Planetaki Planet example

All lilies sold out today 1

2010-03-14T00:44:35+00:00

via http://www.andresmarroquin.com/All_lilies_sold_out_today_1.html

TruGreen Not Impressed With The Job TruGreen Is Doing On Your Lawn

2010-03-14T00:46:26+00:00

Paul received a door hanger from with a nice personal note from a salesman for the lawn care company TruGreen. "I see you're treating the weeds already, but I have licensed techs, who use industrial strength products," he wrote. "Give us a call to see aggressive gauranteed [sic] results!" How perceptive! Peter could almost take it seriously were his lawn care company not TruGreen.

GDC: EA DICE on building a bite-sized Battlefield

2010-03-14T00:46:17+00:00

EA DICE has been a fairly prolific developer during the current console generation, churning out both a high-profile title based on original IP (Mirror's Edge), as well as ones based on established franchises like Battlefield. EA was searching for a way to capitalize on the downtime between these blockbuster releases -- a game which would be relatively quick and painless to create, while still standing up to the quality standards set by their previous releases. Thus, the idea for Battlefield 1943 was born.

Battlefield 1943 producer Patrick Liu explained the studio's unique design philosophy while making the game, which boiled down to "make the game as long as resources last." They maximized the amount of content they produced under this strategy by settling on the somewhat smaller scope of the game early, and focusing on recreating the Battlefield experience to adhere to that scope.

Some decisions made under this philosophy include making ammunition and health auto-regenerate, cutting down on tiresome resource runs back to your home base. This decision led to others, including the removal of the medic and engineer classes. It also let them focus on perfecting a handful of maps and gametypes, which, while iterated from previous installments in the franchise, also saw major adjustments in 1943.

The result was a project developed by 15 series veterans at once, at one-tenth of the cost of a full DICE game, which broke day one, week one and month one downloadable sales records. It's no surprise that Liu expressed interest in developing more "games of this size and scope" -- when handled correctly, it sounds like a miniature entry in a major franchise can be quite the profitable cash cow.

Gallery: Battlefield 1943

GDC: EA DICE on building a bite-sized Battlefield originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Keyboard Cat is pretty great

2010-03-14T00:46:53+00:00

It's Caturday. Watch: Charlie Schmidt's Keyboard Cat REINCARNATED! (via Sean Bonner)

Bulgaria: Delivery of Some Cancer Drugs Stopped?

2010-03-14T00:48:51+00:00

European Union Law reports that “the Bulgarian National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has stopped the delivery of some drugs against cancer for children under 18 years”: “A very simple question arises: what sort of a European Union Member State is Bulgaria, really??? How is it possible to leave the children without proper medication supply? Who will take the responsibility if the health of these children deteriorates further because of erratic treatment?”

One Of Ben Roethlisberger's "Bitches" Speaks Up [Duan!]

2010-03-14T00:46:50+00:00

Ben Roethlisberger's still getting hassled over that innocent Thursday night of bar hopping in Milledgeville, Ga. and now there are more people willing to say damning things about him since he's apparently not very nice to everyone. More »

Finally: “Hot Air: The Movie”

2010-03-14T00:48:30+00:00

It’s not what you think. [...] Read the rest »

Pics Aplenty: TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster hits the road

2010-03-14T00:46:25+00:00

TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

Following the unveiling of the TAG Heuer Roadster Sport at the Geneva Motor Show last week, Tesla has released a large batch of new photos of the one-off electric sports car. The new shots show the car, which was prepared to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Swiss watchmaker, out on the road.

Following the close of the Geneva Motor Show this weekend, the Roadster will be driven the 155 miles to Basel for the big watch show that starts there next week. (At Baselworld, TAG Heuer will unveil a new concept timepiece.) Mechanically, there's nothing really new about the Roadster Sport, but for those of you that can't get enough images of the two-tone Roadster, check out our newly-expanded high-res gallery.

Gallery: TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster

[Source: Tesla]

Pics Aplenty: TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster hits the road originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Paterson: "Things started to go wrong... [What He Said]

2010-03-14T00:46:20+00:00

David Paterson: "Things started to go wrong the first day I was sworn in." More »

The maid mistook me for a dustmop today.

2010-03-14T00:46:02+00:00

The maid mistook me for a dustmop today. It was a traumatic experience for both of us.

an u kno ai hates to cleaning

Picture by: dunno source Caption by: momofzoo via Our LOL Builder

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Late afternoon/early evening open thread

2010-03-14T00:46:28+00:00

What's coming up on Sunday Kos ....

