TechieGroups

A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Haiti this afternoon, according to the USGS.

Powerful M7.3 Earthquake Hits Haiti

The earthquake, preliminarily recorded as magnitude-7.3… but later adjusted to 7.0… was reported at 1:53 p.m. Pacific Time.

The epicenter of the quake was located inland, six miles west of Carrefour, close to the capital Port-au-Prince and was only 20.5 miles deep.

A major earthquake, of magnitude 7 or higher, is capable of causing widespread and heavy damage.

According to the Associated Press, a hospital in Petionville in Haiti has collapsed and people are screaming for help.

A tsunami watch is in effect for Haiti, Cuba, The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

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According to WTVF-TV in Nashville, former Pro Bowl quarterback Steve McNair has been killed. Police said McNair suffered a fatal gunshot wound in downtown Nashville Saturday. The TV station reported police said it looked like a double homicide. A female victim was also found dead. McNair played for the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens, and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times. He was the co-NFL MVP in 2003.

Former Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair was shot and killed in Nashville, police have confirmed.

McNair, 36, and an unidentified woman were found dead in a condominium, a Nashville police spokesman told reporters at an impromptu news conference near the property.

Investigators did not yet know the circumstances of the shooting, spokesman Don Aaron said.

“At this point, we don’t know the circumstances of these shooting deaths,” Aaron said. “The investigation is going to be conducted by the police department’s centralized homicide unit. Those detectives have assembled here at the scene. The condominium still has to be processed. There is a lot of work yet to be done. It’s going to take many hours to process the scene. I don’t have any answers for you now as to what’s happened, who’s responsible, what the circumstances are.”
Aaron said that police had tentatively identified the woman but did not release her name, pending confirmation of that identification and notification of her family.

UPDATE: Darren Rovell is reporting on his twitter account that McNair was shot and killed by his wife in an apparent murder-suicide.

UPDATE 2: Now Rovell’s source is pulling back on that report. No more until we actually learn something.

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Two-time World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn heads the roster for the 2010 U.S. Alpine Ski Team.

Lindsey Vonn headlines US Alpine Ski Team

Bode Miller is not on the team announced Tuesday. The World Cup champion and 2002 Olympic medalist left the U.S. squad in 2007.

A separate roster will be named for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Vonn, of Vail, Colo., is joined on the women’s roster by Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso, of Olympic Valley, Calif.

Another Olympic champion, Ted Ligety, of Park City, leads the eight-member men’s “A Team,” along with World Cup race winners Marco Sullivan, of Squaw Valley, Calif., and Steven Nyman, of Provo. Also on the roster: Erik Fisher, Tim Jitloff, TJ Lanning, Scott Macartney and Andrew Weibrecht.

Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods.  Today, both are the dominant figures of their respected sports.  Woods has a whopping 14 major championships and 67 PGA tour wins.  Vonn just won her second consecutive World Cup overall title and she has 22 World Cup wins on her resume.  At first glance, the 14 and 67 of Woods seems to pale that of Vonn’s 2 and 22, but as with all cases of apples and oranges, it’s necessary to dig deeper to justify the comparison.

Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn may not be a household name yet, but the buildup to the 2010 Winter Olympics next February will likely make the telegenic Vonn a familiar face for more than just ski racing fans. NBC Sports, the U.S. network televising the Olympics, made sure to notice Vonn in the crowd at the French Open men’s final on Sunday.

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Sarah Palin Indictment – Alaska Governor Sarah Palin reportedly resigned because of a federal indictment pending in an embezzlement scandal that allegedly involves her receiving huge financial favors from Spenard Building Supplies.

If the news is true, the upcoming Sarah Palin indictment would have crippled her ability to govern effectively.

Her resignation was said to be so sudden that her own children were not aware she was resigning until they heard her speak the words. Prior to the announcement, Palin had given every indication that she intended to complete her tenure as governor, including 36 hours earlier during a meeting with Senator Mark Begich.

The embezzlement scandal revolves around the large, $12.5 million sports complex that Sarah Palin pushed through during her last term as Mayor in Wasilla.

According to news reports Sarah Palin resigned from her position as Governor of Alaska due to a federal indictment in an embezzlement scandal that claims she has received a large amount of money from Spenard Building Supplies who are the largest building supply company in Alaska.

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A fire in Seattle’s Fisher Plaza appears to have taken down Authorize.net, a service used by online businesses to process credit card and electronic check payments.

That’s a big problem for any Authorize.net customer, since this basically means they can’t accept payments through their websites until the service is up again. I’m told this affects both one-time and recurring payments. With its website down, Authorize has set up a new Twitter account to provide updates and address the many customer complaints and questions. Many of the tweets can be boiled down to, “The team is working hard to get things running again, but I don’t have a timetable”; the company is also trying to reassure customers, “yes we have fully redundant data center” (sic), and also just said, “Transactions are up except for Global processing and Concord. No ETA on those, but we are working on in.”

