1 Google Sells SketchUp

SketchUp, the 3D modeling tool owned by Google--which started its life as a software product of Boulder-based @Last Software--has been sold. Google said Thursday that it is selling off the SketchUp team and technology to Trimble, a maker of GPS, geospatial, and other software and hardware. Financial details of the move were not disclosed. The SketchUp team said the move would help it better focus on its "core communities", including those in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. The move brings SketchUp back to its origins at @Last, where it had originally been targeted at those industries before becoming part of Google's...

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0 Sachin's Rajya Sabha nomination doesn't get popular support

The reactions varied to batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar's nomination to the Rajya Sabha, with some welcoming the move and others critical of his new role, which will deprive him from playing. Social activist Anna Hazare, who is in Mumbai for a two-day trip for consultations on the Lokayukta bill, welcomed the move. However, he mentioned that he is more interested in a corruption-free nation more than anything else at this point. Information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni in New Delhi on Thursday hailed the nomination of Sachin Tendulkar for Rajya Sabha saying it was a "very good step" She appreciated UPA's initiative in nominating...

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0 Conservative group puts millions into Obama energy attack

An independent conservative group launched its latest round of ads Thursday that are set to air in eight presidential battleground states backed by $6.1 million, according to the organization. The president of Americans for Prosperity said the ad will begin running on Friday on cable and broadcast television stations for two weeks in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio and Virginia. The 60-second spot criticizes the Obama administration's energy policies and its failure to provide clean energy jobs in the United States. "You cannot allow or it does not work when an administration is using our tax dollars in pursuit...

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4 Indian rocket successfully launches Risat-1 satellite

On an early Thursday morning, an Indian rocket successfully launched into orbit a microwave Radar Imaging Satellite (Risat-1) from the spaceport here in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from Chennai. The indigenous Risat-1, with a life span of five years, would be used for disaster prediction and agriculture forestry and the high resolution pictures and microwave imaging could also be used for defence purposes as it can look through the clouds and fog. At exactly 5.47 a.m., the rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C19 (PSLV-C19) - standing 44.5 metres tall and weighing 321 tons and with a one-way ticket, hurtled towards the skies ferrying the...

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0 Google launches Google DriveThanks Google, It Only Took You Six Years

Today’s launch of Google Drive, official at last, is kind of a relief. Internet rumors and reports have seen the industry discussing the possibility of a consumer-facing cloud storage service called “GDrive,” since as far back as 2006. Of course, then, the product in development was an internal-only tool used by Google employees – not the Dropbox-like competitor Google launched today. Still, to say that we’ve been waiting for GDrive for a long, long, long time would be the understatement of the year. For those of you with shorter memories, a trip down memory lane: The first time we ever casually referred to something as “GDrive,” was when...

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0 'Fiscal cliff' makes US Fed queasy

Federal Reserve policymakers are sounding the alarm over a "fiscal cliff" at the end of this year, when scheduled US tax hikes and spending cuts could pose a big threat to the fragile economic recovery. Along with its official mandate of watching unemployment and inflation, the US central bank is keeping a close eye on a potentially debilitating political fight over how to fix the budget deficit.(Aol) If lawmakers in Washington do not get rid of the tax hikes and spending cuts due to take effect in early 2013, the country could easily careen into another recession. Any moves by Congress, however, aren't expected until after the November 6...

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0 “Dirty Picture” Banned on TV

Sony channel had created much brouhaha about telecasting the controversial movie “Dirty picture”, based on the life of southern siren Silk Smitha. But, the Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry poured cold water on all the publicity by banning the channel from telecasting it yesterday. Initially, the ministry had asked Sony to telecast the movie late at night, when most children would be asleep. Many parents had complained about the bold scenes and adult dialogue in the movie. Vidya Balan had won a national award for her portrayal of Silk Smitha in the movie. Let us wait and watch the fate of the “Dirty Picture” on the small...

