IBLOG SPACE

Apple’s OS X Lion allows users to boot and restore their broken computers from the web, with a new tool calledLion Recovery. The system usually boots from your notebook or desktop’s hard-drive, triggered by holding down Command-R during startup, but if your disk is corrupted or you’ve loaded a new disk without a OS X installed, you can also do the same thing from a version of the OS on Apple’s own servers. Among the features offered include Disk Utility, which can check and repair a hard-drive, erase it, and reinstall a fresh copy of Lion, and the ability to restore a Mac from a Time Machine backup. If there’s an internet connection on offer, Lion Recovery will connect to Apple and offer access to its online support forums, too. Lion Internet Recovery is built into new Macs, starting from today’s refreshed MacBook Air and Mac mini, and will be a new feature on all models moving forward. For more on OS X Lion – which is available as an upgrade now from the Mac App Store – head over here

Stainless steel is a ubiquitous material that you can find in kitchens in homes and restaurants all around the world. The metal is easy to sanitize so it tends to be used in food preparation areas where things like raw meat and fish are placed on bare surfaces. Raw meats tend to carry a lot of bacteria and that bacteria can be easily transferred if the surface isn’t cleaned and possibly lead to illness. Materials scientists at the University of Birmingham have developed a new method of infusing stainless steel with silver particles to make it antibacterial. The material is also hard making it resistant to repeated cleanings and scratches. The new material may also find its way into the hospital setting as well. The process for making the material uses a technology called Active Screen Plasma. The ASP technology allows the even dispersal of silver into a stainless steel surface along with nitrogen and carbon to make the metal harder and more durable while introducing antibacterial proce

This deals platform goes by the name “Link, Like, Love.” It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. It’s going to destroy all other credit cards and deals programs. They’ll never know what hit em. This is a deals program that you set up with your credit card in which you “like” deals on the internet then instantly get the deals you’ve liked when you use your credit card to purchase the goods or services that are involved in the deal. That’s powerful. That’s a Google Offers killer – isn’t it? Let’s have a quick talk on what this new platform means for everyone from small business owners to MasterCard. All you’ve essentially got to do here is begin by linking your American Express card to your Facebook account for starters. Next you’ve got to find a deal that you enjoy, “like” it, this loading the deal to your American Express account, then you’ve just gotta get out there and get that deal! Have a look at the message being sent out to draw consumers in for this promotion: “You and your

The mobile payments arena was starting to look very fragmented with several different players each attempting to offer their own NFC-based system. Google announced their Google Wallet service in partnership with MasterCard, Visa hinted at its own service, while Discover teamed up with the ISIS network. But surprisingly, in an announcement today, it was revealed that MasterCard, Visa, and American Express have now all joined ISIS. The ISIS network at one time had to scale back its ambitions in the face of Google Wallet and potential competition from Visa. Instead of rolling out a more comprehensive network, it seemed like the group had to push forward smaller incremental offerings to catch up with Google Wallet. But today’s announcement tips the power balance with all four major credit card companies now on board with ISIS. This leaves Google with only a partnership with the NowNetwork carrier and the double-dipping MasterCard. ISIS was formed by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to launc

LaCie today announced a new addition to its Rugged family of external hard drives called the LaCie Rugged Mini. Designed by Neil Poulton, the Rugged Mini has a bright orange bumper and is 40% smaller than other HDDs in the series. It’s ideal for anyone on the go and even better for those who need to brave more treacherous conditions with their data in tow. The Rugged Mini is resistant to almost anything you can throw at it. It is shock-resistant, drop-resistant, rain-resistant, and its aluminum casing is scratch-resistant. It can also withstand up to one ton of pressure. Thanks to its toughness, you can be confident in tossing it in your bag for school or taking outdoors as backup storage for a photo shoot. Besides being strong, the Rugged Mini is also fast. Transferring files and backing up data is super speedy with its 7200RPM HDD and USB 3.0 interface. It is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 but is three times faster. Transferring one HD movie takes less than three minutes while 100

