A weird web site says it has a nude photo of Taylor Swift, and the country star is not amused.

Not in the least.

Swift is threatening to sue a web site that features semi-nude celebs for posting a photo of a topless young girl who strongly resembles the Grammy-winning singer.

RELATED: Swift Proves You Don’t Need Sex to Sell.

TMZ.com reported that Swift’s attorneys sent the site a letter demanding that they take down the nude photo immediately, citing copyright infringement by posting “false pornographic images” and “false news” about the singer.

Unimpressed with the threat of legal action, the site remained defiant, keeping the photo in question viewable on their web site (at least as of press time).

Monday morning, the web site offered a “compromise” to Swift, perhaps in jest, saying they would take down the image if she converted to Islam and sacrificed a goat.

It is doubtful Swift and her attorneys find this amusing.

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The successor to last year’s LG Ally, the LG Enlighten is the latest entry-level Android smartphone to join Verizon’s roster.  If you’d like an affordable handset with a physical keyboard, this phone could prove an ideal pick.
Physically, it’s a compact device, much like a lot of the entry-level phones out there.  Design is blocky, with curved edges, rounded corners and

View full post on Latest Cell Phones, iPhone Apps, Android Apps, News & Reviews – Phone Blog

The GDrive leaks and rumors have started up again in earnest, really for the first time since 2007. The service seemed to destined for the dustbin when Docs started accepting any type of file, but in September hints started dropping that Drive may be resurrected. The latest interesting, if not entirely telling development, is a link to a “test page for Platypus (GDrive)” that pops up when you Google “Writely,” the online word processor that eventually became Google Docs. Those with more robust memories may remember that Platypus was the codename attached to Google’s cloud storage solution back when it was originally being dogfooded. Clicking on the link takes you Google Docs, just as any Writely.com URL would, but that does line up nicely with what we’ve heard about Drive being a rebranded Docs — potentially with a file syncing component. Hopefully the Mountain View crew will take the covers off this bad boy soon — we can’t take much more of this mystery and intrigue stuff.

GDrive test page pops up in Google search, inches closer to an actual product originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every Halloween since apps have been available on the iPhone, my family and I have used apps to design stencils for carving the face of at least one jack-o-lantern. The technique is pretty simple. Here is what we do:

1. Choose your jack-o-lantern face

First, you want to create a face that you can then use as a stencil. We’ve found several pumpkin-design apps that we like and that work in different ways.

Swipe and shake. Our favorite pumpkin-design app, Crazy Pumpkin, happens to be on the iPhone ($.99, Ezone, iTunes Link). Crazy Pumpkin gives you endless combinations of eyes, noses and mouths to choose from, and all you have to do is swipe to change the feature. Shake the iPhone to change the color of the design and hear a spooky noise.

Unfortunately Crazy Pumpkin is not available for iPad. The closest iPad app I’ve found is Halloween Pumpkin Creator ($.99, A3MG, iTunes Link).

Pinch and draw. If you are looking to get a little more sophisticated, Parents magazine has created Carve-a-Pumpkin for the iPad and is available for free in the app store (free, iTunes link).  Carve-a-Pumpkin gives you a little more control of the elements that you place on the pumpkin. You can pinch to grow or shrink the design.  However, while there are a lot of designs to choose from, you still do not have complete control over the design with this app.

If you want complete control over exactly how you want your pumpkin to look, try ABCya’s CarveIt! for both the iPhone and iPad ($.99, ABCya, iTunes Link).  CarveIt! has a limited number of pumpkin “heads” to choose from, but it will allow you to draw freehand any face you want.

2. Print out your pumpkin masterpiece as a stencil

Now comes the fun part, taking your virtual iOS design and turning it into a real pumpkin. The next step is printing out the design to make a stencil.

• Transfer your design to an image file. Some of the aforementioned apps will save the image your photo library for you. If the app you’ve chosen does’t do that, you can always take a screenshot to get a printable image file of your final design.
• Print the image out. You can either sync your image to your computer and print it out from there or you can use AirPrint to print the image directly to the printer. If you do not have a printer that supports Apple’s AirPrint feature, there are a number of ways you can get around this limitation. My favorite happens to be Printopia

Transfer your design and carve your pumpkin

Once you have the stencil printed out, tape the sheet of paper to the pumpkin. Use a pushpin, awl, straight needle or other tool to poke holes in the outlines of the eyes, nose, and mouth into the pumpkin’s outer skin. This will create a connect-the-dots outline of the design right on the surface of the pumpkin. From here, use the outlines to carve the pumpkin.

3. More ways to create a stencil

There are several variations on this general theme. You can certainly use your favorite iOS drawing application, or even browse the web to select your favorite pumpkin image online. I’ve also used Photoshop to stretch and move some of the features around a bit to better fit our pumpkins.