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0 Abducted Sukma collector's health worsens, govt rushes medicines

The Chhattisgarh government today rushed medicines for abducted Sukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon hours after Maoists informed them he was critically ill. The medicines are being sent through president of All India Adivasi Mahasabha Manish Kunjam, one of the mediators named by the Maoists for holding negotiations with the government. Though Kunjam has refused to take part in the mediation process, he has agreed to take the medicines to the collector. Last night, the Maoists had named three mediators including lawyer Prashant Bhushan and former national SC/ST Commission chairperson B D Sharma, as their chosen negotiators after the Chhattisgarh...

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0 Think Like a Man Review

Think Like a Man is a 2012 comedy film directed by Tim Story. It was released on April 20, 2012.It is an adaptation of Steve Harvey's book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man The film follows four couples, the women partners being readers of Harvey's best selling book. When the men learn the women are hooked on Harvey's advice, they try to turn the tables on their mates. The film received mixed reviews. At Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a "mixed" rating of 49%, based on 67 reviews and an average rating of 5.5/10, with the critical consensus saying, "In Think Like a Man, an otherwise standard rom-com is partially elevated by a committed -- and...

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0 The Dangerous Joker in the Presidential Political Deck

If, as now seems clear, the nation is headed for a close, razor-thin presidential election, it is not (as most pundits say) jobs and the economy, or (as many pundits think but don't say) race or religion, that will decide the outcome. Rather, the deciding factor is far likelier to be a little discussed internet operation called Americans Elect. That elegantly titled organization is the joker in the presidential election deck that could trump every other card and determine whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney is elected in November. Americans Elect is a political reform movement funded by Peter Ackerman and others, and supported by some distinguished...

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0 Conservative Groups Spending Heavily in Bid to Win a Senate Majority

The conservative groups that helped Republicans win the House in 2010 are pouring money this year into an aggressive campaign to capture the Senate, a goal that they consider just as vital as winning the White House. Already, they have committed at least $17 million to television commercials in more than a dozen states from Florida to Hawaii, in most cases dwarfing what their Democratic opponents have spent. Their plans call for an effort that will exceed $100 million by Election Day, strategists for these groups said, far surpassing their efforts in 2010, a high-water mark for outside money in politics. In the weeks ahead, they will pour...

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0 No survivors from Pakistan plane crash, official says

A commercial airplane carrying 127 people crashed Friday in Islamabad just before it was to land at a nearby airport, according to Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority, which cited poor weather as a possible factor. No survivors have been found, officials said. The Bhoja Air Boeing 737-200 had been making its first evening flight from Karachi to Islamabad, where the weather was cloudy, officials said. Authorities twice changed the number people reported to be on board, but by Friday afternoon appeared to agree on the figure. The crash occurred near the Chaklala airbase, a military site used by the country's air force, which is adjacent to...

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0 Romney seeks to undercut Obama's foreign policy advantage

When North Korea launched a rocket earlier this month in a failed attempt to supposedly put a satellite into orbit, U.S. President Barack Obama was quick to condemn the latest provocation and then canceled a deal to resume nutritional assistance. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee for president, offered a blistering statement of his own. But his statement was not entirely directed at the new leader in Pyongyang. It was also directed at the U.S. commander in chief. "Instead of approaching Pyongyang from a position of strength, President Obama sought to appease the regime with a food-aid deal that proved to be...

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0 Will Baby B debut in the Oprah Winfrey show?

Ever since Aishwarya Rai delivered a daughter in November 2011, speculations are rife about her name. While recently, there were rumours that Baby B was named Aaradhya, there were no confirmations either from her father Abhishek Bachchan nor her legendary grandfather, the Twitter-happy Amitabh Bachchan. But according to a report by a Chicago-based journalist Jennifer Hopfinger, who runs a site called The Bollywood Ticket, the baby daughter of Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan may be introduced to the world this weekend, with her name being revealed on Oprah Winfrey's newest show, Oprah's Next Chapter. It can be recalled that Oprah traveled to...

