Friday, May 30, 2008

Shimon Peres' blog: 28 thoughts on politics, power and wisdom

Thoughts...

1. You don't have to change your religion. Change your economy...

2. You do not have to redefine your borders. Improve your relations...



3. The most important separation in our time is the separation between religion and terror...

4. Democracy in our age is not only the right to be equal, but also the equal right to be different...

5. Modern democracy is based not only on the freedom of speech, but also on the right to breath fresh air...

6. Teach the history of wisdom. Hear the call of a new future...

7. Modern economy is not only global but individual as well. Single men are able to create realms of prosperity by innovation, and without imposition...

8. Environment and economy are tied together. They're not submitted to political borders. To ignore one of them is to endanger the balance of our existence...

9. What shall be discovered is more important than the knowledge which has been accumulated thus far...

10. Governments are based on power, laws, armies and policies, whereas non-governmental organizations are based on the strength of good will...

11. The real power of our time is the strength of goodwill...

12. Good manners are not less important than elaborated laws...

13. To nominate a person is like choosing a road...

14. The age of borders, distances and discriminations was over the minute science replaced land...

15. Look upon every man as a brother and upon every woman as a sister. Invite them to be your guest and accept their invitation of being your host...

16. What was discovered until now is but a small portion of the unknown. We still know little about the capacity of our brains, about space and the oceans...

17. To learn how to learn is a must in changing times...

18. To be ready for the challenges of tomorrow is even more important than to be up to date today...

19. Don?t be afraid to be alone. To be wrong is more dangerous...

20. One's greatest return is when one's children are better than oneself...

21. Destinations are more important than parking lots...

22. To think is more important than to remember...

23. Values should decide prices. Not the other way around...

24. To exercise one's mind is as important as the exercise of the rest of the body...

25. Take a risk by trusting people, rather than lose them on the basis of suspicion...

26. It is better to be led by the people, than to impose one's leadership upon them...

27. It is better to be a composer than a conductor. New symphonies are music to the ears of the young...

28. Peace is not reached by winning points, but by convincing one's opponent of the benefits of living together..

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/988706.html

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Anti-Wall Street Jobs



 
 

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via BusinessWeek Online -- on 5/22/08

Not every college grad wants to become an i-banker. There are plenty who want a meaningful career that will still pay the rent


 
 

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First Housing, Now Oil



 
 

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via BusinessWeek Online -- on 5/28/08

The double whammy of rising oil prices and plunging home prices could turn a mild recession into something more threatening


 
 

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Top 10 Additions to Your Phone's Contact List [Lifehacker Top 10]



 
 

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via Lifehacker by Kevin Purdy on 5/28/08


Nearly every new webapp on the block offers some kind of text message integration, but not all of them are the kind you'll want to keep on every phone you own. However, there are a few contact numbers and services that make even the cheapest phone a high-tech wonder that can schedule and plan events, transfer money, price a potential purchase, or do just about any Google search. Let's take a look at 10 contact numbers and email addresses worth making frequent SMS correspondents.

10. AIM BudgetBot, the Todo.txt Bot (and other auto-responders)

budgetbot_scaled.jpgHaving a stern accountant follow you around and comment on your spending would be a good way to keep to a budget. Having an automated AOL Instant Message-based bot tell you how you're spending and what you've got left is almost the same, but far less annoying (especially on plane trips). Once you can IM with your phone, use Adam's instructions to set up a personalized budget-tracking bot. If you keep a todo.txt file, you can also get an AIM bot to manage that from your phone. Got another set of data you want to text with? Roll your own bot.


9. TextMarks (41411)

textmark.pngUnless you're toting a PDA or cellular email access, sending messages to a group means a thumb-numbing amount of button-pressing. Set up a group at TextMarks' web site, and you've got one address that gets a pre-set message (or RSS snippet or other dynamic text) out quickly. Consider it a private, dynamic Twitter, with less downtime (Original post).