It appears that there was a glitch in the system, a rip in the Matrix, if you will, in this morning’s release of the Apple version of the Google+ app on the iTunes App Market. Google rep Punit Soni discovered this error early on in the day and announced on Google+ that the version was indeed incorrect basically immediately after the error was corrected. The problem with this situation is that because the app was so immediately massively popular, thousands of users downloaded the incorrect version by mistake. This has resulted in a slew of errors. Punit Soni, also known as the Lead Product Manager of Google+ Mobile, lets us know that when the G+ app was launched this morning for iOS, the App Store started service a previous “test version” of the App which “didn’t have the stability and fixes that the latest version had.” The system appeared to have self-corrected and was serving the real deal final release a little after 1 hour and 40 minutes into the launch. The hot mess of errors that

If you have a massive collection of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs that you’d like to have automatically stored and archived for easy access, then you might consider a robotic disc loader like the new Kaleidescape M700 Disc Vault. The M700 Disc Vault is a movie server that swallows your discs into a precision carousel, copies the content onto the Kaleidescape System, and easily plays back what you want when you want it—no more wasting time rummaging through your collection. It can physically store up to 320 CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray Discs. You simply insert a disc and it will automatically copy its content to the Kaleidescape System. After the M700 is finished copying, you can eject the CDs and DVDs from the vault to store elsewhere or leave them inside. Their digital copies can be played back even with the original discs removed. But for Blu-Ray Discs, you must store the discs inside the M700 inorder to playback the content. There is a front display panel that indicates the import progress

The official press shots for Lenovo’s two upcoming Android tablets have just been leaked. The Lenovo IdeaPad K1 is a consumer tablet that we’ve seen more details of in previous leaks, slated for a July release. The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, on the other hand, has remained more mysterious is believed to be designed for enterprise. Both are Android Honeycomb tablets and set to launch any day now. According to previous leaks, the IdeaPad K1 will feature a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 capacitive 10-point multi-touch display, an NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor, 32GB internal memory expandable with microSD card slot, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. Connectivity will include HDMI-out, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and also a SIM card slot. The ThinkPad Tablet should have similar specs but will be tailored for enterprise users. Not many details have surfaced on the ThinkPad except that its touchscreen display should work with a digital stylus and it will have a keybo

It might just be the best series of  Doctor Who  yet. It's certainly the most ambitious. And while series 6 is on hiatus until the fall, it's probably a good idea to go back and look over the first seven episodes of the season, just to see if you missed anything. Knowing Steven Moffat's detail-ridden writing, I'm sure there are plenty of easter eggs for us to try and find out before the midseason premiere, "Let's Kill Hitler," airs in September. That's what Doctor Who: Series 6, Part 1  (out on DVD and Blu-ray 7/19) is for. Let me tell you what you already know:  Doctor Who  looks fantastic on Blu-ray. Despite the show's relatively low budget, the high-definition shots are gorgeously crystal-clear. Lily Cole's Siren from the third episode, for instance, glows a dazzling green that is so much brighter than it appeared on the original BBC America broadcast. Everything seems sharper, and everything pops. It's all quite memorable... even

On the eve of Comic-Con, major casting news  has dropped  regarding the second season of HBO's hit fantasy drama  Game of Thrones . Two new major roles have been filled: Stannis Baratheon and Lady Melisandre will be portrayed by Stephen Dillane and Carice van Houten, respectively. You're probably asking, "Who?" And you're not alone. Both actors are relatively unknown, though with the stellar job that  Game of Thrones ' casting department did last year, I wouldn't be too worried. Dillane will play Stannis Baratheon, one of the contenders for the iron throne who will pop up in season two. The younger brother of the late King Robert (Mark Addy), who died under suspicious circumstances during the first season, Stannis correctly believes himself to be the rightful heir to his brother's throne, since King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) is secretly the bastard son of twins Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Of course, Joffrey is

Back in late June, the first wave of Teen Choice Award nominations were revealed, with  Glee  and The Vampire Diaries  scoring the most TV nods at 9 and 8, respectively. A few weeks from the August 7th ceremony, a  second wave of nominations has been revealed, a move that greatly benefits ABC Family's summer line-up. Pretty Little Liars  and newcomer  Switched at Birth  both scored five nominations apiece,  State of Georgia  picked up a nod for star Raven-Symone, and  The Nine Lives of Chloe King  brought in two. Other shows that benefited from the recently released nominations include  Teen Wolf  (four, two going to star Tyler Posey) and  Glee  (Darren Criss's nod brings them to 10). You can check out the newest TV nominations below. Any ideas on who'll win? Who do you think should  win? If you're between the ages of 13 and 19, you can register on the  Teen Choice Awards website  and vote for your favorites in music, film, TV, and sports. Winners will be anno