As a lot of e-commerce businesses and Twitter users are noticing, the entire Authorize.Net infrastructure crashed a few hours ago. For anyone who makes a purchase online, this is huge; Authorize.Net is the largest service for accepting credit cards and e-checks through the web. This means that millions of web-based transactions and purchases have come to a halt.

Luckily, Authorize.Net understands the usefulness of social media in situations like these. They set up a new Twitter (Twitter) account, @AuthorizeNet, earlier today to keep users informed about the recovery of one of the web’s most important payment systems. So what took Authorize.Net down anyway? And when will it be 100% back?

Talk about a serious outage. Payment gateway service provider Authorize.net has been down and out for several hours, a number of tipsters inform us. That has big implications: since the service is used by tens of thousands of e-commerce vendors to accept credit card and electronic checks payments on their websites (example), it likely means millions are being lost during its downtime. PayPal and Google Checkout are still up and running.

It’s unclear when the downtime started exactly, but the consensus is somewhere between 5 and 7 hours at this point (11 AM Eastern), with e-commerce vendors desperately looking for ways to contact the company or get any first-hand information about what’s going on and when the problems will be resolved. Twitter, meanwhile, is buzzing with the news as the United States wakes up

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Alexis-Arguello

Alexis Arguello, who fought in one of the classic boxing fights and reigned supreme at 130 pounds, was found dead in his home early Wednesday.

Presidential spokeswoman Rosario Murillo Arguello confirmed death and one was awaiting autopsy. The newspaper La Prensa reported Arguello – elected mayor of Managua last year – was found with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Alexis “The Explosive Thin Man” Argüello (April 19, 1952 – July 1, 2009), was a former professional boxer who became a politician. As a boxer he was three time World champion. After his retirement from boxing, Argüello became active in Nicaraguan politics and in November 2008 he was elected mayor of Managua, the nation’s capital city.

Arguello is ranked 20th on Ring Magazine’s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time
The 57-year-old Arguello retired in 1995 with a record of 82-8 with 65 holes and was a champion in three weight divisions. E ‘was perhaps best known for two thrilling battles with Aaron Pryor and clashes with Ray Mancini, Bobby Chacon and Ruben Olivares.

“Alexis was one of the greatest fighters and champions of the world, but more importantly, was a true man, true gentleman and loyal friend,” Bob Arum, who promoted many of his battles, he told The Associated Press. “It will be much missed.”

Nicknamed “the explosive Thin Man” Arguello was entered International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992, where flags were flying at half staff in his honor Wednesday.

In 1999, a group of experts convened by The Associated Press Arguello voted the best junior lightweight and lightweight sixth best of the 20th century. Arguello has never lost a battle at 130 pounds.

His popularity in his country was so great that it led the flag for Nicaragua at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and has led to the decision to seek his public office.

Arguello turned professional in 1968 and immediately lost his first attack. He has not lost much later, and six years later mobilization to Knock Out Olivares in the 13th round and win the WBA featherweight title.

Arguello went on to win the super featherweight and lightweight titles, his 5-foot-10 frame and long reach that allows him to move in weight without losing its tremendous punching power. At the time, it was only the sixth boxer to win championships in three weight categories, and was considered a little ‘time to the best pounds-per-pound fighter in the world.

Arguello moved in weight again in November of 1982 to contest junior welterweight king Pryor in a fight billed as “Battle of Champions”, the attempt to become the first fighter to win titles in four divisions. More than 23,000 fans packed the Orange Bowl in Miami, and the two fought an epic battle in which Pryor eliminated Arguello in the 14th round.

The attack was named “Fight of the Year” and “Fight of the decade” by Ring Magazine, but was surrounded by controversy. Pryor trainer, Panama Lewis, gave him a bottle of water after 13 rounds many believe that a substance contained illegal – an accusation denied Pryor.

A rematch was ordered and they met again a year later at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. This time, Pryor dropped Arguello in the 10th round.

He announced after the fight that he would retire from boxing, but as often happens in sport, Arguello could not stay away from the ring.

He returned in 1985 to beat Pat Jefferson, and won another fight the following year, but not step in the ring again until 1994. After the defeat of an unknown club fighter in Miami, Arguello lost Journeyman Scott Walker in January 1995 and retired for the last time.

“Alexis Arguello was a first class fighter and a gentleman of first class,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy. “The Hall of Fame of the boxing community is united in sorrow for the loss of a great champion and friend.”