8. Flickr

flickr_email.jpgThere are dozens of apps that can upload your digital photos to photo-sharing site Flickr from your desktop, but one of Flickr's earliest upload methods, the simple email address, works great for getting a great cam-phone shot up quickly. Flickr provides a unique address for each account (found here for those with logins), with the subject line of your upload email set as the picture title and body text as the description. No matter how clunky your phone's photo tools, you can share a spontaneous pic in an elegant interface with Flickr.


7. ICE, a locksmith, and other emergency numbers

It may not impress your friends as much as this list's other entries, but having an In Case of Emergency contact listed under ICE could be seriously helpful if you're in a bad way and can't speak for yourself. Having a reputable locksmith and cab company in your contacts can also be a life-saver (figuratively and literally, respectively), and why not take the minute or two to add your insurance provider's claim number as well? When you need these numbers in a hurry, they might turn out to be the most killer apps in that gadget of yours. (Original posts on ICE and locksmiths, etc.).


6. Jott (866-JOTT-123)

jott_cropped.jpgJott does a pretty helpful thing on its own, turning your phone calls into emails or text messages, but it's webapp connections that really make it worth a spot in your contact roster. Update your Google or 30Boxes calendar, add a task to Remember the Milk, update your blog or Tumblr, or just preserve something you remember while you're driving your car or unable to text. Find out how to get things done over the phone with Jott.


5. Google Calendar (48368)

gcal_sms_cropped.jpgWhether you use Google Calendar as your day planner or just a portal for iCal, Outlook, or another app, it's super-easy to update your schedule and get daily agendas from GCal. Enable your cell phone in your Google Calendar's Settings->Mobile Setup, then send it items just like you'd use in GCal's informal Quick Add language: Sunday 11am Brunch with Mom, for example. Send "day" to get today's events, "next" for just next scheduled item, and "nday" to see tomorrow's list. Watching your waistline these days? GCal SMS makes it easy to track your weight (Original post).


4. Paypal (729725)

paypalsendviaphone.gifYou owe $12.35 on the lunch bill, but you've only got your credit card, and the place doesn't take plastic. No need to welch on your tab if you've got a PayPal account and you've done a little account verification. Check out Gina's guide to sending money by text, and you can pay your share, send cash to those who need it, and get the auction you just won moving while you're on the move.


3. Amazon.com (AMAZON)

textbuyit_top10.jpgWondering whether that gadget marked 'Sale!' is really a bargain? Shoot an item description to AMAZON (262966) and you'll get the mega-retailer's price on it. You can also buy the item on the spot, following a confirmation phone call, making it easier to have retailers compete to offer you the better deal. Want to broaden your pricing scope a bit? Try these SMS price comparision tools for other retailers' offers. (Original post)


2. Twitter bots

twitter_cropped.jpgYou can tell your followers what you're doing, sure, but social messaging service Twitter's far more helpful when teamed with the right automated services. Once you've set up Twitter with your cell phone, send a direct message to rtm to update your Remember the Milk task list, or have today's agenda sent to your phone. Type in d timer 120 transfer clothes to dryer to get a reminder to wrangle your wet laundry. See our guide to managing your life via SMS for more lesser-known uses for Twitter.


1. Google SMS (466453)

googlesms.gifIt's probably no surprise that Google's SMS service, which provides a seriously large share of its search functionality via text message, rounds out a list of the most powerful tools you can keep on your phone. Driving directions, metric and currency conversions, local business category results, flight information, and much, much more is offered for free and, at the moment, without ads. You can even set a default location to save yourself a few thumb presses per text. Definitely worth the space in your contact list. (Original post)


What are your must-have cell phone contacts that help you get things done on the go? Give 'em up in the comments.



 
 

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Global Demand Squeezing Natural Gas Supply



 
 

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via NYT > NYTimes.com Home on 5/29/08

Companies have been building capacity to import natural gas, but much of it is idle as imports have fallen.


