Though it may seem an occasion long since gone, yesterday brought forth a significant obit: the only player still remaining from the first World Cup final in 1930. Argentine Francisco Varallo passed away at the ripe young age of 100.

That first World Cup final was more than 80 years ago, and 75 or so before the advent of YouTube. But through the miracle of technology and someone falling asleep in FIFA’s intellectual copyright division, we can get a grainy glimpse at the game, long before most of us were alive.

And we’re only a few years away from the replay in heaven being broadcast on YouTube as well.

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Kate Gosselin at the Emmy Awards on August 29, 2010. (X17Online.com)

Kate Gosselin is sick of being single, and now she’s ready to mingle.

Yep, the mom of eight is ready to date!

(Okay we’ll stop rhyming now.)

A source close to the ‘Kate Plus 8′ star tells FOX411.com that after six years of scheduling herself around her kids, now that they’re finally all in school at the same time, she’s ready to get back out on the market.

SLIDESHOW: 20 Hot Hollywood Mamas.

“She is considering dating, as long as it doesn’t take away from being with the children,” said the insider. “Kate never really imagined what her life would be like with the sextuplets in school most of the day. She and Jon used to talk about it like it was a far off dream when they were raising them and now that it’s real and Jon is out of her life, it’s surreal.”

GALLERY: More Pics of Kate Gosselin.

So what kind of guy is Kate looking for? Other than the rare individual who doesn’t have a problem taking on eight children not his own?

“Kate’s dream man will be mature, smart and nothing like [her ex-husband] Jon!” said our source. “He will have to pass her serious checklist of being a responsible, kind and mature adult. She will be avoiding anyone who wants to date her based on her fame or money. It’s tricky and she will be very picky — no blind dates!”

One thing is for sure, the guy won’t have to worry about her ex interfering.  “Jon lives in his own world. He does his best not to focus on Kate’s single life,” the insider said.

Whoever the lucky guy is will be getting one hot mama.

“She’s been enjoying extra long workouts and runs every day. She’s in the best shape of her life,” her pal blabbed. “Kate still has plenty of chaos, especially with nightly homework getting done, but she has quiet time that she never had in the house. It’s almost too much quiet time.”

- Kelly Will

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Autodesk, the software company behind 3D design and engineering software, AutoCAD is releasing a Mac version of its software. it is launching a new free app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch that would allow owners of AutoCAD to edit & share files on these devices.

View full post on TheAppleBlog

Seems those recent Jürgen Klinsmann to coach USA rumours were as baseless as, well, as a story with no identifiable source. Because current coach Bob Bradley has now signed a contract extension to coach the US national team until the end of 2014. I know that this probably will not be popular with a vocal section of US fans, but here’s how US Soccer explained their decision:

U.S. Soccer has agreed to a contract extension with U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. The agreement with Bradley, who guided the U.S. team to numerous achievements including finishing in first place in their group at the 2010 FIFA World Cup for the first time in 80 years, will keep him at the helm through the end of 2014.

Frankly, I think I agree with Sunil Gulati and co. I know a lot of US fans are impatient and wanted a more glamorous name in charge of the team. But I’m thinking this is the right move. Here’s why:

Bob Bradley really did lead the US team to the top of World Cup group for the first time. That’s progress. Sure he made a mistake in starting Ricardo Clark against Ghana. But is Ricardo Clark really so bad that giving him a shirt is a sackable offence? The answer is no, it’s not. Don’t forget that Bradley’s USA team also beat Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup and came thisclose to taking down Brazil and winning the whole thing too.

I’d also argue that there seems to be a genuine team spirit around the US team at the moment. A genuine positive vibe. Why ruin that by removing the man who created it? Most importantly, there was no viable replacement. Guus Hiddink is working for Turkey and Jürgen Klinsmann apparently isn’t interested. Last but not least, Bob Bradley is probably the most qualified American coach for the job right now.

I’d argue that being American is uniquely important for the US job. Not necessarily for patriotic reasons (though I suppose that helps) but more because US Soccer and Major League Soccer and the whole American system is a labyrinth of quirks that only a coach like Bradley who knows that world can navigate successfully.

So no, four more years of Bob Bradley may not be the most glamorous option. But if US fans want the team to continue making steady progress between now and 2014, then it might be the right one.

- Melissa over at the USA blog has taken the decision as a mixed blessing, and is preparing for “four more years of sideline scowls and the most magnificent sweatpants collection in FIFA.”

View full post on World Cup Soccer – South Africa 2010

We have been hearing much about the BMW M5F10 of late, and the latest is that a few spy pictures have been posted online.  The credit goes to WCF, who has caught hold of a series of pictures of the upcoming car from the BMW stables.

