Fantasy Shopper Gamifies Window Shopping. Addicts Beware.

logoA new venture backed by European Seed accelerator HackFWD has launched today. Fantasy Shopper is a new social shopping game where players discover and share the latest fashion from real-world online retailers. Look out shopping addicts this is seriously addictive. On Fantasy Shopper, users spend Fantasy Money to buy virtual clothing, create outfits and stock out their virtual wardrobe. Launching first in the UK with over 100,000 virtual items from 40 retailers in clothes, accessories and sports goods, the game takes the users from shopping in London to other major world destinations. The game is pretty social as users get to share their purchases and create outfits.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CKRAX31lyHA/

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The First Americans: Mounting Evidence Prompts Researchers to Reconsider the Peopling of the New World (preview)

Image: Illustration by Tyler Jacobsen

In Brief

  • Archaeologists long thought the first Americans were the Clovis people, who were said to have reached the New World some 13,000 years ago from northern Asia.
  • But fresh archaeological finds prove that humans reached the Americas thousands of years before that.
  • These discoveries, along with insights from genetics and geology, have prompted reconsideration of where these pioneers came from, when they arrived and what route they took into the New World.

In the sweltering heat of an early July afternoon, Michael R. Waters clambers down into a shadowy pit where a small hive of excavators edge their trowels into an ancient floodplain. A murmur rises from the crew, and one of the diggers gives Waters, an archaeologist at the Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A&M University, a dirt-smeared fragment of blue-gray stone called chert. Waters turns it over in his hand, then scrutinizes it under a magnifying loupe. The find, scarcely larger than a thumbnail, is part of an all-purpose cutting tool, an ice age equivalent of a box cutter. Tossed away long ago on this grassy Texas creek bank, it is one among thousands of artifacts here that are pushing back the history of humans in the New World and shining rare light on the earliest Americans.

Waters, a tall, rumpled man in his mid-fifties with intense blue eyes and a slow, cautious way of talking, does not look or sound like a maverick. But his work is helping to topple an enduring model for the peopling of the New World. For decades scientists thought the first Americans were Asian big-game hunters who tracked mammoths and other large prey eastward across a now submerged landmass known as Beringia that joined northern Asia to Alaska. Arriving in the Americas some 13,000 years ago, these colonists were said to have journeyed rapidly overland along an ice-free corridor that stretched from the Yukon to southern Alberta, leaving behind their distinctive stone tools across what is now the contiguous U.S. Archaeologists called these hunters the Clovis people, after a site near Clovis, N.M., where many of their tools came to light.


Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=c554085f737ac096021d42babcdab0a1

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Homes damaged as tornado hits Florida

Storm survey teams from the National Weather Service confirmed the touchdown of a tornado in West Broward Wednesday, a day after it ripped through and damaged several homes.

Brad Diehl, an NWS meteorologist, confirmed it was a moderate tornado, a 2 on the Enhanced Fujita Tornado Damage Scale, and said more information would be released later Wednesday.

Residents in one Sunrise neighborhood woke up to debris-strewn lawns after the storm hit shortly after 10 p.m. in the area of Northwest 8th Street and 133rd Avenue, according to fire department officials.

Officials said between 16 and 20 homes were damaged or destroyed in the area, and residents said one house was knocked to the ground. Trees were uprooted, roofs ripped off homes and at least a couple people suffered minor injuries.

As of Wednesday afternoon, some 690 homes in Miami-Dade and 570 in Broward were without power, according to FPL.

"The tornado just went right through, right through the house. It's basically knocked down everywhere," said Alec Katz. "People's fences are on top of roofs, everything, It's crazy."

Residents said the frightening storm caused major damage in the short time it was in the area.

"It lasted about 30 to 40 seconds, it was really, really strong and it sounded like a train heading into toward the side of the house," said resident Ivan Burgos. "Cars are all over the place, landscaping's all torn up, there's one house that's almost completely demolished."

Sunrise Fire Rescue's Jim Dixon said the storm affected an area of about a quarter of a mile, inflicting severe structural damage on at least six homes and displacing some residents.

"Luckily, as bad as this could have been, we've had no serious injuries, everyone seems to have gotten out safely," Dixon said.