For more family fun, you can even share the design experience with the entire family by projecting the pumpkin-carving app of your choice to your TV using the new iOS 5 Airplay Wireless Mirroring from your iPad 2 or iPhone 4S to your Apple TV. Carving a pumpkin will never be quite the same again.

How have you used Apple’s products to celebrate Halloween?

Pumpkin-carving and finished pumpkin photos by Geoffrey Goetz.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Connected Consumer Q2: Digital music meets the cloud; e-book growth explodes
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• A Media Tablet Forecast, 2011 – 2015

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Kris Jenner (X17)

“O.J. did it!”

That’s what Kris Jenner,  former wife of late O.J. Simpson defense attorney Robert Kardashian, suggests in a new book.

The New York Post reports that in Jenner’s memoir, “Kris Jenner …and All Things Kardashian,” the matriarch of the Kardashian clan explains that Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, told her, “(O.J.’s) going to kill me and he’s going to get away with it.”

“(Nicole) was a wreck,” Jenner remembers. “She was convinced that someone was looking in her windows and climbing through her bushes in the middle of the night.”

Jenner even received a chilling call from Nicole Simpson on June 12, 1994. “Nicole said, ‘Can you get over here…? I need to talk to you–it’s really important.”

Jenner, who by then had been divorced from Kardashian for three years and was remarried to Olympian Bruce Jenner, told her friend that she couldn’t visit because was “tied up.”

“‘That’s okay, (but) can you meet me tomorrow for lunch?’” Jenner quotes Simpson as saying. “I really have to talk to you about something really, really important.’

“It would be the last time I would ever speak to Nicole,” laments Jenner.

Less than 24 hours later, the world learned of the brutal murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman, in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles.

“I instinctively knew that in some way O.J. had something to do with her death,” writes Jenner. “I truly couldn’t believe she had been so betrayed by the person who she had once loved most. That O.J. would be so destructive and selfish and jealous. That he would do that to her was just mind-blowing to me. All these thoughts were running through my mind: This can’t be true.”

Jenner still feels guilty about not meeting her friend. “Nicole really wanted someone close to her to know what was going on, so that somebody–namely me–could be a witness,” writes Jenner. “I had let her down.”

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Well hello gorgeous — both of you! It turns out the rumors of AT&T launching an LTE-based Samsung Galaxy S II device are indeed true, as the GSM carrier’s officially announced the launch of the Galaxy S II Skyrocket alongside the HTC Vivid beginning November 6th. The Skyrocket can be yours for $250 with a two-year commitment and will offer a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, Android 2.3.5, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 8MP rear camera with a 2MP front-facing cam and 16GB of internal storage space. The Vivid will be offered for $200 and has a 4.5-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, 1.2GHz CPU, 8MP rear camera with f/2.2 28mm wide angle lens and 1080p HD video recording. Both phones will be reverse compatible with AT&T’s HSPA+ network, in case you’re not using the phone in an LTE area. Speaking of which, AT&T also announced that the November 6th launch will also bring four additional markets live, including Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore and Athens GA. Check below for the full press release.

Continue reading AT&T brings its first LTE smartphones to life November 6th: HTC Vivid and Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket

AT&T brings its first LTE smartphones to life November 6th: HTC Vivid and Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini has introduced its new Roadster for 2012 that is the sixth edition to the Mini range. The new Roadster, based on the Coupe, has a manual soft top and is the very first production two-seat open-top Mini in history.

The vehicle will be manufactured in the UK ‘s Plant Oxford with sales beginning in 2012 with a price tag of £18,015 for a Cooper Roadster and £24,850 for the John Cooper Works Roadster. In between these two offerings are the Cooper SD and Cooper S and power ranges from 120bhp in the Cooper to 208bhp in the John Cooper Works.

The new Roadster sits 20 millimeters lower than a traditional Mini convertible which is expected to help with its handling, chassis tuning, electronic differential lock control, rollover bars and active rear spoiler. The windscreen is also angled 13 degrees faster than the existing soft top model.