One interesting aspect about these pictures is that one of them is a shot of the interiors caught on cam for the first time.

The BMW M5F10 is likely to be offered with a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 from the X5 M / X6 M. What we get to learn is that it will be tuned to produce up to 592 hp (441 kW / 600 PS) instead of 547 hp (408 kW / 555 PS).

Going by the pictures, the car will sport a key fob perched in the space on the center console, between the two cup holders.  BMW is likely to bring the car for show at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, where it will make its debut. More pictures below:

(Via WCF)

View full post on Car Blog | Breaking Motoring News Daily

Apple’s App Store now offers a selection of over a quarter of a million apps — a record reached in just a little over two years since the App Store first opened its digital doors.

The 250,000 milestone, a figure which Apple will no doubt mention at its upcoming September 1 media-event, was recorded by 148Apps, who released the newly collected data this weekend. Its numbers detailed that over 50,000 developers are now actively working on the iOS platform, with them submitting an average of 626 applications per day. Further insight revealed that the average price of a paid application is now $2.67.

148Apps new data noted that Apple’s App Store now plays host to exactly 252,227 iPad and iPhone applications. This sizable figure paints a vibrant picture of the success of Apple’s application store, which dwarfs the competition by a large margin. The second largest application store is Google’s Android Market, which is estimated to have around 100,000 applications available. Other application stores, including BlackBerry’s and Nokia’s, have a significantly smaller number of apps available for their platforms.

With new applications being added to the store every day, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find and discover new content. Of course, users can use the Genius tool to find recommendations, ask friends, or check out Apple’s own new and notable suggestions. Beyond that, application discovery is becoming a more tedious task as every day goes by. With the App Store racing towards its next milestone of 300,000 available apps, what changes would you like to see to the way in which you can find new downloads?

Let us know your thoughts on the App Store and what your favorite apps are in the comments!

Related GigaOM Pro Research: Is Marketing Key to Mobile App Store Sales?

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This week’s media event could finally confirm (or scuttle) rumors of a new Apple TV device. If it’s based on iOS 4, like many pundits believe, there’s strong potential for this device to feature its own App Store. If such a future came to fruition, Apple could be facing another round of tough negotiations with content producers like it faced when it introduced the world to digital music and movie downloads. If it’s successful though, Apple could revolutionize the television content marketplace.

The Current Marketplace

Consider how you currently watch TV, which could be through broadcast or cable television. If you watch cable, you pay a fee to a provider (like AT&T), which allows you to see certain channels based on your subscription (though that model doesn’t seem to be panning out so well anymore). The providers pay a portion of your subscription fees directly to the networks (an average of about 26 cents per channel). Networks make additional money with the ads they run on their channels as well. If a network doesn’t show ads, you can expect they charge the cable provider substantially more than 26 cents per channel, and the opposite is true if they show an average amount of ads. This is all relative and pretty much a standard business model.

How Apple Could Shake Things Up

With the introduction of the App Store, we’re starting to see how some industries are shaking up the status quo. For instance, consider the magazine industry. Wired now provides its app directly to consumers, and can sell a digital version of its magazine at a comparable price (per issue) to the newsstand price. Yet, without having to incur the printing costs behind it, and even while giving Apple 30 percent of the revenue, Wired pockets a lucrative profit.

Can the same model work for the television industry? Network providers already provide their content through iTunes, and, through negotiation, have arranged to sell content at $2-$3 per episode. Rumors of 99-cent TV shows have been rampant but unfulfilled, simply because of the tough negotiations required to make it happen. Could the solution be to simply bring an App Store directly to the TV? If so, similar to the Hulu or Netflix app, a network provider like HGTV (s sni) could provide its own app for free and charge within for in-app content, like episodes of a show. If it wanted to provide streaming content of the past few episodes for free, it could do so. As long as it approves of the 70/30 profit split with Apple, it would maintain a lot more control over its content and pricing. The networks would be happy, and Apple would be happy. Networks could still run ads as they wished and earn even more profit.

Who would stand to lose from this? At the outset, nobody, but if such a solution were to become mainstream, then cable providers could begin to see a dip in subscriptions. Why would most consumers pay a monthly fee of $30 to over $100 if they only want to watch a certain show or a certain network? Instead of paying for needless extra content that consumers never watch (based on their own viewing habits), they can pay for content that matters to them. The providers are aware of this, which is why many of them also provide internet service (think about Verizon, Comcast (c cmcsa) and AT&T).

I think an App Store on the TV could really revolutionize how we watch and engage with content.

What are your thoughts? A new Apple TV could revolutionize the television experience. Do you think it will take off? I’d love to hear what you think, so please share your comments!

