PFT: DeSean practices, but not Vick

Green Bay Packers v Detroit LionsGetty Images

In the past, when Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has supplied his version of an on-field incident that resulted in a penalty or a fine, he seemed persuasive.

After Thursday?s Haynesworthy performance against the Packers, Suh?s effort to talk his way out of trouble comes off as pathetic.

?What I did was remove myself from the situation the best way that I felt in me being held down in the situation that I was in,? Suh said, via NFL.com.? ?My intentions were not to kick anybody, as I did not.? [I was] removing myself, as you see, I?m walking away from the situation.? And with that I apologize to my teammates, and my fans and my coaches for putting myself to be in position to be misinterpreted and taken out of the game.?

It gets better.? Or, for Suh, worse.

?I was on top of a guy being pulled down and trying to get up off the ground, which is why you see me pushing his helmet down,? Suh said.? ?As I?m getting up, I?m getting pushed so I?m getting myself unbalanced. . . .? With that a lot of people are going to interpret it as or create their own storylines, . . . but I know what I did, and the man upstairs knows what I did.?

What Suh did requires no interpretation.? He aggressively pushed the head of Evan Dietrich-Smith into the ground, and Suh stomped on Dietrich-Smith?s arm as Suh started to walk away.

?I understand in this world because of the type of player and type of person I am, all eyes are on me,? Suh said.? ?So why would I do something to jeopardize myself, jeopardize my team, first and foremost?? I don?t do bad things.? I have no intentions to hurt someone.? If I want to hurt him, I?m going to hit his quarterback as I did throughout that game.?

He needs to quit while he?s not ahead.

?If I see a guy stepping on somebody I feel like they?re going to lean into it and forcefully step on that person or stand over that person,? Suh said.? ?I?m going in the opposite direction to where he?s at.?

It?s an amazingly flimsy, and perhaps delusional, effort to explain what was obvious to anyone with eyes.? Apart from the ultimate penalty that will be imposed on Suh by the league office ? and plenty of people believe a suspension is coming ? Suh needs to be concerned about the impact of his behavior and his lame explanation of it on his marketability.? From Subway to Chrysler to any other company that has chosen to give Suh a lot of money to endorse its products, that money could be drying up, quickly.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/24/desean-practices-vick-doesnt/related/

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Giffords serves Thanksgiving meal at Ariz. base

PREMIUM CONTENT--HIGHER RATES APPLY FOR NON-PHOTOSTREAM MEMBERS - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., waves to airmen while serving a Thanksgiving meal at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

PREMIUM CONTENT--HIGHER RATES APPLY FOR NON-PHOTOSTREAM MEMBERS - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., waves to airmen while serving a Thanksgiving meal at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

PREMIUM CONTENT--HIGHER RATES APPLY FOR NON-PHOTOSTREAM MEMBERS - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband, retired Capt. Mark Kelly, serve a Thanksgiving meal to troops at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

PREMIUM CONTENT--HIGHER RATES APPLY FOR NON-PHOTOSTREAM MEMBERS - From left; U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jon Norman, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband, retired Capt. Mark Kelly, serve a Thanksgiving meal to troops at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

PREMIUM CONTENT--HIGHER RATES APPLY FOR NON-PHOTOSTREAM MEMBERS - U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband, retired Capt. Mark Kelly, meet both active and retired airmen after serving a Thanksgiving meal to troops at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

PREMIUM CONTENT--HIGHER RATES APPLY FOR NON-PHOTOSTREAM MEMBERS - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband, retired Capt. Mark Kelly, meet both active and retired airmen after serving a Thanksgiving meal to troops at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

(AP) ? U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords helped serve a Thanksgiving meal to service members and retirees at a military base in her hometown.

Giffords arrived in the dining hall at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson at midday Thursday wearing a ball cap and an apron with her nickname of "Gabby" sewn on the front. She was accompanied by her retired astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, who also donned an apron.

Giffords used only her left hand as she served, a sign that physical damage remains from the injuries she suffered when she was shot in January.

Kelly supported her from her left side as she worked the turkey station on the serving line. He served ham.

The event marked the first time Giffords has met with her constituents since the shooting. After serving dinner, she mingled with service members, exchanging pleasantries and mostly one-word greetings and responses.