Now that  The Bachelorette  is down to the final three men vying to steal Ashley Hebert's heart, it's time to start thinking about  Bachelor Pad , ABC's answer to the question of "what do you get when 18 money hungry singles are put in a house together?". The show's second season premiere on August 8th is fast approaching and there's been confirmation that things will be just a touch different this go-around. According to Entertainment Weekly , the premiere of  Bachelor Pad  will be not 1, not 2, but 3 (yes, count 'em, 3) hours long. The reason that the show will be about as long as an award show? Apparently there's just too much juicy  Jake/Vienna  drama to condense into a standard 2 hour episode, as the two people involved one of the most infamous break-ups in  Bachelor  history will be stuck in a house together this summer. If that's not awesome/gross enough, Vienna's reportedly dating another contestant on the show ( Kasey  from l

Last season  The Real Housewives of Atlanta  underwent some cast turnover, as Lisa Wu-Hartwell was gradually phased out of the series and delusional diva Phaedra Parks and model Cynthia Bailey were brought on to amp up the drama. It looks like season 4 of the hit Bravo reality show will be undergoing some turnover of its own, as  BET.com  is reporting that Dwight Eubanks will not be returning. Eubanks was known on the show for being as entrenched in the drama as any cast member, notably feuding with former friend Nene Leakes over money issues and earning himself the nickname of the "Sixth Housewife". It seems that a number of issues were plaguing Dwight about his participation on  Real Housewives , including the show not promoting his  Purple Door Salon , the perceived "buffoonery" the show promotes, and the lack of substance the show has. It's not the last we've seen of the flamboyant personality, as Dwight is said to be working on a hair-related re

Tonight on  White Collar  the team take on an expert hacker who has robbed a bank with an electronic method and has drained thousands of accounts including Sara's (Hilarie Burton). To combat what seems like the perfect bank heist, Neal (Matt Bomer) assumes the identity of the criminal to try and lure the hacker out of hiding by having a spending spree with the stolen cash. What kind of spending spree is it? One that involves a hefty $100 million so expect an excellent montage of Neal and Sara being as decadent as they possibly can. It looks like a plan that only Neal, Sara and Mozzie (Willie Garson) are concocting so it will be interesting to see what Peter (Tim DeKay) will have to say on this method of drawing out the criminal. As Sara is one of the hacking victims and she is having apartment construction issues, Neal kindly offers his place as somewhere that Sara can stay. This unfortunately brings up questions of where the relationship is heading. These are asked not by Neal or

Holy. Hell! Tonight's  Teen Wolf  went psycho as Scott lost his damn mind after his breakup with Allison left him reeling. Too bad there was a full moon around the corner to accentuate said "reeling," which resulted in Scott becoming a leering lunatic hellbent on ripping anything that lands in his path to shreds. Meanwhile, Jackson pretty much makes his move on Allison and the Argents geared up for war after getting a tip from a close source. Bad Ass Scott We knew that the breakup would seriously affect Scott, but our expectations were pretty low on just  how  much the guy would react to being severed from Allison/his anchor. The upcoming full moon increased his stress levels and he was a mess when it came to being focused and even caring about what was going on around him, which tends to happen to anyone after an emotional breakup even without being a werewolf. In Scott's case however, he chose being a First Class Asshole as his way of dealing and it was oh

On every reality show, there's at least one friendship that you don't think will be tested during the run of the show. Yes, these are melodramatic people thrust together through circumstance and dealing with people they may not care for, but some pretty decent friendships have been formed on reality TV and sometimes it's hard to believe when one finally bites the dust. Tonight we may have seen the beginning of the end of Jennifer and Evelyn's friendship on Basketball Wives , as accusations of jealousy and media whore-dom flew through the gorgeous Italian evening with reckless abandon. It was a little sad to see the formerly tight duo let their emotions get the best of them, their past issues finally boiling over after simmering for supposedly quite a while. I'm admittedly not the biggest fan of either lady on the show, though this season has brought them a little closer to planet Earth through divorce and family issues, but here are two people who seemingly li

