Early Look at Windows 8 Baffles Consumers

The release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 NEW YORK — The release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system is a week away, and consumers are in for a shock.  Windows, used in one form or another for a generation, is getting a completely different look that will force users to learn new ways to get things done. Microsoft is making a radical break with the past to stay relevant in a world where smartphones and tablets have eroded the three-decade dominance of the personal computer.  Windows 8 is supposed to tie together Microsoft’s PC, tablet and phone software with one look. But judging by the reactions of some people who have tried the PC version, it’s a move that risks confusing and alienating customers.  Tony...

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10 Cars most Sought Men

10 Cars Men Can't Stop Thinking About Lust is a relative term. One man's object of desire is another man's reject, and there's no accounting for taste. Cars are like anything else: What you enjoy might not be enjoyed by others — until you get to the top. The best and most exciting cars in the world are generally universally appreciated. The desirable forms in this gathering tend to stimulate men the way few other machines do. Here are what we believe to be the 10 cars that men lust after the most. THE CARS MEN LUST AFTER MOST 1957 Jaguar XKSS This is the prettiest Jaguar ever built, and that's saying something. The XKSS was little more than a Jaguar D-Type with a windshield and a full interior. It was loud, obnoxious and expensive...

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Dangerous Storms Move into Midwest

A tornado moves on the ground north of Solomon, Kan., on Saturday evening. A strong wave of storms pounded the Midwest. Tornadoes Reported OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Tornadoes reported across the Midwest and Plains on Saturday and early Sunday left five people dead in Oklahoma and damaged houses, a hospital, a jail, an Air Force base and other buildings around the region, officials said. Oklahoma authorities said five people died early Sunday after a tornado hit in and around the northwest Oklahoma town of Woodward. Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain said the state medical examiner's office confirmed the fatalities in the Woodward area. She didn't know the gender or age of the victims or details of their deaths. The...

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Human Remains Might Be at Titanic Wreck Site

This photo provided by the Institute for Exploration, Center for Archaeological Oceanography/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, shows a pair of shoes at the bottom of the ocean near the Titanic shipwreck site. Officials say evidence of human remains at Titanic wreck NEW YORK (AP) – Human remains may be embedded in the mud of the North Atlantic where the New York-bound Titanic came to rest when it sank 100 years ago, a federal official said Saturday. A 2004 photograph, released to the public for the first time this week in an uncropped version to coincide with the disaster's centenary, shows a coat and boots in the mud at the legendary shipwreck site. "These are not shoes that fell out neatly from...

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Homes made from wacky materials

Humble materials get recycled to create outlandish homes, such as this dumpster house.  Bedtime stories say the evil witch from Hansel and Gretel lived in a gingerbread cottage with window panes of sugar and a candy studded roof. And an old lady with so many children she didn’t know what to do lived in a shoe. In real life, the possibilities are just as wacky, from paper houses to converted grain bins to homes made from a muddy mixture called “cob.” These architectural oddities — homes built out of recycled junk, gussied up dumpsters, or grounded airplanes — provide fodder for future fairy tales, or at least late-night shows on HGTV. In the Hamptons, a resort area usually associated with oceanfront mega mansions, abandoned...

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Twitter’s logo is named after NBA Legend

Twitter’s logo is named after Larry Bird Larry Bird sets up his Twitter account, @HickFromFrenchLick (Jennifer Pottheiser/ Getty). The NBA and Twitter have proved to be a natural fit for each other. Basketball players took to the service before their counterparts in any other sport, shows like TNT's "Inside the NBA" have willfully incorporated tweets into their broadcasts, and the league maintains a steady tweet presence. It turns out that Twitter itself also takes some inspiration from the league. If you've spent any time on the site, you've almost certainly seen some variation on their bird logo. Any domesticated animal needs a name, and so the company's braintrust named their bird "Larry" — in honor, of course, of Celtics legend...

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Microsoft Unveils Windows 8

You already knew from the early "developer preview" of Windows 8 that Microsoft released in September just how radically different this version of the company's ubiquitous operating system is from its predecessors. But now that Microsoft on Wednesday unleashed a more complete preview version of Windows 8 — which consumers can get their hands on — we really are on the threshold of a whole new era of personal computing. Steven Sinofsky, president of Windows and Windows Live, at the Windows 8 Consumer Preview presentation at the Mobile World Congress. The stakes for Microsoft and the entire computing ecosystem are enormous. This new era is built around tablets as much as traditional laptops and desktops, and multi-touch as much as the...