 
 

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ФСБ рассекретила документы об отношениях украинских националистов с фашистами



 
 

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На официальном сайте МИД РФ размещены документы, свидетельствующие об отношениях между украинскими националистами и немецкими нацистами. Материалы предоставлены Центральным архивом ФСБ РФ, который рассекретил их в 2008 году. Документы были подготовлены сотрудниками МГБ-НКВД в годы Второй мировой войны.

 
 

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Американский Красный Крест меняет кровь на бесплатный бензин



 
 

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Американский Красный Крест предложил план привлечения доноров крови с помощью различных подарков, в числе которых бесплатный бензин. Этот шаг вызван снижением числа людей, сдающих кровь, и, как следствие, дефицитом донорской крови.

 
 

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Where Undergrads Dream of Working



 
 

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Universum USA's annual ranking of prospective employers is filled with surprises despite several companies that haven't budged from the top of the list.


 
 

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The Media Equation: The Wars We Choose to Ignore



 
 

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via NYT > NYTimes.com Home on 5/25/08

Coverage of the Iraq war tapered off even as the body count remained high.


 
 

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U.N. Blames Russia for Downed Drone



 
 

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via NYT > NYTimes.com Home on 5/26/08

U.N. investigators have concluded that a Georgian drone shot down in April was struck by a missile fired from a Russian fighter plane.


 
 

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De-emphasis on Race in Adoption Is Criticized



 
 

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via NYT > NYTimes.com Home on 5/27/08

A report says that minority children in foster care are being ill-served by a federal law that plays down race and culture in adoptions.


 
 

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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Venezuela: Land of 12-Cent Gas



 
 

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via BusinessWeek Online -- on 5/23/08

By subsidizing gasoline, Chávez spreads the oil wealth. But the cost of those cheap fill-ups is becoming hard to ignore


 
 

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Starting Salaries but New York Tastes

very interesting!

 
 

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via NYT > NYTimes.com Home on 5/25/08

Every year around this time, postcollegiate people in their 20s flood New York City, high on ambition, meager of budget and endlessly creative when it comes to making ends meet.


 
 

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

Investing Insights: Oil Ate My Rebate



 
 

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via BusinessWeek Online -- on 5/21/08

Investing Insights: Oil Ate My Rebate


 
 

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

6 Reasons Why Oil Could Plunge



 
 

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via U.S. News on 5/21/08

Price bubbles have a habit of collapsing under their own weight.

 
 

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Be Patient—and Impatient



 
 

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via U.S. News on 5/21/08

Too often, we get stuck in the mud, or we take action for action's sake. It's all about balance.

 
 

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Be Patient—and Impatient



 
 

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via U.S. News on 5/21/08

Too often, we get stuck in the mud, or we take action for action's sake. It's all about balance.

 
 

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Yossi Vardi: Israel's 'Mr. Tech'



 
 

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A champion of Israeli tech startups, Vardi has been asked by the government to strengthen Israel's business ties with Europe.


 
 

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YouTube отказался убрать террористические видеоролики



 
 

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Портал YouTube ответил отказом на предложение сенатора США Джо Либермана убрать с ресурса видеоролики, созданные террористическими группировками. Представители YouTube, в свою очередь, ответили, что не намерены удалять все подобные ролики и поблагодарили Либермана за сообщения о роликах, нарушающих правила ресурса.

 
 

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City Room: Fighting Obesity by Climbing Stairs



 
 

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via NYT > NYTimes.com Home on 5/20/08

With green signs bearing the slogan, "Burn calories, not electricity," New York City is fighting obesity and global warming by encouraging people to take the stairs.


 
 

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Americans Can Send Phones to Cuba



 
 

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via NYT > NYTimes.com Home on 5/21/08

President Bush announced that Americans would soon be allowed to give their relatives in Cuba cell phones to use.