She did tell Airman 1st Class Millie Gray, of Kansas City, Mo., "Happy Thanksgiving, thank you for your service."

Gray said she had intended to only grab a plate and head back to her dorm to eat, until she heard that Giffords was going to be there.

"She's such an inspiration and her story is so inspirational, it really made me proud. I felt very proud and very humble," Gray said. "It just feels really good to see that she is out here supporting the troops, and just continuing to be an inspiration and a strong role model for Americans in general.

"She was very warm, asked how our meal was, which, of course, was amazing. The food is awesome," Gray said. "She and her husband were very, just delightful and asked a lot of questions. It was just very warm-hearted, and I told her she was an inspiration and she was very thankful for that."

Giffords and Kelly left after less than an hour.

Giffords has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston as she recovers from a gunshot wound to the head. She was among 19 people shot Jan. 8 as she met with constituents outside a Tucson supermarket. Six people died.

The congresswoman arrived in Tucson on Tuesday evening from Houston for a private visit with her parents and other family members and friends.

"It's always special to have a member of Congress come and spend time with the troops and show support," said Brig. Gen Jon Norman, acting commander of the the 12th Air Forces, Southern. "But after everything that she's been through, it's a little bit more special."

Giffords' staff said base officials originally asked a member of the congresswoman's staff to take part in the annual Thanksgiving dinner. When the staff member told Giffords about the event, the congresswoman decided she wanted to go herself.

Giffords previously returned to Tucson for the Father's Day and Labor Day weekends.

___

Christie reported from Phoenix.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-24-Congresswoman%20Shot-Thanksgiving/id-1a1246527d204e8d8fcb892635e30148

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Stocks down again as Merkel rules out ECB role

A group of visitors to Tokyo Stock Exchange have their pictures taken in front of a real time electronic stock update board in Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Asian stock markets were mostly lower Thursday amid mixed economic data out of the U.S. and fears that the German economy, Europe's strongest, may be succumbing to the continent's debt crisis. Japan's Nikkei 225, reopening after a one-day public holiday, fell 1.5 percent at 8,186.58. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)

A group of visitors to Tokyo Stock Exchange have their pictures taken in front of a real time electronic stock update board in Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Asian stock markets were mostly lower Thursday amid mixed economic data out of the U.S. and fears that the German economy, Europe's strongest, may be succumbing to the continent's debt crisis. Japan's Nikkei 225, reopening after a one-day public holiday, fell 1.5 percent at 8,186.58. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)

A visitor to Tokyo Stock Exchange watches the trading operation from visitor's gallery in Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Asian stock markets were mostly lower Thursday amid mixed economic data out of the U.S. and fears that the German economy, Europe's strongest, may be succumbing to the continent's debt crisis. Japan's Nikkei 225, reopening after a one-day public holiday, fell 1.5 percent at 8,186.58. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)

A Tokyo Stock Exchange employee monitors stock update on computer terminals in Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Asian stock markets were mostly lower Thursday amid mixed economic data out of the U.S. and fears that the German economy, Europe's strongest, may be succumbing to the continent's debt crisis. Japan's Nikkei 225, reopening after a one-day public holiday, fell 1.5 percent at 8,186.58. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)

Visitors to Tokyo Stock Exchange watch a real time stock price update board in Tokyo, Thursday Nov. 24, 2011. Asian stock markets were mostly lower Thursday amid mixed economic data out of the U.S. and fears that the German economy, Europe's strongest, may be succumbing to the continent's debt crisis. Japan's Nikkei 225, reopening after a one-day public holiday, fell 1.5 percent at 8,186.58. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)

(AP) ? Europe's major stock markets resumed their long losing streak Thursday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel dismissed calls for the European Central Bank to play a bigger role in resolving the debt crisis that's threatening the 17-country eurozone.

Though she managed to get French President Nicolas Sarkozy to back changes to current EU treaties in order to get the eurozone more unified, she explicitly said there would be no new provision involving the ECB.

"In the treaty changes we are dealing with the question of a fiscal union, a deeper political cooperation ... there will be proposals on this, but they have nothing to do with the ECB," Merkel said.

Many think the ECB is the only institution capable of calming frayed market nerves and Merkel's continued dismissal of a greater ECB role knocked market sentiment.