Related GigaOM Pro Research: 3 Things Apple iTV Must Do to Succeed

View full post on TheAppleBlog

Troy Polamalu's locks are now worth a million bucks.

Hair-care company Head & Shoulders has taken out a $1 million dollar insurance policy on Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu’s hair to ensure his trademark locks won’t get damaged during the NFL season.

The company made the announcement Monday, noting that it was the first time in history that an insurance policy of this type had been ordered. According to a press release from Head & Shoulders, his hair is so thick that, end to end, it spans 1,100 football fields and can hold approximately 24,062 pounds.

“Head & Shoulders has gone above and beyond by insuring my Samoan locks for a cool $1 million dollars,” Polamalu said. “This reinforces that my full and thick hair is unstoppable.”

Polamalu became a spokesman for the company last year. He has not cut his hair in seven years.

View full post on Entertainment

ESPN started a rumour this weekend, and I can’t help spreading it. Apparently Jürgen Klinsmann has been talking with U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati about replacing Bob Bradley as coach of the U.S. national team. That’s “according to a source with knowledge of the discussions” anyway. As opposed to a source with no knowledge of the discussions.

Side-stepping ESPN’s journalistic integrity like Barry Sanders in his prime (yeah, I made an NFL reference) I’m wondering if this means the most drawn out managerial appointment in the history of international football is about to happen. Klinsmann was the firm favourite to replace Bruce Arena as U.S. coach after the 2006 World Cup, before Bradley was given the job first on an interim basis and then full-time. Bradley’s contract expires in December, and so if Klinsmann really is going to take this job, then now would be the time.

Personally I question Klinsmann’s suitability for the job. Though his Germany did well at the 2006 World Cup, they were absolutely horrible under Klinsmann for the two years leading up to the tournament. There’s even an argument that Klinsmann’s then-assistant Jogi Löw was the real brains behind the operation, and Klinsmann’s subsequent failure as Bayern Munich boss would seem to support that theory.

I’d even argue that Team USA is about to enter a period of very little competitive soccer, much like the two years before the World Cup where Klinsmann struggled. CONCACAF may be about to rejig its World Cup qualifying process, but that still leave the USA semi-idle until World Cup 2014 qualifying starts. It’s not like in South America where there’s the Copa Libertadores 2011 to build towards, or in Europe where Euro 2012 qualifying is about to begin. And no, the Gold Cup doesn’t count.

So is Klinsmann really the man to coach the U.S. through the quite times and then on to World Cup 2014? I say no. But on the other hand, I now 100% want this to happen, if only because when a rumour starts in 2006 and is still being rumoured in 2010, then we may as well just jump in and see what happens.

View full post on World Cup Soccer – South Africa 2010

Robinho (left), Ghana's Asamoah Gyan (center) and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (right) have all been subject to growing rumors they will be transferred before the window closes.

It's that time of year again when the wheeling-and-dealing of football coaches and clubs reaches a climax, as each bid to capture their desired player before the European transfer window – gateway to the most lucrative leagues in global soccer – slams shut.

As the clock ticks down to midnight of 31 August (or the slightly earlier time of 1700 GMT in Britain), contracts are feverishly written up and signed, medicals completed and agents assuaged in order for the teams' top transfer targets to be captured.

Many moves have happened in the last few weeks – striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has switched from Barcelona to AC Milan (albeit on loan), Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano has moved from Liverpool to Barcelona while James Milner completed his transfer from Aston Villa to Manchester City – but question marks remain over the movements of some other big names.

Brazil's Robinho – who famously signed with Manchester City in a last-minute deal from Real Madrid back in 2008 – is again subject to rumor. Will he join Ibrahimovic at AC Milan to complete an all-new strikeforce for the Rossonerri?

Dutch goal-getter Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has been a touted target for a raft of clubs including England's Tottenham Hotspur while Ghana's goalscoring World Cup hero Asamoah Gyan could be subject of a late bid from Sunderland if journalist whispers are to be believed.

The era of recession and downturn has affected the football transfer market, however, spending remains in the realms of big money. In 2009, spending in the English Premier League alone hit $711 million, compared to $618m in Spain, $540m in Italy and around $300m in France and Germany.

So far in 2010, the figure stands at $464 million for England's top division, but there is still time for some cash to be splashed. So in the dying moments of 2010's second trading period, who are you hoping your club will sign?

Is there a department of the team that needs strengthening or a player who has past his "used-by-date" and should be cashed in?

As ever, rumor and speculation is rife in such times leading to any number of duff tips and erroneous predictions. But what is the best, or most ridiculous, rumor you have heard – and where did you get the information from?

Let CNN know why the transfer deadline day is keeping you interested and we'll try to read your comments out on air on the World Sport program.

View full post on CNN World Sport