FocusWriter Rich in Features, Poor in Some Important Ones

FocusWriter uses an intriguing concept that makes you wonder why other word-processing tools do not offer the same hide-away tools panels to eliminate distractions. It offers a set of writing tools with the ease and speed of unencumbered text editors. Focuswriter is a full-screen writing program. It has no option to resize or minimize.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/260e00d7/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C76710A0Bhtml/story01.htm

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The Markets Are Open: International Business Machines Corp ...

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) Outsources UK Desktop Support Operation To Phoenix


The Channel revealed that International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is the Global Services Provider that is responsible for outsourcing desktop support to Phoenix IT Group. Last day Phoenix has confirmed that it has entered into a 5-year agreement that is worth ? 40 m with an anonymous GSP to deliver desk-side services for the employees and the customers of the company.Nearly 180 IBM employees are required to be shifted to the Northampton-based company under TUPE, Transfer of Undertakings regulation next month. Director of delivery operations at IBM Global Technology Solutions, Mark Thomas has said in a note that IBM has established an Employee Consultation Committee to talk on offers to strike a deal with a third party company to deliver desk side support in the United Kingdom. Thomas has also said he can confirm that the vendor with whom IBM is presently dealing are talking on prospects for provision of a services agreement is Phoenix. IBM mentions on its preview material that it delivers desktop support to small or multinational companies. However, channel sources feel Big Blue was under pressure to make money from the medium sized accounts it is transferring and inquired if Phoenix will stand any better chance. Research director at TechMarketView, Kate Hanaghan has argued back saying that IBM?s move made sense and was nothing new. She felt that supervising a field engineering services comes with many challenges of running something like a cross between a logistics and a consultancy operation. In quintessence, there are instances when service providers have to bear the expenses of an engineer waiting to be deployed, apart from the challenges of coordinating engineers and components around the county or even nation. Hanaghan also said that some of the IT outsourcers and SIs do not wish to operate in the world. There is logic to it. Someone like Phoenix, with its committed approach, developed over several years, is well-placed to undertake this.

Source: http://themarketsareopen.blogspot.com/2012/11/ibm-international-business-machines-corp_28.html

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Euro zone central banks may roll over their Greek bonds: document

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone central banks may decide to roll over their holdings of Greek debt to reduce by 5.6 billion euros the amount governments will need to provide Athens by 2016, according to an document obtained by Reuters.

Such a move would cut the amount to 2 billion euros from 7.6 billion, the document, which emerged from this week's euro zone finance minister's meeting, showed.

International lenders -- euro zone countries, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund -- agreed early on Tuesday on a debt reduction plan for Athens that would bring Greek debt to 110 percent of GDP in 2022.

This would be down from almost 190 percent expected for next year.

According to the document, Greece would need to get 1.8 billion euros in extra financing in 2012-2014 and another 5.8 billion between 2015 and 2016 -- a total of 7.6 billion.

But it floated the idea that if the euro zone's 17 national central banks, which together form the Eurosystem, decide to replace the Greek bonds they hold with new Greek paper as the debt matures, it would save Greece the need to redeem 3.7 billion euros in 2012-2014 and 1.9 billion euros in 2015-2016.

It lists the item of "roll-over of ANFA holdings" -- a term to describe central banks' investment portfolios -- in parenthesis, suggesting it has yet to be agreed or in any way formalized.

Furthermore, it notes that the amounts mentioned are tentative and subject to approval by national central banks.

There is no public data on the amounts of Greek debt held by individual euro zone central banks.

HELPING ATHENS

The roll-over idea is separate from the issue of the European Central Bank returning profits to Athens from the Greek bond portfolio it has acquired under its Securities Market Programme (SMP.

That will reduce the financing needs of Greece by 4.1 billion euros in 2012-2014 and another 3.0 billion in 2015-2016.

This return of profits -- along with cutting interest on euro zone loans to Greece, a deferral of interest payments, maturities extension, and several other measures -- allowed the euro zone to cut the amount of new money it would have to lend to Greece to 7.6 billion euros from 32 billion euros.