Most of the displaced residents had somewhere else to go, but the Red Cross was at the scene to assist, Dixon said.

One of those displaced was a 70-year-old man who had the roof of his house completely torn off.

Read the original story and see video at nbcmiami.com

Neighbors said the man had just sat down to dinner when the tornado rolled through.

"Everything started blowing up, the lights went off and it was a little scary," said Ameen Kader, who lives next door to the man. "I ran to the house, he was ok, but look at the roof, there's nothing left on the house, just the frame."

Kader said the man was fine and was staying with friends.

In Plantation, police at a command post in the area said a trailer park at Broward Boulevard and Commodore Drive was hit hard by the storm.

"There are police everywhere and firemen knocking on people's doors," said Munica Herron, who lives across the street from the trailer park. "There are trailers that are caved in and blown out windows."

South Florida has been dealing with rain since Sunday, and it's expected to continue until the end of the week.

In the lower Florida Keys, a flood warning was issued until 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, while Monroe County Schools announced they'd be closed due to the severe weather.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44960856/ns/weather/

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Deal of the Day: HTC TPU Skin Case for T-Mobile myTouch 4G

HTC TPU Skin Case for T-Mobile myTouch 4G

The Oct. 17 Deal of the Day brings us not one, not two, but nine cases. It's the HTC TPU Skin Case for the T-Mobile myTouch 4G, to be exact. It's made of a highly durable material that keepes it from slipping and dust from sticking, and it's got cutouts for all the ports and buttons. And all nine colors -- translucent black, black, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, raspberry and gray -- are available today for just $4.95 -- that's 80 percent off. Get yours while supplies last!


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/RuLowxSM3WQ/deal-day-htc-tpu-skin-case-t-mobile-mytouch-4g

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US to play at Slovenia on Nov. 15

updated 11:59 a.m. ET Oct. 18, 2011

CHICAGO - The U.S. soccer team will play at Slovenia in an exhibition on Nov. 15, a rematch of their meeting in the first round of last year's World Cup.

The game will be part of a two-match European trip that starts Nov. 11 against France at Saint-Denis, outside Paris.

This will be the first trip for the U.S. to Slovenia. The U.S. Soccer Federation said Tuesday the match will be played at Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana.

In the only meeting between the nations, the U.S. rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 2-2 tie last year in Johannesburg, getting goals from Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley.

The Americans are 1-3-1 under new coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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10-man Man United wins

Wayne Rooney made two penalty kicks Tuesday to lead 10-man Manchester United a 2-0 road victory over the Romanian club Otelul Galati in the Champions League.

Relegation end?

Some of the Premier League's foreign owners want to abolish the relegation system, an English soccer executive said Monday, while United manager Alex Ferguson disagreed.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44946405/ns/sports-soccer/

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Canon?s New Professional 1D X Goes Full Frame, Improves Video

EOS-1D_X_3Canon has just announced the next version of their flagship 1D series of professional DSLRs, the EOS-1D X. It's faster and better in just about every way, and few of you will be lucky enough to use one, since it goes for just under seven grand. But for the people who have used the 1D Mk III and Mk IV for the last few years, it's looking like a worthy upgrade.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/uY2vmEft19U/

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Searching For a Serious Long-Term RP Buddy! (Advanced)

EDIT: This is strange. I could swear I've started this thread in "Interest Checks", not in the "Roleplayers Wanted" forum... Apologies!

Hi, everyone!

I am (once again, times two) looking for a long-term role-playing partner that would be willing to share many fun hours, days, weeks and months (and more!) with me in role-playing settings. So, without further ado, let's see what I'm offering and what I'm expecting of a potential RP partner.

***I OFFER YOU***
- Literate, several paragraphs long posts (my usual post will be about 500 words long. My longer posts will be about 1300ish) with imagination and character development (I do not, however, like to read nor write entire novels in a single post). Please be aware that I am NOT a native English speaker, so you can expect some language mishaps.
- Daily posting (if we're online at the same time and we both have time, I'm no stranger to chains of dozens of posts at once - I LOVE developing the story with more than merely one post per day).
- Dedication; for advanced role-plays, I like to devote my time to them and not have other role-plays going on at once. You can expect me to stay devoted to the role-play, provided we're both happy with it. If not, I'll voice my concerns.
- Friendly out-of-character (OOC) chat on messaging programs. I'm a friendly guy and I like to chat, simple as that. Whether this is about the story itself or what you've been eating for lunch - I'm fine with all of it and actually encourage it!
- The choice of talking over your own ideas for the role-play, in case you'd wish to bring something of your own into the world, apart from your character (and supporting characters). I'm always open to ideas. However, be aware that this is a fairly fully-formed world that has its details already quite defined.