 
 

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Петербуржцы скупили йод в аптеках из-за псевдоаварии на ЛАЭС



 
 

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Жители Санкт-Петербурга на фоне слухов о якобы имевшей место аварии с последовавшим выбросом радиации на Ленинградской АЭС стали активно покупать йод. Представители атомной электростанции и администрация города Сосновый бор, где расположена ЛАЭС, сведения об аварии опровергли.

 
 

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Honda рассказала подробности о бюджетном гибриде



 
 

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Во время пресс-конференции, прошедшей в среду, президент и вице-президент компании Honda сообщили некоторые подробности о новой гибридной модели, разрабатываемой концерном. Она должна появиться в продаже на рынках Японии, Северной Америки и Европы в начале 2009 года и стоить около 19.290 долларов США.

 
 

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Fiddling While Ukraine Burns



 
 

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via BusinessWeek Online -- on 5/19/08

The foolish rivalry between the Prime Minister and the President has led to policymaking paralysis while inflation soars


 
 

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Friday, May 16, 2008

США отказались считать Китай манипулятором валютного курса



 
 

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Американская администрация отказалась называть Китай ответственным за манипуляции валютного курса, несмотря на то, что правительство США считает курс китайской валюты неоправданно высоким и полагает, что власти Китая специально завышают его. Власти США неоднократно требовали либерализации курса юаня.

 
 

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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Best Online File Sharing Services [Hive Five]



 
 

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via Lifehacker by Adam Pash on 5/8/08


Whether you're trying to share megabytes worth of music with a friend or send an important document to a coworker, nothing outshines a fast, easy-to-use file-sharing service. On Tuesday we asked you to share your favorite file-sharing service, and over 200 nominations later, we've rounded up the five most popular services. Hit the jump for a look at the top five, and then cast your vote for the ultimate file-sharing service.

Box.net

Popular for its simple interface and large feature set, file-sharing site Box.net provides 1GB of free space. Users love it for its collaboration tools and open format, which enables fun features like mounting you web space on your desktop and web service support, and RSS feeds. Like many others in this Hive Five, Box.net provides direct links to files so users aren't held up at a landing page to get their download. Box.net's biggest drawback is its free account's filesize limit, which sits at a rather paltry 10MB.

Drop.io

Renown by users for its simplicity and impressive interface, Drop.io (original post) doesn't require registration for use and specializes in document sharing, offering built-in previews of everything from images to PDFs. The innovative service has recently added a couple of new features, like free sending and receiving of faxes and voice recording. The free account has a 100MB storage limit, so unless you're ready to spend some cash, Drop.io is best-suited for smaller files.

MediaFire

Users love unlimited storage, and MediaFire (original post) offers just that. The service is free, offers unlimited disk space, and requires no sign-up to use any of the site's features. The files you upload, however, can only be up to 100MB in size.

Windows Live SkyDrive

With an impressive 5GB of free storage space, Windows Live SkyDrive (original post) is one new product out of Redmond that's quickly found a place in users' hearts. SkyDrive works on a folder-based system, emphasizing the ability to organize your files in personal, shared, and public folders. SkyDrive requires a Windows Live account to get started, individual uploads are limited to 50MB.

FolderShare

The cross-platform FolderShare (original post) is more of a file syncing tool than it is a traditional file-sharing service. (In fact, it's what we used to sync Firefox extensions across the internet.) FolderShare lovers emphasize the ease with which they can share a folder on their desktop, then quickly sync the folder's contents to a friend's computer. All you have to do is set it up, then any file you drag into a shared folder is automatically replicated on computers you're sharing folders with.

Now that you've seen what the best have to offer, it's time to cast your vote for the ultimate file sharing service.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.


Honorable mentions this week go to DropBox, the private beta syncing tool that's got tons of early adopters salivating (just check out the video demo); RapidShare, the age-old file-sharing service that most people love to hate (and love); and, of course, a regular web server, which you'll pay for, unless you set up your own personal home web server at no cost.

Let's hear your thoughts on your favorite online file-sharing service—whether or not it made the top 5—in the comments.



 
 

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