A roll-over of the Greek bonds in investment portfolios of central banks would increase the overall Greek public debt by 0.1 percent of GDP in 2020 and 2022.

But this would be offset by new debt relief measures penciled in by international lenders for the coming years that would cut Greek debt by 2.7 percent of GDP by 2020 and 5.1 percent of GDP by 2022, the document said.

This new debt relief could happen once Greece reaches a primary surplus -- a positive budget balance before servicing debt -- and if Greek reforms are on track, euro zone finance ministers decided on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; editing by Rex Merrifield/Jeremy Gaunt)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/euro-zone-central-banks-may-roll-over-greek-110406332--business.html

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Erick Erickson 'Prayerfully Considering' Primary Run Against Sen. Saxby Chambliss

Erick Erickson is looking at a move from editing RedState to representing a red state. The leading conservative blogger told his radio audience that he is "prayerfully considering" a primary challenge to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) in 2014.

"What I do know is that Saxby Chambliss has spent twenty years in Washington and in that time has been complicit in growing Washington," Erickson told local station WMAZ on Tuesday, adding that "significant and prominent conservative groups" had asked him to run. "It's time for him to come home. Whether it is me or someone else, I hope someone rises to the occasion to challenge him."

He discussed his grievances with Chambliss in more detail on RedState the same day and offered a preview of his own governing style on Twitter: "If I were a senator I'd object to every [unanimous consent], until Obamacare was repealed," he wrote. "Shut down the Senate lest they shut down America."

Activists on the right sense blood in the water around Chambliss, especially after he denounced Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge this week, saying "I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge."

As a result, Erickson may have some company should he enter the contest. Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel is looking at a run, according to a former consultant who spoke to the Weekly Standard. She gained national attention earlier this year as vice president of the Susan B. Komen Foundation, where she backed an effort to cut ties with Planned Parenthood only to resign amid the ensuing backlash. Other possible candidates discussed in the local press include Reps. Tom Price, Paul Broun, and Tom Graves.

A number of Republican leaders have condemned conservative groups after another disappointing election for nominating extreme or inexperienced candidates for Senate like Todd Akin and Christine O'Donnell. But leading activists made clear this week that they plan to aggressively contest Republican incumbents and candidates in 2014 that they consider insufficiently dedicated to their cause.

While Georgia leans to the right, Democrats could get a boost if a brutal primary either damages the incumbent or produces a weaker nominee.

"Dems are confident we can play offense," DSCC spokesman Matt Canter told TPM, noting that Democratic nominee Jim Martin forced Chambliss into a runoff in 2008. That initial vote had President Obama on the ticket, however, and Chambliss won by a much larger margin in the final vote the next month as turnout dropped sharply.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/erick-erickson-prayerfully-considering-primary-run-against-sen-180938205--politics.html

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This week's sidebar poll: Are 1080p screens the next big thing?

DNA

We've seen a couple phones from HTC with a 1080p screen; namely the Droid DNA and J Butterfly, and have rumors of similar phones coming from Sony and LG. Clearly, someone in charge of the secret cabal of folks who designs smartphones likes the idea of a super high-resolution screen on a smartphone.

I just finished playing with a Droid DNA (knowing a mobile device reseller has its perks), and the screen looks awful damn nice. Because it's smaller in size, I say it looks as good (pixel wise) as the Nexus 10. But -- so does the HTC One X's 720p screen. In all honesty, I can't say the DNA screen is any better than the One X screen. Push the One X to 5-inches and maybe it's different, or maybe my eyes are tired from looking at Android devices for a few years. In either case, looking as good as the One X screen is nothing to be ashamed of.

Of course, the best part of the Android world is choice. So what I think really doesn't matter to anyone but me. 1080p screens are coming. Are the new must have? Tell us in the poll you'll find in the sidebar to the right or after the break.

Before we go, a look at last week's results.

Which has your interest -- the Galaxy Note 2 or the Droid DNA?

Poll

It's pretty conclusive that Samsung has things pretty well in hand for Verizon customers. We're not sure if one OEM having that much influence is a good or bad thing, but customer dollars do all the talking.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/CriEJrpWaGY/story01.htm

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How to buy an ethical diamond

ScienceDaily (Nov. 27, 2012) ? You've already decided that you're going to pop the question. Now comes another quandary: Where to get the ring, if you're buying one?

