In the interview with David Greiner that we published today, I asked him about the forthcoming organisation that he and the Freshview team were forming to establish a baseline of standards support in email clients.

Dave divulged that the domain for this group would be emailstandards.org, and that the first incarnation of the site for this organisation would appear in the next month or so.

So far the Email Standards Project (I’m assuming that’s what it will be called*, although the acronym ESP already stands for a heap of other things) have stated that they plan to:

1. Establish a baseline of standards that senders of HTML email need supported in email
2. Document the important changes each of the major email client manufacturers need to make in order to support web and related standards (Dave gave me a demo of the paid service that they will be adding to their Campaign Monitor product to facilitate this)
3. Create a simple acid test that makes it easy to see if an email client supports this baseline, much like WaSP’s Acid2 test.

Web browsers have come a long way, and the Web is a whole lot better for it; the email wars, however, are only just beginning.

*I thought it would be more fun to speculate on this than to interview Dave again.

This article provided by sitepoint.com.

Share This

Filed under: PlayStation Store

We didn’t know it was supposed to be a mystery, but apparently the developers behind PS3’s new racer, Toy Home, weren’t announced at TGS. The game was held in some high acclaim, so the lack of knowing who was behind the title was disorienting for some. Sony has finally revealed who’s to blame for making another winning game and it’s none other than Game Republic — the group behind Folklore and Genji.

The game, planned as a Japanese-exclusive download for now, has Sixaxis support for steering the cars, but also will include support for rumble. This will be the first downloadable title to support rumble, we think. There’s not much else to know about the game. You race, it’s cute and fun, and it’s probably going to stick around in Japan only. If you’ve got a Japanese account, though, good for you as you’ll get a neat game to play this Winter.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Share This

Filed under: PlayStation Network, News

Someone pretending to be SCEA IT personnel was able to receive information on two PSN user accounts over the phone. However, the accidental release of information does not indicate a breach of any kind to the Network. Kimberly Otzman explained to GameDaily, “Just to clarify, there has been no hacking or electronic breach to any of SCEA’s electronic security systems. An as-yet-unidentified PSN user impersonating an SCEA IT employee apparently called customer service agents in order to gain unauthorized access to two PSN user accounts not belonging to the impostor. The unauthorized accessing of the two accounts was discovered immediately after it took place, the unauthorized access was disabled, and the account-holders were notified.”

Exactly how this impostor was able to so easily access this information is unclear, and a bit troubling. Undoubtedly, there will be new protocols implemented at SCEA to ensure that this doesn’t happen again in the future. “No consumer experienced any financial loss or damage. In response to the incident, SCEA immediately enhanced its customer service protocol, implementing additional security safeguards, and began an intensive investigation of the incident that remains ongoing,” Otzman continued.

[Via Joystiq]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Share This

Filed under: Video Games

Since its release late last year, the motion-sensitive Nintendo Wii has become a runaway success for many reasons, including famously keeping the aging and elderly active with a variety of sports titles.

Given the video-game console’s unorthodox penchant for promoting physical activity instead of discouraging it, it seems only natural that physical therapists have begun putting the system to use to help patients achieve better balance and motor skills. As Minneapolis/St. Paul CBS affiliate WCCO reports, therapists at the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital are seeing great results among stroke patients who play ‘Wii Tennis.’ In addition to actually exercising the patient back to health, the therapists note that the Wii makes the process of rehabilitation more fun. According to WCCO, the U.S. Army has also also hopped aboard the Wii Train, testing the system out on injured soldiers in Landstuhl, Germany to help them regain their strength.

With Nintendo’s upcoming ‘Wii Fit’, which includes a pressure-sensitive balance board that can be used for everything from push-ups to yoga to aerobics on the way early next year, we expect that more practical uses for the Wii’s unique controls are on the way.

From Engadget

Related Links:

• Senior Citizens Going Nuts for Nintendo Wii
• Nintendo Offering Free Wii-mote Grip Sleeves
• Nintendo Gears Up for Wii-Hungry Holiday Shoppers

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Share This

Filed under: After the bell, Major movement, Rants and raves, Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), China, Money and Finance Today, Top Picks 2007, Valero Energy (VLO), Huaneng Power Intl ADS (HNP), Headline news, Aluminum Corp of China ADS (ACH), Intuitive Surgical Inc (ISRG)

I think you all have gone mad if you are buying stocks today just because the market is moving up, or you are planning on federal rate cuts yet to be announced, or Hilary Kramer or James Cramer said so, or you are afraid the train is leaving the station without you, or your stock broker or palm reader has become bullish. There is only one reason to buy stocks and that is to make money and secure your future for the long run. To do that you need to have solid reasons that can be accounted for and demonstrated to have a high degree of probablity. I did not see that today.

A friend of mine asked me today whether they should sell their shares of Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and take profits after it’s recent runnup. I told them I had no idea whether to buy, sell or hold. There was no concrete data that has been released since it’s last quarterly report (after which it dropped by $50 in one day) so to me it is all wild speculation. If you believe that the rate cuts are good for the overall market which includes Google then perhaps you can hang your hat on that — I won’t be.

I have been touting Huaneng Power ADS (NYSE: HNP) for a long time and those that paid heed to my comments made a ton of money with me, but even though I love this stock I am not promoting it today after it’s 45% jump in the last six weeks Volatile Market picks: Huaneng Power (HNP) is my pick for the next 50 years. I like to buy on dips as I wrote when it was down 20% off its high not when it is screaming forward to new highs. I think patience is in order.

I think Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO), Aluminum Company of China (NYSE: ACH), and Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) are all unbelievable stocks but all of them have been on fire for quite some time. My last buy recommendation among this group was ACH at $22 per share and it closed at $73.90 today. I have made 236% in six months and I am telling you this is nuts!!! I would love to buy some more but only when there is value not just momentum.

