If you're planning on spending spring break in Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean you'll need apply now for a passport, thanks to Congress and the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The new passport requirement, known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI, thanks DHS), went into effect on January 23 and applies to all air travel into the United States. Yep, you can fly out of the country without a passport, but you won't be able to get back in (Roach Motel in reverse). You can drive back in, though driving from a Caribbean island might be a little more than your Saturn can handle.
The new rules affect all citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda who previously could use birth certificates, drivers' licenses and other documents to enter the U.S.
As usual, the government is cashing in. The State Department will do expedited passport processing for an additional fee on top of the higher fees they implemented last year.
The NEXUS program, whatever that is, also fulfills the document requirements of WHTI. The CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws. Yep, all those Spring Break college students are sure terrorism threats. What a bunch of garbage. I'm driving to Toronto! See next post.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
MobiTV Signing Subscribers at Record Rate
While satellite radio companies Sirius and XM struggle to sign new subscribers, a similarly-styled company in the video space, MobiTV, is surging with subscriptions to their mobile and broadband television and music services.
The company announced today that it has exceeded two million paying subscribers worldwide, more than doubling their base in less than a year.
MobiTV offers the most comprehensive content, with more than 100 television channels worldwide, and nearly 40 channels in its US service, including many of the same stations available via cable. The company supports nearly all existing commercial network standards plus future 4G networks such as WiMAX and DVB-H.
"MobiTV has quickly become the industry's go-to resource for mobile content delivery," said Paul Scanlan, president and co-founder of MobiTV.
Some key achievements since April 2006 include a service with AT&T to deliver real live TV to any PC broadband user in the US, interactive ads and m-commerce, content deals surpassing 100 channels and support for 150+ handsets worldwide.
The company announced today that it has exceeded two million paying subscribers worldwide, more than doubling their base in less than a year.
MobiTV offers the most comprehensive content, with more than 100 television channels worldwide, and nearly 40 channels in its US service, including many of the same stations available via cable. The company supports nearly all existing commercial network standards plus future 4G networks such as WiMAX and DVB-H.
"MobiTV has quickly become the industry's go-to resource for mobile content delivery," said Paul Scanlan, president and co-founder of MobiTV.
Some key achievements since April 2006 include a service with AT&T to deliver real live TV to any PC broadband user in the US, interactive ads and m-commerce, content deals surpassing 100 channels and support for 150+ handsets worldwide.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Getting Ready for March Madness
File this one under shameless self-promotion.
With the annual rites of Spring upon us - no, not baseball or dating - basketball fans are gearing up for the NCAA Tournament and our blog, College Basketball Daily, will have all the news, stories, game recaps and action from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
I've been covering college hoops all season, and things are really heating up. This is the first season I've put all the coverage on a blog, but since things happen quickly once the tournament starts, it's a good place to go to get a quick overview and my expert insight all on one page.
You'll find the AP poll rankings updated every Monday and beginning this week, conference tournament results in addition to the usual mix of Top 25 recaps, picks and pans.
March Madness is upon us!
With the annual rites of Spring upon us - no, not baseball or dating - basketball fans are gearing up for the NCAA Tournament and our blog, College Basketball Daily, will have all the news, stories, game recaps and action from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
I've been covering college hoops all season, and things are really heating up. This is the first season I've put all the coverage on a blog, but since things happen quickly once the tournament starts, it's a good place to go to get a quick overview and my expert insight all on one page.
You'll find the AP poll rankings updated every Monday and beginning this week, conference tournament results in addition to the usual mix of Top 25 recaps, picks and pans.
March Madness is upon us!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Coke & Pepsi To Disclose Caffeine Content
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will soon reveal the exact amount of caffeine per serving right on their labels. Everyone knows that the two popular beverages pack a punch, but until now, nobody knew whether it was a right hook or just a jab.
Since 2003, the nonprofit Caffeine Awareness Alliance (CAA) and the American Medical Association have been asking the Food and Drug Administration for caffeine content disclosure on food labels. CAA praised both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo's new labeling and called on Starbucks and others to follow suit.
"The right for consumers to make informed decisions is vital to the health of this nation," said CAA founder Marina Kushner.
Kushner strives to educate through her book, "The Truth About Caffeine -- How Companies That Promote It Deceive Us and What We Can Do About It."
To learn more about Kushner's book, or National Caffeine Awareness Month, you can visit caffeineawareness.org/.
Since 2003, the nonprofit Caffeine Awareness Alliance (CAA) and the American Medical Association have been asking the Food and Drug Administration for caffeine content disclosure on food labels. CAA praised both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo's new labeling and called on Starbucks and others to follow suit.
"The right for consumers to make informed decisions is vital to the health of this nation," said CAA founder Marina Kushner.
Kushner strives to educate through her book, "The Truth About Caffeine -- How Companies That Promote It Deceive Us and What We Can Do About It."
To learn more about Kushner's book, or National Caffeine Awareness Month, you can visit caffeineawareness.org/.
Carnival.Com Cruises to Top Spot
According to Hitwise, which tracks Web traffic in more than 160 different industry categories, Carnival Cruise Lines' web site, carnival.com, is the most visited cruise line site on the internet.
Carnival's success was attributed to a huge upgrade in 2006 and the addition of new tools and features including an interactive destination map, guest video testimonials and an enhanced meeting and incentive cruise section.
Carnival operates 21 Fun Ships worldwide offering a wide variety of trips to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe and the Greek Isles.
The line currently has four new ships on order, two of which, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic will be the largest Fun Ships in the fleet. They are scheduled for delivery in October 2009 and June 2011, respectively.