The official press release also specifies that “bespoke colour and materials concept for upholstery, exterior mirrors, trim elements and colour lines are available as well as exclusive MINI Yours options and Sport Stripes in contrasting colour provide further individualisation.”

source: carmagazine

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Dropbox is an indispensable part of many a computer users’ arsenal, including several here at Engadget. But, the company hasn’t had a viable option for businesses who would have an obvious use for a tool that allows you to easily sync files between PCs, share them amongst users and always have backups in the cloud. The boys and girls at the Y Combinator startup know that there’s lots of money to be made in the enterprise space and that’s why they’ve unveiled Dropbox for Teams. The general experience is the same, but rather than individually managed chunks of storage, teams share one large repository, starting at 1TB for five users. The base plan costs $795 a year and additional users, which also includes 200GB of storage, can be tacked on for $125 annually. The business offering also includes special tools for administrators to add or delete users and dedicated phone support. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Dropbox for Teams offers businesses copious amounts of sharable storage

Dropbox for Teams offers businesses copious amounts of sharable storage originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(CNN) – Qantas CEO Alan Joyce’s Saturday message was so startling, he had to say it twice:

“We have decided to ground the Qantas domestic and international fleets immediately,” Joyce said. “I repeat, we are grounding the Qantas fleet now.”

But Joyce’s  "shock and awe" strategy earned some respect. “It is a huge and gutsy call. Alan cannot survive a decision like this if it goes wrong,” an unidentified senior aviation industry source told the Financial Times.

But the Qantas union – which has been embroiled in a year-long labor dispute punctuated by rolling walkouts – was caught flat-footed, as was the government of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and, of course, tens of thousands of Qantas passengers worldwide.

"It makes me wonder whether I would book with Qantas again," Isabelle Storer, who was stuck at the airport with her husband after a visit to the United States, told CNN.

It's "a maniacal overreaction," said Richard Woodward, vice president of the Australian and International Pilots' Union. “I think Alan Joyce is destroying the brand of Qantas; he’s holding the passengers for ransom as he blackmails the government of Australia.  Australian Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten labeled the decision a "high-handed ambush."

"We're conscious the Australian economy has been put at great risk of damage" due to the strike, Shorten said. Labor relations tribunal Fair Work Australia agreed, ordering an end to the labor dispute "to avoid significant damage to the tourism industry."

Some wonder if this was Joyce’s plan all along – to force the government to act on a labor dispute the company claims has cost the company $72.5 million.

Still, the timing of the decision to ground the flight has raised eyebrows: On Friday, the Qantas shareholders voted to approve a 71% pay increase for Joyce even as Qantas management pushed for a restructuring that would eliminate 1,000 staff.

Joyce, a native of Ireland, has been CEO of Qantas since 2008, after a five-year tenure as CEO of Jetstar. Joyce has been pushing a restructuring that would put more focus on expanding its budget airline operations, start a new premium service outside of Australia and cut some long-haul routes.

Maybe Joyce acted out of sheer frustration – he claims to have been the subject of repeated death threats, it was revealed earlier this month.

Whatever the reason, it’s clear Joyce is betting his job on Saturday’s hard-ball move. Only time will tell whether the strategy will pay off, or be a career killer.

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The world of green tech presented us with some neat tricks and eco-treats this week from this plan to 3D print new shells for homeless hermit crabs to this handy LeafSnap app that helps you identify all different kinds of fall foliage to an energy-efficient UFO hotel room, which recently “landed” in the forests of Sweden. Speaking of spaceships, we also spotted this Star Trek Enterprise feeding system for babies (you’re never too young to live long and prosper) as well as plans for a massive nuclear-powered airport/airplane that could fly as many as 3,000 passengers through the sky, and Philips showed off its eerie and futuristic bacteria-powered lamps. In honor of All Hallow’s Eve, we rounded up the top six creepiest buildings of all time as well as six spooky churches made of bones. And just in case you missed the craziest Halloween story of the week, check these photos of a trio of ghastly zombies bursting out of the world’s largest pumpkin’s hell, er, shell.

On the green transportation front, we took the Honda CR-V hybrid for a spin and came across news that Tesla will reintroduce its sexy roadster in 2014. We also saw that GM is working on cars that could drop drivers off at their destinations and even park themselves, and the auto giant impressed us even further by joining Ford and Chrysler, who are working closely with engineering students from the University of Michigan Solar Car Team to create viable solar-powered cars for the future. But if you can’t wait that long, this Solarship is a blimp-like solar-powered airship that actually exists today.

In tech news, Facebook announced that they’ll be building a fancy new server farm in the Arctic. And speaking of cold weather, we also spotted where this clever Umbrella coat that has a handy umbrella instead of a hood – perfect for rainy fall days. A new study showing that TV is officially harmful to children under two confirmed some of our suspicions and we also saw news of a judge who ruled that cell phone warnings be blocked in San Francisco.

If you’re planning on dressing up for Halloween, don’t forget to enter our Green Halloween costume contest (or your kids in our Inhabitots costume contest) for some frightfully fabulous prizes. If you need some inspiration, we’ve got a slew of techie costume ideas you could cobble together from things you already own like this delightful iPhone getup or this homemade robot outfit.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: CR-V hybrid, Facebook’s server farm and robot costumes originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 20:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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