My last word of caution which is a historical fact, not just a popular saying: Those that play with fire will get burned. I think the market is getting a touch giddy. One reader with similar thoughts responding to Hilary Kramer’s pumping Google today quipped tongue-in-cheek that “Trees do grow to the sky”. I know there are those that will tell me “your supposed to buy on the rumor and sell on the fact”. My response is that there are stocks that are values in today’s market but most are not, and it is a big mistake to run into a mob!

Disclosure: I own ACH, HNP, ISRG and VLO.

To find potential opportunities and verify my track record read Chasing Value or Serious Money.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. He is on the advisory board of internet start-up CircleBuilder.com.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Share This

The Suissa Enlighten modularized computer by far and large looks nothing like a PC at first, second, or even the third glance. Still, it manages to pack in a whole lot of computing punch with its microATX motherboard, a choice between Intel Quad Core or AMD X2 6400+ processors, a single NVIDIA 8800GTX or ATI Radeon HD2900XT video card, 4GB PC6400 RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a DVD burner. The power supply of the Enlighten is hidden in the block position just underneath the Plexiglass faced wood ring. Should you want to bring this piece of artistic tech home, be prepared to part with a whooping $16,000.

Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones

Share This

Remember the awesome flipbook animation (and beyond) Anita posted a little while ago? Me too! It was awesome. I love animation.

I also love this:

That stuffed weasel? Important to the process, beyond measure.

Share This

Filed under: Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, 20th Century Fox, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

We don’t have to wait two years! We only have to wait one! In case you can’t tell, I’m excited to hear the solo Wolverine spin-off will be hitting theaters in 2008, rather than 2009, as we’ve always thought. But is it true? According to IESB, it is. The site spoke with Wolverine director Gavin Hood — twice — and claims the guy said Fox is pushing the thing out next summer. However, Hood is also quoted as saying production doesn’t even begin until either December or January and that it would take four months to shoot. So what is it, guys, is he starting filming in just under a month, or is he starting in a few months?

Either way, I’m still excited to know it’s going into production soon. Wolverine, which star Hugh Jackman and Wizard magazine discussed in-depth recently, will lens in Australia and New Zealand and will apparently feature “other mutants such as Gambit” (but probably not Gambit; Hood merely acknowledged that “other mutants” would appear, and that could simply refer to Sabretooth, who we already know about). Other than that, IESB was only able to confirm that Wolverine would be rated PG-13 and that Hood seems to see the X-Man’s story as something out of opera or Greek mythology, which he is more familiar with than comic books.

Despite my excitement as a fan of the comics and the character of Wolverine in particular, I have some reservations. I was probably one of the biggest critics of Hood’s Oscar-winning film Tsotsi, and now that his follow-up, Rendition, is getting mixed-to-bad reviews, I hate to think that he’ll also ruin Wolverine. The opera/mythology stuff intrigues me, but I hope he’ll at least do some research into the comic books, and I hope he’s more kidding than half-kidding in his telling IESB that he’s only doing the movie to pay for his twins’ college tuition. Let’s pray Hood wasn’t right in initially telling Fox that he’s the wrong guy for this.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Share This

Filed under: Cellphones

Verizon isn’t kidding around this fall, with four new fashionable phones, a couple of which might divert a few iPhone dollars from archrival AT&T. It’s those exact four that Engadget Mobile got the scoop on last weekend, the Juke, Pearl, Venus and Voyager. A few of the details have changed, but the basic gist is the same. The Samsung Juke is the first “flick” phone to hit the States, and arrives with 2GB of built-in storage, A2DP (which shows up in all these phones) and a VGA camera, and comes in blue, red or teal. Verizon’s BlackBerry Pearl is the first Pearl to get EV-DO and a 3.5mm minijack, and also adds Verizon’s VZ Navigator service, which is standard across these phones. The Venus slider sports an interesting dual screen setup, with the bottom providing contextual touch controls and the top one acting like all normal-like. Venus, with black or pink color options, is the real fashionphone of the group, and rocks a boring 2 megapixel sensor, but there’s a microSD slot for up to 8GB of expansion. Finally, the Voyager (pictured) does it all, with a full screen touchscreen on the outside, and a second screen on the clamshell interior, facing a gargantuan QWERTY keyboard. V CAST Mobile TV makes an appearance, as does a microSD slot and 2 megapixel camera. All of these phones are supposed to be out by Thanksgiving, but no word on price or exact dates — though the Juke and Pearl are hitting first, to be followed by the Venus and then the Voyager.

%Gallery-8107%

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Share This

Filed under: Trends, Stores & Shopping, Light Food, Health & Medical

I don’t eat as healthy as I should (the entire bag of Dove milk chocolate I ate last night is proof of that), but I’m always looking at ways to make my diet a lot better.

Cooking Light has picked five healthy food trends that you might want to follow. I’ve heard of most of them, though Flexitarianism is a new term to me, even though I would say many American’s follow this without even know it. It’s when a person eats a diet that’s mostly grains, vegetables, and fruit, with a little meat, fish, poultry, and dairy mixed in too. Functional Foods are foods that are enriched with more nutrients, such as orange juice with calcium. We know what Organic Food, Locally Grown Foods, and Vegetarianism represent, but are you familiar with Slow Food? I first heard this term a few years ago (and there have been books written about it and it’s a growing movement). It’s choosing locally grown food, cooking it in traditional ways and then eating it with family, something that a lot of families don’t do nowadays. Whenever I hear the term I think “food that’s not cooked in a microwave,” though I doubt that’s the real definition.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Share This