Web site: http://carnival.com/
Carnival's success was attributed to a huge upgrade in 2006 and the addition of new tools and features including an interactive destination map, guest video testimonials and an enhanced meeting and incentive cruise section.
Carnival operates 21 Fun Ships worldwide offering a wide variety of trips to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe and the Greek Isles.
The line currently has four new ships on order, two of which, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic will be the largest Fun Ships in the fleet. They are scheduled for delivery in October 2009 and June 2011, respectively.
Web site: http://carnival.com/
Mirage Las Vegas to host TopCoder Open 2007
80 top programmers from around the world will compete for $260,000 in prizes, June 27-29 at The Mirage Las Vegas. TopCoder, the leader in online programming competition, , skills assessment and competitive software development, today announced that AOL will serve as title sponsor of the of the TopCoder Open 2007.
This year's event will bring a total of 80 competitors from around the world for a total prize purse across all competitions of $260,000. Online registration for multiple tracks opened Monday, February 19th and continues through March 27th. For full TopCoder Open registration details please visit http://www.topcoder.com/tco07.
The 2007 TopCoder Open onsite competitions will feature the Algorithm competition - 48 semifinalists with a first prize purse of $25,000; the software Design track - 8 finalists, first prize $25,000; the software Development track - 8 finalists, first prize $15,000; TopCoder Studio competition - 8 finalists, first prize $15,000; TopCoder Marathon Match - 8 finalists, first prize $15,000.
TopCoder membership is free and brings with it eligibility to compete in high profile tournaments, discussions and learning, plus access to some of the world's leading employers of software developers.
"Las Vegas is a spectacular venue for the TCO 07 sponsored by AOL," said Rob Hughes, President and COO of TopCoder, Inc. "We believe our competitors, sponsors and audience alike will find this the most exciting and entertaining TopCoder Open yet!"
Web site: http://www.topcoder.com/
This year's event will bring a total of 80 competitors from around the world for a total prize purse across all competitions of $260,000. Online registration for multiple tracks opened Monday, February 19th and continues through March 27th. For full TopCoder Open registration details please visit http://www.topcoder.com/tco07.
The 2007 TopCoder Open onsite competitions will feature the Algorithm competition - 48 semifinalists with a first prize purse of $25,000; the software Design track - 8 finalists, first prize $25,000; the software Development track - 8 finalists, first prize $15,000; TopCoder Studio competition - 8 finalists, first prize $15,000; TopCoder Marathon Match - 8 finalists, first prize $15,000.
TopCoder membership is free and brings with it eligibility to compete in high profile tournaments, discussions and learning, plus access to some of the world's leading employers of software developers.
"Las Vegas is a spectacular venue for the TCO 07 sponsored by AOL," said Rob Hughes, President and COO of TopCoder, Inc. "We believe our competitors, sponsors and audience alike will find this the most exciting and entertaining TopCoder Open yet!"
Web site: http://www.topcoder.com/
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Data Security Getting Worse According to IT Pros
According to a survey conducted by nCircle, 66% of IT security professionals believe their own personal data is less secure than 2 years ago.
nCircle, the leading provider of agentless security risk and compliance management solutions, conducted the survey of 83 IT professionals in January 2007.
The critical question: "Do you think your personal confidential information is more or less secure than it was 24 months ago?" yielded the following results: Total votes: 83; Less Secure: 66%; More Secure: 34%
According to Abe Kleinfeld, CEO of nCircle, "These results point out the real and present danger to online data that IT security professionals see everyday. Security professionals believe that their own personal data is at risk because they know that most organizations approach the problem of data security from a defensive position, one which leaves both the data and the organizations vulnerable."
If these professionals are this skeptical of network security, how secure is your information?
nCircle, the leading provider of agentless security risk and compliance management solutions, conducted the survey of 83 IT professionals in January 2007.
The critical question: "Do you think your personal confidential information is more or less secure than it was 24 months ago?" yielded the following results: Total votes: 83; Less Secure: 66%; More Secure: 34%
According to Abe Kleinfeld, CEO of nCircle, "These results point out the real and present danger to online data that IT security professionals see everyday. Security professionals believe that their own personal data is at risk because they know that most organizations approach the problem of data security from a defensive position, one which leaves both the data and the organizations vulnerable."
If these professionals are this skeptical of network security, how secure is your information?
SBE, Esquire Sponsor Academy Awards Fundraiser for AIDS
SBE Entertainment and Esquire Magazine will host The Envelope Please 6th Annual Oscar-viewing party at The Abbey, to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). Over 500 guests will attend this fundraiser on Oscar night wth Jennifer Love Hewitt serving as host for the event.
"The Envelope Please" is a major fundraising event for APLA. The organization operates food banks, dental clinics and other direct services serving the HIV community in Los Angeles.
Additional sponsors include ClearChannel, Merck, Effen Vodka, United Airlines, Wells Fargo and the City of West Hollywood.
Festivities will begin on Sunday, Feb. 25, with a cocktail reception at 4:00 pm, followed by dinner and viewing party at 5:00 pm. Individual tickets begin at $300 and space is limited. For more information or to order tickets, please visit www.apla.org.
"The Envelope Please" is a major fundraising event for APLA. The organization operates food banks, dental clinics and other direct services serving the HIV community in Los Angeles.
Additional sponsors include ClearChannel, Merck, Effen Vodka, United Airlines, Wells Fargo and the City of West Hollywood.
Festivities will begin on Sunday, Feb. 25, with a cocktail reception at 4:00 pm, followed by dinner and viewing party at 5:00 pm. Individual tickets begin at $300 and space is limited. For more information or to order tickets, please visit www.apla.org.
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