Potentially, the ECB has unlimited financial firepower through its ability to print money. However, Germany finds the idea of monetizing debts unappealing.

Merkel also maintained her opposition to the European Commission's new drive for eurobonds.

Germany has opposed the use of eurobonds and has long called on fiscally wayward member states to clean up their own houses with as little outside intervention as possible. A big worry for Germany is that its low borrowing costs would get diluted if eurobonds came into issue and it would then be forced to pay higher rates to tap bond markets.

The outcome of the meeting in Strasbourg, France, between Merkel, Sarkozy and Italy's new Premier Mario Monti soured the mood ? after all, treaty changes are more often than not a notoriously laborious endeavor.

"While stock markets don't feel like they are about to go into the nosedive we witnessed in August, there is no sign of any positive news to suggest a compelling reason why we will see notable gains for shares in the months to come," said David Jones, chief market strategist at IG Index.

Britain's FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed down 0.2 percent to 5,127.57 while Germany's DAX fell 0.5 percent to 5,428.11. The CAC-40 in France ended less than a point lower at 2,822.55.

The euro meanwhile ended 0.2 percent lower at $1.3330.

Trading though was fairly light as U.S. markets were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Earlier, stocks had been trading noticeably higher as they looked to end their poor run, helped along by a better than expected survey of German business confidence from the Ifo Institute. The unexpected rise in its monthly confidence index for the continent's biggest economy to 106.6 in November from 106.4 the previous month helped ease frayed nerves following Wednesday's failed German bond auction, which stoked fears that no one was immune from the crippling debt crisis.

Europe's debt crisis remains the main focus in the markets and is likely to remain so Friday when U.S. traders ? by no means all ? return to their desks.

Fitch's decision Thursday to downgrade Portugal to junk bond status was another reminder ? if one indeed were needed ? that Europe's debt crisis is a long way from being solved.

Fitch, citing Portugal's large fiscal imbalances, its high indebtedness across all sectors and an adverse macroeconomic outlook, reduced Portugal's credit rating to BB+. That means Portugal is considered non-investment grade by Fitch, making it even more difficult for the bailed-out country to return to the bond markets.

Earlier in Asia, the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo, reopening after a one-day public holiday in Japan, fell 1.8 percent to close at 8,165.18. But Hong Kong's Hang Seng reversed an early loss to post a 0.4 percent gain to 17,935.10. South Korea's Kospi closed 0.7 percent higher at 1,795.06.

Mainland China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ended a six-session losing streak, but just barely, gaining 0.1 percent to 2,397.55. Speculation that China's central bank is preparing to ease its tight monetary policy in favor of a pro-growth one helped spur a wave of buying in Hong Kong, analysts said.

Oil prices traded higher amid light trading volume because of the Thanksgiving holiday ? benchmark crude for January delivery was up 76 cents at $96.93 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

____

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-24-World-Markets/id-2f791c5c84e0438e82ceeef4d1c83bb3

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Egypt Protests: Death Toll Rises As Clashes Between Police, Protesters Continue

CAIRO -- Egyptian police clashed with anti-government protesters for a fifth day in central Cairo Wednesday as a rights group raised the overall death toll from the ongoing unrest to 38.

The clashes came one day after tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square rejected a promise by Egypt's military ruler to speed up a presidential election to the first half of next year. The military previously has floated late next year or early 2013 as the likely date for the vote, the last step in the process of transferring power to a civilian government after Hosni Mubarak's ouster.

In a televised address late Tuesday, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi did not set a date for handing authority to a civilian government, but instead offered a referendum on the immediate return of the armed forces to their barracks.

The Tahrir crowd, along with protesters in a string of other cities across the nation, want Tantawi to step down immediately in favor of an interim civilian council to run the nation's affairs until elections for a new parliament and president are held.

Wednesday's street battles centered around the heavily fortified Interior Ministry, near the iconic square, with police and army troops using tear gas and rubber bullets to keep the protesters from storming the ministry, a sprawling complex that has for long been associated with the hated police and Mubarak's former regime.

The protesters say they have no wish to storm the ministry but were preventing the police and army from evicting them from Tahrir by pinning them down a safe distance away from the massive plaza.