The holidays are a busy time for engagements, and Trina Hamilton, a University at Buffalo expert in corporate responsibility, says socially minded consumers have a lot to think about when it comes to finding the right rock.

In recent years, shoppers have turned to Canadian diamonds as news reports and movies exposed the diamond trade's role in fueling armed conflicts in developing countries. (Think "Blood Diamond," the 2006 thriller featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as a diamond smuggler in 1990s Sierra Leone.)

But Hamilton says choosing an ethical diamond is more complicated than avoiding war zone stones.

"Many people who are planning proposals choose Canadian diamonds because they don't want anything tarnishing the story of their engagement, but doing the least harm doesn't mean you're doing the most good," says Hamilton, an assistant professor of geography.

Ethical options for today's consumers extend beyond Canadian diamonds.

In a survey of 94 diamond retailers who promote themselves as ethical sellers, Hamilton and her students found that 13 were marketing ethical stones from countries other than Canada, including Botswana and Namibia. These two African nations have been recognized for using the diamond trade and associated revenues to create jobs and fight poverty.

Even in Sierra Leone, there are efforts to develop "fair trade" diamonds, and some analysts suggest that diamond exports have helped to fund reconstruction since the country's civil war ended in 2002, Hamilton says.

"Consumers need to decide what they want their money to do," Hamilton says. "Starting in the late 1990s, Canada quickly cornered the ethical market. But now there's a bit of a backlash: People have concluded that it's not addressing the issue of development of these African countries that suffered during the conflicts, and they're also starting to question whether Canadian diamonds are as conflict-free as is often claimed."

If you're shopping for a diamond this holiday season, here are some tips from Hamilton:

Look Beyond 'Conflict-Free': Many retailers boast that they comply with the Kimberley Process, a certification scheme designed to prevent the trade of "conflict diamonds." But Hamilton says this is the bare minimum. Because the Kimberley Process defines "conflict" very narrowly, it doesn't address concerns like government-fueled human rights abuses; labor standards; or environmental impacts, she says. Shoppers should be aware that countries without Kimberly-designated conflicts are not necessarily free of other problems.

Don't Settle For a Gift to Charity: Twenty-one of the retailers Hamilton surveyed donate a percentage of profits to charity. This may be a commendable add-on, but in and of itself, "it's not addressing industry practices within the diamond trade," Hamilton says. Finding retailers who are also engaged in initiatives to improve social and environmental standards within the industry may be a more effective way to produce social change, she says.

Remember That Activism Matters: Consumer spending is an important way to influence business decisions, but people who are passionate about a cause shouldn't stop there, Hamilton says. Protests, and other forms of direct activism, are also a critical part of changing the industry and addressing broader issues of social and environmental justice, she says.

Hamilton emphasizes that there's no single answer as to what constitutes an ethical diamond. Consumers will arrive at different decisions about what to buy based on their specific social and environmental concerns, she says. She notes that even in Canada -- where the diamond in Hamilton's engagement ring was sourced -- mining of the stones has caused some strife between companies and indigenous communities.

Besides diamonds sourced from countries of interest, Hamilton's survey of 94 sellers found that nine offered recycled diamonds, such as antiques, while six sold lab-created diamonds. The survey -- part of an ongoing study -- was based on retailer websites, with the researchers doing an in-depth analysis to identify product offerings, marketing strategies and discussion of ethical issues.

Hamilton's partners on the project include UB PhD candidate Seth Cavello and UB undergraduate student Christine Tjahjadi-Lopez. The work was supported by the UB Humanities Institute, Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, and Canadian-American Studies Committee.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University at Buffalo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/M92pBRfai7M/121127153026.htm

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Graphene/nanotube hybrid makes single-surface material for energy storage, electronics

ScienceDaily (Nov. 27, 2012) ? A seamless graphene/nanotube hybrid created at Rice University may be the best electrode interface material possible for many energy storage and electronics applications.