- A GMed (game mastered), fleshed-out medieval fantasy world filled with denizens both benign and horrible (like in the real world, I never have black and white characters in the story; they will all have both sides of the story and their ideas of how the world should be run) and magic
- An epic quest complete with twists, mysteries, intrigue and morally ambiguous choices which affect the outcome of the story and take our characters to fantastic places. The role-play will focus on mystery, uncertainty and character development.
- Character romance (if your character pursues it and if they 'work' together - I don't do love on first sight); however, the romance part is completely optional and secondary to the story itself.
- The choice of having 'side-quests', namely in the form of resolving your character's past, helping him/her fulfil some kind of a life-long task, wish or whatever. This part is up to you and your imagination! I'm flexible and love such things, especially when my character(s) can help out.

***I EXPECT FROM YOU***
- Be over 20 years old; not for mature content but for maturity. Yes, age does not necessarily reflect maturity but it does increase the chances of a person being more mature, right?
- Preferably play a female character.
- Literacy, imagination, a love for character development. Post length does not bother me that much; action posts, naturally, shall be shorter, while calmer, more descriptive posts shall be longer.
- Dedication. I completely understand we all have obligations and unforseen things popping in; I'm not unreasonable. All I'm asking for is frequent posting and at least saying HI to me if you come online. This would also require you to focus on this role-play. I will devote most of my role-playing time to this role-play and I would be happy if you would as well. I'm looking for someone with too much time on their hands, if you will...
- Friendliness. Might sound funny but, no, that doesn't mean I'm such a horrible person that every one runs from me, either. Feel free to say "hi" and "bye" and "good night" and so forth when appropriate; really, I won't mind it one bit. ;) Also, chatting via a messaging program (MSN, Yahoo) - this is required.
- Be on at European times. This is truly important for me. I really like chatting with my role-playing partner and posting more than simply one post per day, so both of us getting online at the same time and enjoying a session of role-playing is great fun. However, for that, you can't be sleeping when it's day over here in Europe. :) I don't expect you to be online every single minute I'm online but having a few hours together would be nice. I will not accept people who would never be online at my own times.
- You like dragons! :D
- You think character introspection is a fundamental part of role-playing.

***I DISLIKE/DO NOT DO***
- Being ignored and kept in the dark/being dumped without being told so. Seriously, I hate this. If you don't like the role-play, if you're bored, if you're sick of me, PLEASE - SAY SO. Don't just disappear or ignore me. We're adults so let's act like them.
- Infrequent posting. Let's face it; it's no fun being stuck in an intriguing story.
- The 'something x something' stuff that I keep seeing. I'm not going to tell people how to role-play or anything, I've just seen SO many posts with these 'pairings' (I guess) and, as far as I can tell, they mostly aim for romance. This goes hand-in-hand with all the vampire and werewolf craze and such.
- Superhero role-plays, role-plays based on comics, any kind of anime or realistic role-plays. My place is in fantasy and sci-fi.
- OOC Drama. I'm glad to say I haven't been in any OOC drama for years and years but I'm just putting it out here. If you don't like something in the role-play, please say so. We can work it out. Chances are, I will warn you of any uncommon role-playing practices I use before we even start.
- Detailed sex-scenes. I'm here for the story and, while I'm not offended by explicit stories, they're not what I'm here for.

I should probably also mention that I absolutely LOVE playing orchestral music for different scenes, usually only for myself. Epic/atmospheric songs fuel my imagination to no end. So, if you're like me, I'll be happy to share what I'm listening to while RPing - it's a plus but I don't expect everyone to like it. :)

Now, if you've read all of this, then kudos to you. All these 'demands' and requirements might sound pretentious, but I'm really a nice guy merely in search of a good, fun-loving, reliable role-playing buddy. I've been let down so many times and, to be honest, I'd rather not role-play than role-play with someone who will drop out after a few weeks. Be aware that this is an epic story which will take months to complete, so it's important we both have fun!