Elnadeem Center, an Egyptian rights group known for its careful research of victims of police violence, said late Tuesday that the number of protesters killed in clashes nationwide since Saturday is 38, nine more than the Health Ministry's death toll. The clashes also have left at least 2,000 protesters wounded, mostly from gas inhalation or injuries caused by rubber bullets fired by the army and the police. The police deny using live ammunition.

Shady el-Nagar, a doctor in one of Tahrir's field hospitals, said three bodies arrived in the facility on Wednesday. All three had bullet wounds. "We don't know if these were caused by live ammunition or pellets because pellets can be deadly when fired from a short distance," he said.

The five days of clashes are the longest spate of uninterrupted violence since the 18-day uprising that toppled the former regime in February, deepening the country's economic and security woes. the unrest also threatens to cloud the country's first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections since Mubarak's February ouster, which are scheduled to begin on Nov. 28.

In his address, Tantawi rejected all criticism of the military's handling of the transitional period and sought to cast himself and the generals on the military council he heads as the nation's foremost patriots. Significantly, he made no mention of the protesters gathered in Tahrir Square or elsewhere in the country.

"Our demands are clear," said Khaled El-Sayed, a protester from the Youth Revolution Coalition and a candidate in the Nov. 28 parliamentary election. "We want the military council to step down and hand over authority to a national salvation government with full authority."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/23/egypt-protests-death-toll_n_1109469.html

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More stress in Europe sends stocks sharply lower

In this Nov. 9, 2011, traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Global stocks fell Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011, after more evidence emerged that the global economy is faltering fast and that the eurozone is heading for a recession as the debt crisis spreads to the bigger economies like Italy and Spain.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Nov. 9, 2011, traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Global stocks fell Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011, after more evidence emerged that the global economy is faltering fast and that the eurozone is heading for a recession as the debt crisis spreads to the bigger economies like Italy and Spain.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Europe's spreading debt woes and slower manufacturing in China pushed stocks sharply lower Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 200 points in afternoon trading.

Traders worldwide were spooked by the poor results at an auction of German debt, which drew too few bids to sell all of the 10-year notes being offered. Germany has Europe's strongest economy, and traders have bought its debt as a safe place to store value during turbulent times.

The weak buying suggests that Europe's crisis might be infecting strong nations that are crucial to keeping the euro currency afloat. Germany bears much of the burden of bailing out weaker neighbors such as Greece and Portugal.

Borrowing costs for Italy and Spain rose from levels that already were considered dangerously high. Europe lacks the resources to bail out those countries, which have its third- and fourth-biggest economies.

The Dow fell 209 points, or 1.8 percent, to 11,285 as of 2:20 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow has now given back more than half of its big October rally. It jumped 9.5 percent last month, the biggest gain since 2002.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 24 points, or 2 percent, to 1,165. All 10 industry groups fell sharply, led by energy companies, materials makers and banks. The index is headed for its sixth straight decline, the longest losing streak since August.

The Nasdaq composite index lost 55, or 2.2 percent, to 2,466.

The dollar rose sharply against the euro as investors moved money into assets considered to be relatively safe. The euro fell below $1.34, from $1.35 late Tuesday.

Fears about Europe also dragged U.S. bank stocks lower. Investors were unnerved by the Federal Reserve's announcement late Tuesday of a fresh round of stress tests of the biggest banks, said Peter Tchir, who runs the hedge fund TF Market Advisors.

The Fed said 31 banks will be tested to see how they would withstand a recession that would push unemployment above 13 percent by early 2013. The jobless rate now stands at about 9 percent.

The announcement undermined weeks of market-boosting talk by Fed officials, Tchir said. The stress tests, apparently related to fears about European exposure, exposed a darker view of the market held by some central bank officials, he said.

"They went ahead and put weakness into the market for the first time" in months, Tchir said. "No one was that afraid, and now all of a sudden, they're saying 'Our own Fed is worried.' That really spooked people."

Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley each lost between 3.5 percent and 4 percent. JPMorgan Chase & Co. declined 2.9 percent.

Asian markets fell earlier after a survey showed that manufacturing appears to be slowing in China. A day earlier, the U.S. government had lowered its estimate of third-quarter economic growth.