Arguello fought against the Sandinista government in 1980 after his assets seized and bank account, but later joined the party and ran for mayor of the capital last November. He defeated Eduardo Montealegre, although opponents of vote fraud has been alleged.

Arguello had returned Sunday from Puerto Rico, where he honored the end of baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. His death has prompted the President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega announced that it was for the cancellation of a trip to Panama for the inauguration of President-elect Ricardo Martinelli.

“We are shocked,” said Murillo, whose office declined to provide details about the death of Arguello. “This is a heartbreaking announcement. He was the champion of the poor, an example of forgiveness and reconciliation.”

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Kidd Kraddick

I heard him read the blog on the air this morning on the way to work, and almost crying (had to keep with the guide!) I’ve been listening to Kidd for geez – for decades? Joking aside, I remember about him is that guy with the annoying DJ voice on the Eagle at nights, doing all the cliche cheesy DJ antics, such as’ Burn your buns’ and some ‘party patrol’ or something like that … . Man, I’m old! I remember the day Bathtime with Caroline too – he really mellowed out when he married and had a family.

I suspected something was about a year ago when my friend (who listens to one of those insensitive jerk DJ at another station) made the comment that Kidd was obtaining a divorce. I argued with him, and said it was impossible. But as I listened and paid more attention to the show, I noticed Kidd does not speak to Carol or Caroline near what he used to. He used to not quit on them (in a good way.) He does not really talk about it I wonder.

I always thought that he and Carol had the perfect marriage, it is unfortunate that this was not. Caroline grew up to be a beautiful, intelligent and ambitious young woman, and because it has always been a priority for Kidd and Carol. My heart goes to the family. I grew up with Kidd, and was a part of my life for a very long time.

David Cradick, better known as Kidd Kraddick, (born August 22, 1959) is an American radio host. His nationally-syndicated morning radio show, Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, is based in Las Colinas, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, and airs throughout the United States on Citadel Media (formerly ABC Radio Networks).

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The new Bluetooth specification launched this week promises the new version will be eight times faster than its predecessor.

The new protocol will help mobile device manufacturers who adopted the low-power, limited range Bluetooth for its support of device sync and peripheral connections. Using Bluetooth 3.0, those vendors will be able to use 802.11 radio circuitry to extend data throughput without using WiFi networking, which many handsets lack.
It’s been known for a while now that the specs for Bluetooth 3.0 will be officially announced on 21st of April and they arrived on schedule. The specification are now known as Bluetooth 3.0 High Speed and for good reason – it promises up to 8 times the speed of version 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced data rate) for a theoretical maximum of 24Mbps.

For starters, the obvious use is to download a huge media library between a phone and a computer. And with the increase in capacity of memory cards transferring sizeable music collections is common, but quite slow over Bluetooth.

The speed increase to 24Mbps is done in part by combining the power of Bluetooth with the power of WiFi. For example, when transferring files using Bluetooth 3.0, a temporary WiFi connection will be made between the two devices to give the transfer that extra speed boost. That WiFi connection will only exist for enough time so that the transfer can be completed and will be ended before it’s noticable to any other nearby device.

For iPhone and iPod touch fans, this is exciting news. Progress on Bluetooth technology is important to anyone who uses their phone with a Bluetooth hands-free headset or would like to use their phone to quickly transfer contacts or files to another phone. Don’t expect Bluetooth 3.0 to start hitting devices soon though; the Bluetooth special interest group has said they don’t expect the new technology to be available to consumers for another 9 to 12 months – which is just in time for the 4th generation iPhone to be introduced!

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confiker computer worm

On April 1, the April fools virus is doing rounds in cyber world.

It’s also called the April fools day virus- the Confiker virus that reportedly hits the computers once in a few years.

Though not much among the lay users the conficker worm is causing quite a stir among computer security experts who are hurrying against time to minimise the impact of the virus ready strike on April 1.

Computer users around the world are holding their collective breaths as April 1 arrives, to see whether the Conficker.c  virus takes control of as many as 10 million infected computers–and what it will do then.

No agenda has been announced by the creators of the virus, and this is one of the points that makes it most worrisome to experts.

“The program could delete all of the files on a person’s computer, use zombie PCs — those controlled by a master — to overwhelm and shut down Web sites or monitor a person’s keyboard strokes to collect private information like passwords or bank account information,” experts told CNN.

More likely, however, “the virus may try to get computer users to buy fake software or spend money on other phony products.”

Infection of Microsoft-Windows accessible Conficker.c has been spreading since late last fall. The first wave targeted machines and dug in to software, hiding in wait, and was first discovered in November. The second wave began distributing copies of itself in December 2008, and the most recent in March 2009, is able to transfer itself through removable media, such as thumb drives, making it possible to infect any machine the user plugs into.

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