In honor of Women's History Month, Angry Mouse will explain what's wrong with Women's History Month.

Page van der Linden will take you on a virtual tour of the Hanford Site in Washington State, with an updated look at the environmental legacy of the Cold War nuclear arms race.

DemFromCT will take a look at the changing health reform landscape in “why I support health care reform” and argues for passing the current bill despite its flaws because it’s the right thing to do.

exmearden will examine the political and functional obstacles of broadband access on Native American reservations in the US, and how upcoming proposals by the FCC may impact this access.

Devilstower will report on feeling down, Down Under.

Dante Atkins will extol the virtues of pragmatism.

What Do You Do With a Free Ford Tempo? [24 Hours Of Lemons]

2010-03-14T00:48:41+00:00

We got a really great judicial bribe at last weekend's Sears Pointless 24 Hours of LeMons race: a beat-to-hell, unregisterable, not-legal-for-public-streets Ford Tempo. After honoring Ford_Tempo_Fanatic with a Tempo DOTS recently, we found ourselves in something of a dilemma. More »

iPad mania: hot presales, iBooks info, 3G model semipopular

2010-03-14T00:47:27+00:00

iPad mania has hit since Apple's answer to the tablet became available for pre-order on Friday morning. We already mentioned with glee that the mute switch has been transformed into an orientation lock. Now, sales estimates suggest that virtual iPads are flying off virtual shelves as fast as Apple fans can click "Buy Now," and a number of details are surfacing about iBooks, 3G data services, and more.

Of course, Apple hasn't made any official announcements about sales numbers, but that hasn't stopped clever buyers with a Google spreadsheet from estimating how many iPads Apple is selling. Using order numbers matched up to the time of order, estimates range from about 20,000 to 25,000 iPads sold per hour in the hours after Apple raised the curtain. Assuming the majority of sales are the $499 entry-level model, Apple could be grossing about $10 million per hour. If this rate keeps up, it's possible Apple will sell through its first batch of iPads (set to ship April 3) this weekend.

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Turn an Old PC Into an Aquarium [Weekend Project]

2010-03-14T03:15:46+00:00

It's a sad fact of life: PCs get old, become obsolete, and you have to buy a new one. Instead of throwing your old one away, turn it into a snazzy aquarium fit for a geek with this guide from DIY web site Instructables. More »

It's Official! Joe Jonas And Demi Dating!

2010-03-14T00:46:32+00:00

Sorry, girls!

Joe Jonas is no longer a single fella - in fact, he's reportedly dating Demi Lovato!!!!

True Disney luv!

Lovato let a few details of her new romance slip out while chatting on Billy Bush radio show last week, and it seems that she is quite enchanted with her JoBro!

When asked if she had ever dated a Jonas bro, Demi said, "Ummm, maybe."

Billy continued to press on:

BB: Which one? Joe?

DL: Yeah. He's actually… he's my best friend.

BB: So you guys went from boyfriend-girlfriend to best friends?

DL: No kind of the opposite.

BB: Oh? So you're dating him now?

DL: Umm, yeah he is my best friend and he is incredible… [He's a] complete gentleman… [He] treats me to the most amazing places… He's perfect.

Such cuteness!!

Don't U agree???

[Image via WENN.]

NYT's David Carr Tells SXSW Panel He Gets Scooped by Gawker 'All the Time' [Immodest]

2010-03-14T00:46:19+00:00

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We're going to get big heads. First Rush Limbaugh unexpectedly says he loves us, now the New York Times' (excellent, not Rush Limbaugh-like at all) media columnist David Carr says we scoop him all the time. We'll take it, whether it's true or not. More »

FujiFilm Finepix Z700 Point-and-Shoot Is the First To Offer Pet Detection [DigitalCameras]

2010-03-14T00:46:30+00:00

At least in the parts of the internet I frequent, pet pictures have been enjoying an unusual popularity as of late. FujiFilm's Finepix Z700 has technology that snaps a photo when your furry friend smiles. Talk about capturing the zeitgeist. More »

Took Abouta Day

2010-03-14T00:46:20+00:00

Non-sexual hot tubber resigns as Majority Leader of Utah State of House of Reps.

Everybody's Cold Sometimes [Pic Of The Day]

2010-03-14T00:46:19+00:00

[On the set of 30 Rock, Tina Fey phones it in. Image via INF] More »

Al Franken Mines 'SNL' Past In Bid For Google Fiber (VIDEO)

2010-03-14T00:46:38+00:00

Drawing on footage from his decades in comedy, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has joined the politicians bidding for their constituencies to test Google's high-speed broadband fiber networks.