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0 The Dirty Picture’ TV premiere stalled despite cuts, Bollywood furious

he much-anticipated television premiere of Vidya Balan starrer “The Dirty Picture” was stalled at the last moment Sunday, despite 59 cuts in the film to make it suitable for television viewing. While film’s director Milan Luthria is shocked and disappointed, filmmaker Karan Johar branded it hypocrisy. The government moved quickly to stall the screening of film by an entertainment television channel, ostensibly due to its “adult” content, and asked the channel to telecast it late in the night after prime time. Information and broadcasting ministry officials in New Delhi told IANS that they have sent a letter to Sony TV not to telecast the movie...

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0 Happy wedding anniversary Abhishek-Aishwarya

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan celebrate their rock solid five years wedding anniversary today. It’s only love, love and LOVE between Ash and Abhi, that has taken them so far. This wedding anniversary is even more special as the couple celebrate their day with their lovely daughter Aaradhya. Just a quick recap, Abhishek Bachchan proposed to Aishwarya Rai on 12 January 2007, in Toronto, after the premiere of Guru. The couple got engaged on 14th Jan and April 20, 2007, the “made for each other” love birds entered marital bliss. Celebden wishes one of the most romantic and good looking couples, a very happy wedding anniversary. Read M...

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0 Obama ahead in contributions, but Romney has big push on way

Here's a look at how much cash and debt the four leading presidential candidates have accumulated as of March 31. Total receipts include contributions from individuals, loans, political action committee (PAC) contributions and other income. Small contributions include unitemized contributions of up to $200 Romney took in nearly $12.6 million last month, his strongest fundraising of the campaign as he racked up a slew of primary victories in March. In all, he has raised more than $88 million in his second bid for the presidency. Obama, capitalizing on the power of the incumbency, has raised about $350 million since the start of the 2012...

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1 Obama reverts to 2008 plan: Blame Bush

No sooner had Mitt Romney effectively locked up the Republican presidential nomination than President Obama began to sharpen his attacks — on former President George W. Bush. In pushing for a tax increase this week on millionaires, Mr. Obama said an unfair impact of tax cuts for the wealthy were enacted during the “eight years before I took office.” A White House spokesman argued that Mr. Bush’s tax policies contributed to “global economic chaos.” Administration officials also took verbal swipes after North Korea’s unsuccessful missile launch last week, accusing Mr. Bush of having rewarded North Korea with food aid years ago in spite of its...

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0 Dhanush-Shruti's 3 fails at the box office

When Tamil superstar Rajnikanth’s son-in-law, Dhanush, sang Kolaveri Di for 3 and got millions of hits on YouTube, tinsel town mandarins predicted that the film would fly high.  But it did not. Rather, as one daily said, after hitting a three, the movie went for a six. 3 began with a noon show which was packed in just about every theater where the film was screened. Word of mouth in these days of mobile testing and social sites on the internet is quicker than you can finish saying 3. The very next show, according to reports from exhibitors, saw a 50% drop in patronage. Which declined dramatically as the day wore off. Now, one is told,...

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0 No More ‘Mr. Obama Is a Nice Guy’

There is a reflexive desire among a certain species of moderate Republicans to be perceived as “civil” by liberal opponents who believe that the mere existence of free-market, limited-government conservatism is an indecent affront to humankind. All aboard the USS Lost Cause. This disastrous, bend-over bipartisanship is a hard habit to break. In 2008, Arizona senator John McCain rode the “Barack Obama is a nice guy, but vote for me” wave to crashing defeat. In 2012, McCain’s endorsee, Mitt Romney, has made “Barack Obama is a nice guy but in over his head” a standard stump-speech talking point. Conservatives of good will who’ve watched President...

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0 Romney gaining conservatives’ support, if not their hearts

Mitt Romney was not his first choice for president, but conservative political activist Scott Magill has come to accept that Romney is now his only choice. So Magill is looking for reasons to get jazzed about the candidate he once dismissed. His list so far: Romney is a Republican who would sign into law legislation passed by a GOP-led House. Romney has started to hit the right talking points. If elected, Romney would have to listen to the conservative base — or risk its wrath at reelection time. Also, and perhaps most important, Romney is not Barack Obama. But Magill, a Newt Gingrich supporter who attended a recent National Rifle Association...

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