Wednesday that he generally supported the measure but would not vote on its passage.
"I have recused myself from voting during the pendency of my nomination," Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, told CNBC.
Earlier in the program he said he was "not really engaged in the stimulus bill," but that he did believe "we need one."
Story
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
DC Auto Show 2009
I had the chance to attend the Sneak Peak Party at the DC Auto Show Tonight. Really no big surprises - all of the focus was on hybrids and electric cars. One stand out was the Dodge Challenger - What a car that was!
Also interesting was the new Chrysler concept car, it is completely touch screen and also feature an interface for your iPhone. You can unlock the car with your iPhone, roll down the windows, even view who is driving your car through the webcam mounted in the rear view mirror. The car is not in production yet - but Chrysler says it probably will be in 2-3 years.
For Photos Click Here
Monday, February 2, 2009
Judd Gregg to Comerce ?
CNN is reporting that this is a done deal.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire has accepted President Barack Obama's offer to be commerce secretary, two administration officials said Monday.
The officials said the official announcement is expected Tuesday morning.
Comcast Apologizes for Porn during Superbowl
By Vishesh Kumar
Comcast is examining whether a malicious attack is behind the interruption of the company’s Super Bowl coverage Sunday by a pornographic film in some areas of Tucson. The interruption, which lasted less than 30 seconds, affected customers watching the company’s standard definition coverage but not high-definition customers, a Comcast spokeswoman said.
Comcast has contacted the Federal Communications Commission as well as local authorities to investigate the matter. But an initial review showed that the company’s technical systems functioned properly at the time of the incident, suggesting someone deliberately seeking to interrupt the broadcast rather than a technical glitch.
“We are mortified by the incident and we apologize to our customers,” the Comcast spokeswoman said. The company will likely issue credits to customers who were affected, though the amount remains to be determined.
The station from which Comcast picked up its feed was NBC affiliate KVOA, which said it provided Cox Communications with a feed of the broadcast via fiber line, which Cox subsequently sent to Comcast, also via a fiber line. KVOA said on its Web site that only Comcast customers saw the pornographic images and that customers of other operators, like DirecTV Group and Cox Communications, as well as over-the-air viewers, received “clean feeds.” The incident “sparked a flurry of angry phone calls and emails to our newsroom,” the company wrote on its Web site.
The Comcast spokeswoman said it was not immediately apparent how or where the breach occurred. Cable signals pass through several pieces of transmission facilities, including out to an operator’s local offices and to customers ‘ homes.
This is the first time the company is aware of its signal being tampered with in this way, the Comcast spokeswoman said.
Complete Story
Next Up On Reality TV: Arranged Marriages
CBS is treading into potentially controversial reality TV territory again.
The network has ordered a new series from the producers of "Top Chef" that puts lovelorn singles into arranged marriages.
The show introduces four adults age approximately 25-45 who are anxious to get married but have been unsuccessful in their search for a mate. Their friends and family select a spouse for them, and the newly paired couple exchange marital vows. The series follows their marriages.
The rest of the details for the project, whose early working title is "Arranged Marriage," are being kept under wraps.
Complete Story
India to unveil 10 Dollar Laptop
India is poised to unveil the ultimate in credit-crunch computing: a 500 rupee (£7) laptop.
A government-developed prototype, due to be shown for the first time tomorrow, will mark the most ambitious attempt yet to bring computers to the developing world and to bridge the "digital divide" between rich and poor.
It is also the latest example of ultra-cheap engineering to emerge from the sub-continent. India has already given the world a 100,000 rupee (£1,420) car, the Tata Nano, and a super-basic £10 phone — goods that are now expected to find favour among relatively affluent Westerners as the global economic downturn bites.
However, the launch of a viable computer that costs less than most paperback books would herald a startling new era in thrifty manufacturing. The Indian laptop, which has been on the drawing board for at least three years, will be the centre of attention at the launch of India's new National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology, a scheme to boost learning in rural areas through the internet.
-Update from BBC
Early reports of the cheap laptop suggested that it would cost only 500 rupees (£7). However, this could be a mistranslation, because transcripts of the speech, in which it was unveiled, mentioned it costing $10 (£7) but this was later corrected to $100 (£70).
Work on the device has been carried out at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras.
Even if the finished device costs $100, it will significantly undercut other low cost laptops aimed at the developing world, such as the One Laptop Per Child's XO machine and the Intel Classmate.
Originally, the XO was intended to cost $100 but the finished version ended up costing about $188 (£131).
The development of the cheap laptop is the latest in a series of initiatives to create low cost computing devices for Indians. In late 1999, the Simputer hand-held computer debuted and has been used in a variety of projects, including digitising land records.
Full Story
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