Spoilers are slowly but surely pouring in for the fourth season of  90210 .  The two new showrunners, Patti Carr and Lara Olsen, spoke with  TV Guide  about upcoming storylines and dropped a few hints about the direction of next season.  Also,  Supernatural's  Matt Cohen will be appearing in a few episodes of season 4 and photos of him on set (as well as other behind the scenes photos) have surfaced. Last week we reported about several guest stars for season 4.  Matt Cohen ended up replacing Drew Seeley, who wasn't able to make it to the set after all. Heading to College The West Beverly kids have graduated from high school and are headed to college in season 4.  But don't expect college to be the focus of the show.  Carr and Olsen said that their goal is to keep the friends together, even though they're going to different colleges (and some of the kids aren't going to college at all).  "Our overall concept for the season is that when you graduate from

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if The Office  met  Dexter ? Yeah, me neither. But, apparently, we're all going to find out. In what he calls "my little collaboration,"  The Office  creator Ricky Gervais is teaming with former Dexter  showrunner Clyde Phillips to create a new series called  Afterlife . In Gervais's typical heretical fashion (think the allegorical  Invention of Lying ), the series will deal with an atheist who dies and goes to heaven. The series,  which will reportedly feature Gervais in a cameo role , hasn't been picked up by a studio yet. Gervais and Phillips are working together on a pilot script, which they hope to film early next year. " Dexter  has consistently been my favourite show of the last 5 years," Gervais  posted on his blog . "When I first saw Clyde's name all over it I knew I had to work with him one day. I found out he was also a fan of my work and we became friends on email and through sho

Those who are still feeling the effects of  Friday Night Lights  gracefully ending its run last week shouldn't be feeling too sad, as Mrs. Coach will be back on our TV screens next season,  y'all . According to Deadline , FX has picked up  American Horror Story , a "psychosexual thriller" from the minds of  Glee  creators Ryan Muprhy and Brad Falchuk. Starring Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott as a married couple dealing with infidelity and, later, a haunted house of sorts, the show will have a 13 episode first season and will likely be debuting sometime in October. (It becomes the second supernatural/horror series to debut in October,as  The Walking Dead  will begin its second season during the same month.) While the show hasn't even started filming its season yet, I have to admit that I'm more than a little excited to see  American Horror Story .  It sounds like it'll be a cerebral, sexy, scary venture into world of horror that could make for ca

The Google+ for iOS app has been released [iTunes link], offering iPhone (but not iPod touch) users a native way to access the new Google social network. As with the Google+ Android app, which Google released at the service’s launch, the iOS version supports Huddle group chats along with access to the full Stream of updates and individual Circle updates. Prior to this app, iPhone and iPad owners have been forced to use an HTML5 version that Google offers online. Although it allows for basic Google+ access, it lacked the Huddle IM system and other components. We’re yet to see a native Honeycomb app for Android tablets, nor a native iPad version of the software, though we’d be surprised if Google’s engineers weren’t working on both. Google+ has been prompting controversy among social networking heavyweights, with MySpace founder Tom Anderson coming out in support of the service, while LinkedIn’s CEO suggested Google+ would struggle to gain traction.

Linksys by Cisco has outed its latest entertainment bridge, the WES610N Wireless-N Bridge, intended to hook up your ethernet-port toting HDTV, cable and other STBs, and consoles like the Xbox 360 and PS3 to your WiFi network. The WES610N offers a choice of 2.3GHz or 5GHz wireless (though not simultaneously) and has four 10/100 ethernet ports. The bridge supports WiFi a/b/g/n and has a trio of antennas inside its black plastic chassis. All the usual encryption types are offered, along with WPS for easier setup, and Linksys is pretty keen on its quality-of-service software which promises stutter-free HD video. If all that sounds alluring then the Linksys WES610N is available now, priced at $129.99. The company also offers a different version, the WET610N, which has the same wireless connectivity but offers only a single 10/100 ethernet port; you lose on sockets, but you save $30.