I haven't told you anything about what the world is like and what the story involves but, if you're interested and share the same ideals and are bored, then, by all means, send me a private message and say so! :)

I await you!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/NLUP6KQSyi8/viewtopic.php

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Wall Street giving down, but Romney leads U.S. pack (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Money is not flowing from people on Wall Street to presidential candidates as freely as in the last White House race, with Republican Mitt Romney outpacing President Barack Obama in the chase for a shrunken pot of cash.

Donations from executives and others in the financial sector are down sharply in the 2012 race compared to the same point in the 2008 race won by the Democrat Obama.

By this point in 2007, $72 million had been donated to White House hopefuls by this group, compared to just $15 million this year, data compiled by the nonpartisan group Center for Responsive Politics showed.

Gaining support from people on Wall Street could be play a key role in determining the financial strength of a candidate in a presidential race expected to be the costliest on record.

Romney has attracted nearly twice as much money as Obama. He is well acquainted with Wall Street, having co-founded Bain Capital, a private equity firm that executed leveraged buyouts and corporate turnarounds.

Romney has taken in $7.5 million this year from those in firms such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and others in the financial sector and related businesses, compared to about $3.9 million for Obama, the Center for Responsive Politics said.

At this point in the last election cycle, both Romney and Obama had raised about $12 million from people in this sector.

Companies themselves cannot by law give directly to candidates, but individual campaign donors list their employer when donating in increments of $200 or more.

Among all the business sectors in the United States, the financial industry -- banks, securities firms, insurance companies and the like -- represents the biggest source of cash for presidential candidates.

"Romney may be Wall Street's favorite candidate at the moment but it doesn't necessarily mean that Wall street is enamored with the candidates overall," said Costas Panagopoulos, director of an elections project at Fordham University in New York.

There are varying theories for why the cash is not flowing like it did last time around, including the relentlessly bad economy and lack of enthusiasm about the candidates.

'LEVEL OF MISTRUST'

Obama had success drawing donations from Wall Street types in the 2008 election. Duplicating that feat may be tough. Many on Wall Street were dismayed over the financial regulation law that Obama signed after being elected, and others took exception to the president's reference to "fat cat" bankers.

Obama also has expressed sympathy for protesters with the Occupy Wall Street movement who have decried the practices of the U.S. financial sector.

"The level of mistrust between him (Obama) and the investment community may be the greatest in our lifetime," said Greg Valliere, an analyst who follows Washington for investors at Potomac Research in Washington.

The president is facing a tough fight to win a second term in office in the November 2012 election, struggling with low job approval ratings with U.S. unemployment stuck above 9 percent and discontent among his liberal base.

Thus far, Obama's overall fundraising has far outstripped the Republicans seeking their party's nomination to run against him next year -- pulling in $156 million so far this year.

Obama set a record in 2008 when he raised about $750 million for his campaign.

Romney ran unsuccessfully for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. He has been near or at the top of the Republican field so far in this campaign. The Romney campaign has pulled in about $32 million this year. The Wall Street cash has accounted for nearly a quarter of his fundraising.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, also has outpaced Texas Governor Rick Perry, the best-funded of the other Republican White House hopefuls, in cash from the finance world. Perry has drawn nearly $2 million in such money.

The edge in Wall Street cash may be a double-edged sword, given public frustration with the financial sector and other parts of the business world.

"The last thing you want in the current political climate is to give the perception that your campaign is bankrolled by Wall Street," Panagopoulos said. "Voters know that donors give to candidates expecting something in return."

Obama enjoys support of some influential Wall Street leaders. Hedge fund executive Orin Kramer and investment bank Evercore founder Roger Altman are among those raising funds for his re-election.

Romney has been most successful with Goldman employees, raising at least $292,000 from then, according to a separate analysis done for Reuters by the Sunlight Foundation.

Obama has raised at least $14,000 from Goldman employees. In 2008, Goldman employees were his second-biggest source of campaign cash, after workers at the University of California.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111017/pl_nm/us_usa_campaign_wallstreet

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