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America's Most Outrageous Food Vehicles

A collection of the most outlandish food-shaped automobiles in the nation Who hasn't wanted to take a ride in the Weinermobile? Outfitting vehicles to look like something else has been one of America's favorite advertising tools since the '30s, and drivers and bystanders have been treated to cars that look like everything from animals to candy - even shoes. In fact, carrying on in the tradition of Oscar Mayer, there is a whole bevy of food-shaped vehicles that deserve their moment of glory. Anyone who's watched the movie Dumb and Dumber will chuckle at the memory of the MuttCutts van that Jeff Daniels' character Harry Dunne had made for his dog grooming service - it's a time-honored visual gag. Before the Super Bowl, David Arquette...

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Egypt begins restoring ancient boat near pyramids

CAIRO (AP) — Archaeologists on Monday began restoration on a 4,500-year-old wooden boat found next to the pyramids, one of Egypt's main tourist attractions. The boat is one of two that were buried next to the Pharaoh Khufu, spokesmen for a joint Egyptian-Japanese team of archeologists said. The boats are believed to have been intended to carry pharaohs into the afterlife. Khufu, also known as Cheops, is credited with building the Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest of the pyramids. Khufu, son of Snefru, was the second ruler of the 4th Dynasty around 2680 B.C. and ruled Egypt for 23 years. Both boats, made from Lebanese cedar and Egyptian acacia trees, were originally discovered in 1954. One of the boats is on display at a museum...

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7 Best Places to Live Cheaply

These locations boast some of the lowest living costs in the nation. They also have highly rated schools and low unemployment and crime rates. No. 1: Sandusky, Ohio Sandusky, Ohio, is a city with million-dollar water views and a whole lot of $100,000 houses. With a median family income of $64,000 and median home-selling price of $76,000, this city on Lake Erie, midway between Cleveland and Toledo, could be the most affordable housing market in the country. Throw in highly rated schools and a low crime rate, and Sandusky tops the 2011 Forbes list of America's best cheap cities. To produce the list, we started with the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Affordability Index, where Sandusky ranked sixth behind...

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Seven Tips for Becoming a Better Boss

Want to build a better workplace? Follow these tips from the leaders of companies recognized in the annual Best Small Workplaces list. Is better hiring and retention high on your to-do list this year? Many people need to do more with less nowadays. A great way to start is with better management and more effective workers. It’s easy to see why companies would want to start building a great workplace. Where to begin can be more difficult to discern. This lack of clarity makes it tough to take focused actions that move a company forward. In some cases, it can even be discouraging to a leader if the scope and breadth seem too large to overcome. If you’re among those aspiring to build a better workplace, even a great one, here are...

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Tips on Overcoming Workplace Phobias

How to overcome phobias in the workplace Few people truly love public speaking. So when you have to give a big presentation to your boss and a room full of your peers, it's normal to feel nervous, get a little sweaty and rejoice once the presentation is over. Yet for some, the idea of public speaking evokes such fear that it's debilitating and renders them unable to participate. That kind of anxiety may be considered a social phobia. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 5.3 million Americans suffer from a social phobia, an overwhelming anxiety and self-consciousness in social settings. What's more, the institute estimates that more than one in 10 Americans have one or more specific phobias. WebMD defines...

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Meanings of 10 Valentine's Day Flowers

Whether you’re planning to give—or hoping to receive—flowers this Valentine’s Day, brushing up on the meaning behind the blooms will likely inform your choices or heighten your appreciation of your sweet-smelling gift. Think a rose is just a rose? Read on to find out what 10 popular Valentine’s Day flowers really symbolize. Roses Not surprisingly, this classic bud is “the most popular choice for Valentine’s Day,” says Kate Law, Product Design Manager at ProFlowers.com. It could be because red roses symbolize love, romance, beauty and perfection. The iconic flower is also known for being pricey—according to Michael Gaffney, Director of the New York School of Flower Design, “flower growers hold back their rose bushes for months...

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