Led by Rice chemist James Tour, researchers have successfully grown forests of carbon nanotubes that rise quickly from sheets of graphene to astounding lengths of up to 120 microns, according to a paper published November 27 by Nature Communications. A house on an average plot with the same aspect ratio would rise into space.

That translates into a massive amount of surface area, the key factor in making things like energy-storing supercapacitors.

The Rice hybrid combines two-dimensional graphene, which is a sheet of carbon one atom thick, and nanotubes into a seamless three-dimensional structure. The bonds between them are covalent, which means adjacent carbon atoms share electrons in a highly stable configuration. The nanotubes aren't merely sitting on the graphene sheet; they become a part of it.

"Many people have tried to attach nanotubes to a metal electrode and it's never gone very well because they get a little electronic barrier right at the interface," Tour said. "By growing graphene on metal (in this case copper) and then growing nanotubes from the graphene, the electrical contact between the nanotubes and the metal electrode is ohmic. That means electrons see no difference, because it's all one seamless material.

"This gives us, effectively, a very high surface area of more than 2,000 square meters per gram of material. It's a huge number," said Tour, Rice's T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry as well as a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and of computer science and a co-author with former postdoctoral researcher and lead author Yu Zhu, now an assistant professor at the University of Akron.

Tour said proof of the material's hybrid nature lies in the seven-membered rings at the transition from graphene to nanotube, a structure predicted by theory for such a material and now confirmed through electron microscope images with subnanometer resolution.

Carbon has no peer as a conductive material in such a thin and robust form, especially in the form of graphene or certain types of nanotubes. Combining the two appears to offer great potential for electronic components like fast supercapacitors that, because of the massive surface area, may hold a great deal of energy in a tiny package.

Rice chemist Robert Hauge and his team made the first steps toward such a hybrid over the past decade. Hauge, a distinguished faculty fellow in chemistry at Rice and co-author of the new work, discovered a way to make densely packed carpets of nanotubes on a carbon substrate by suspending catalyst-laced flakes in a furnace. When heated, the catalyst built carbon nanotubes like skyscrapers, starting at the substrate and working their way up. In the process, they lifted the aluminum oxide buffer into the air. The whole thing looked like a kite with many strings and was dubbed an odako, like the giant Japanese kites.

In the new work, the team grew a specialized odako that retained the iron catalyst and aluminum oxide buffer but put them on top of a layer of graphene grown separately on a copper substrate. The copper stayed to serve as an excellent current collector for the three-dimensional hybrids that were grown within minutes to controllable lengths of up to 120 microns.

Electron microscope images showed the one-, two- and three-walled nanotubes firmly embedded in the graphene, and electrical testing showed no resistance to the flow of current at the junction.

"The performance we see in this study is as good as the best carbon-based supercapacitors that have ever been made," Tour said. "We're not really a supercapacitor lab, and still we were able to match the performance because of the quality of the electrode. It's really remarkable, and it all harkens back to that unique interface."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rice University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Yu Zhu, Lei Li, Chenguang Zhang, Gilberto Casillas, Zhengzong Sun, Zheng Yan, Gedeng Ruan, Zhiwei Peng, Abdul-Rahman O. Raji, Carter Kittrell, Robert H. Hauge, James M. Tour. A seamless three-dimensional carbon nanotube graphene hybrid material. Nature Communications, 2012; 3: 1225 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2234

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/rB6NJZnJIoU/121127111342.htm

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HTC tries the store-within-a-store approach in Germany

HTC

HTC has opened its first store-within-a-store in Germany. The Taiwanese retailer is attempting to rebound after lackluster financial results by having a more profound retail presence. Rather than open up separate stores, these are dedicated areas within existing retailers, this one being a Saturn store in Germany.

Samsung has tried this approach in the UK and other European countries, and while it's unknown how much of a direct effect it has had, Samsung has enjoyed record sales of its phones over the past year.

As you'd expect, store staff will be trained by HT, and will have more in-depth knowledge of their products. HTC has also promised to expand this strategy to more cities and stores. We'll likely have to wait quite a while before we see if this helps HTC's financial position, but it seems like a good start.

Source: UnwiredView

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/2IE_WrPKs34/story01.htm

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