Franken jokingly credited Google's search engine as the reason he was able to run for the Senate instead of continuing to serve as "The Duluth Answer Man," a character he played on "Saturday Night Live."

Franken didn't go quite as far as the mayors of Topeka, Kansas or Sarasota, Florida -- who temporarily changed their cities' names to "Google" and "Google Island," respectively -- but he's the biggest name so far to publicly angle for the search giant's Web development project. Other politicians, like Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), are vying for the company's investment behind the scenes.

WATCH Franken's pitch:

Franken's ad isn't the first pitch to Google from the Duluth area, either. It was posted in response to a satirical sketch from the Duluth Mayor's Office in which a fake mayor promises to name all boys born in Duluth "Google Fiber."

Daylight Saving Time: Spring Forward At 2 A.M.

2010-03-14T00:48:36+00:00

At 2 a.m., it's time for the U.S. (well, not Hawaii and Arizona save some parts) to spring forward an hour. While you lose an hour of sleep, just think—it'll be lighter in the late afternoon/early evening! Also, it's a good time to change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

three frames

2010-03-14T00:44:35+00:00

via http://threeframes.net/

The Fashionable Weapons of Peter Gronquist

2010-03-14T00:46:11+00:00

We’ve previously featured artist Peter Gronquist’s work, namely a pimped-out wheelchair and a Pac-Man grenade. Among his other products are rifles altered to reflect various fashion labels. These have been interpreted by art critics in sophisticated, intellectual ways. But in an interview, Gronquist dismissed these explanations:

I actually came up with a ton over the years that I’ve been developing, the original being: “Wouldn’t it be funny if…?” The short list includes: our culture’s glamorization of violence, rampant consumerism, war profiteering and how people will put designer brands on literally anything and think that they are automatically awesome. I really just wanted to make something completely ridiculous. Then people gave me money for them. So I made a ton of them because I’m a whore. I find that it’s a parody of myself because I also like ridiculous things sometimes for no logical reason. I’m a victim of the rampant consumerism that I parody. It’s all very confusing.

Link via Secret Threads | Interview

Patagonia M10 jacket weighs only 10 ounces

2010-03-14T00:46:52+00:00

In my household, we have an almost unhealthy obsession with all things Patagonia. The environmentally conscious surf-and-climb brand from California has just released its lightest fabric ever via the new M10 jacket — it has three layers of waterproof material, air vents for your armpits, a giant hoodie, and weighs only 10 ounces.

Taylor Marsh: Poll: Democrats Slipping on National Security

2010-03-14T00:46:37+00:00

Here we go again. Democrats are once again losing the narrative to Republicans on national security, according to a poll released by the Democracy Corps.

The backdrop to this was V.P. Joe Biden's trip to Israel that ended in Sect. Clinton taking it to Netanyahu, which now has the Washington Post questioning "is America and Israel drifting apart?" Elliott Abrams offers an answer that could become the right's talking point:

The current friction in U.S.-Israel relations has one source: the mishandling of those relations by the Obama administration. ...

This is simply nonsense, but Mr. Abrams evidently thinks the status quo is good for Israel. See MJ Rosenberg on Biden's speech.

But national security is only one flashing danger signal in this poll. The right track - wrong track in the Democracy Corps poll is frightening. However, no one is mentioning that number. The most alarming reality for Pres. Obama is his low numbers on the economy.

This is truly infuriating. While Obama's likability numbers remain strong, his handling of terror suspects interrogation and prosecution has fallen, which conservatives are highlighting, one reason Liz Cheney decided it was worth jumping the shark on this subject though it backfired badly on her.

Democrats on the whole have won great strides in national security over neocon Republicans in the last years. After 9/11 and Iraq, Dems are now are falling back again, which considering the successes of the Obama administration in Pakistan and against al Qaeda is maddening. But that's what a new poll from Democracy Corps - Third Way reveals, with the number of "drop-off voters" (people unlikely to vote) stunning.

Another alarming trend that hits Pres. Obama is our respected status, which had been at highs, now trending down again.

Q.30 And would you say the United States is more respected or less respected in the world than it was two years ago? Total More respected is 42%; Total Less respected: 50%.

It's more foreshadowing of what may manifest in November, especially since Scott Brown's election, which predicted this poll on national security, revealing Democrats once again slipping to the GOP.

However, it's his own economic numbers that should worry Pres. Obama.

Taylor Marsh is a political analyst out of Washington, D.C.