Relatively few shares were traded as many U.S. market participants got an early start on Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday. U.S. markets will be closed on Thursday and will have shortened hours on Friday.

In corporate news, Deere & Co. rose 3.6 percent after the company reported net income growth of 46 percent. Deere credited strong sales of farm equipment.

Groupon Inc. plunged 14 percent to $17.22, trading below its initial price of $20 for the first time. The online deals company went public less than three weeks ago.

Companies that make raw materials were hurt by signals of slower growth in China and worries that Europe might fall into recession. Aluminum maker Alcoa Inc. declined 3.9 percent. It switched off with Bank of America as the biggest loser among the Dow's 30 components. United States Steel Corp. dropped 5.8 percent.

Boston Scientific Inc. rose 1.3 percent after the government approved use of a drug-coated stent for patients with clogged arteries. The stent's approval came earlier than analysts expected.

The U.S. government released a mixed batch of economic reports before the market opened. Concerns about developments overseas appeared to overshadow a handful of hopeful signals.

Slightly more people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that layoffs continue. However, the broader trend is positive. The four-week average fell for the eighth time in nine weeks.

Consumer spending grew by the least in four months. Yet incomes rose a bit more than expected. Orders for long-lasting manufactured products fell for a second month and business investment dropped off. But without commercial aircraft orders, a volatile category, orders actually increased.

___

Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-23-Wall%20Street/id-d4ff500daa6a4922828eb99455140bfa

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Will Energy Storage Play a Big Role in the Electric Grid?

beacon-flywheelsELECTRIC STORAGE: These flywheels (pictured) store electricity and help regulate the grid, but did not make enough money to prevent the bankruptcy of their owner, Beacon Power. Image: Courtesy of Beacon Power

More than 200 tops spin in vessels half-buried in the dirt outside Stephentown, N.Y., a town near the Massachusetts state line. Inside the vessel a vacuum permits each top to rotate as many as 16,000 times per minute, despite the fact that each weighs more than one metric ton, thanks to its steel and carbon-fiber composition. Such fast spinning in a vacuum (to reduce friction) allows each top to store some 25 kilowatt-hours of electricity. When the grid's frequency gets out of whack?that is, if the 60-times-per-second current should reverse its flow?all the magnetically-levitated tops speed up, slow down or flip direction to ensure the grid stays in tune.

All told, Beacon Power's flywheels could provide 20 megawatts-worth of such frequency regulation as well as short-term energy storage for the state grid. The only problem is that Beacon's owner went bankrupt in the process of putting the "alternating" into alternating current?after taking a loan for $39.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.

"Our company has been operating at a loss," Beacon Power CEO Bill Capp said November 1 in prepared statement?[pdf] explaining the bankruptcy. "Our goal in taking this action is to minimize job loss and to continue to find ways to apply our innovative technology in the frequency regulation and energy storage markets."

The good news is that the flywheels are still making money?not enough to keep Beacon in business but enough to potentially pay back the American taxpayer. The flywheels also represent a growing trend in electricity grids worldwide?storage. Sodium sulfur batteries have been used to store electricity from Japan's grid since 2002 and to back up Xcel Energy's wind farms in Minnesota since 2008. Molten salts help a power plant in Sicily store the sun's heat to turn into electricity at night and on cloudy days. Even water pumped uphill at various sites across the U.S. and air compressed into an underground cavern in Alabama, among other places, store electrical energy when it is cheap and give it back when it is expensive. Such storage is considered vital to help intermittent renewable resources, such as the wind and sun, play a bigger role in U.S.?and global?energy supply, but it may be that Beacon's flywheels are simply too expensive to compete with the other technologies on offer.

"Flywheels don't typically hold as much energy as batteries," notes Haresh Kamath, strategic program manager at the Electric Power Research Institute's Technology Innovation Program?an industry-funded research group. "But they last a very long time and that makes them attractive in some applications, especially where the system is cycled very often?that is, where it is discharged and charged repeatedly across a short time period."

A new analysis published November 17 in Science by Kamath and colleagues found that batteries are rapidly becoming cheaper and allow for storing electricity generated when it is not in demand (for instance, during the strong winds that blow late at night when lights are off and factories typically shut down) and using it when it is (daytime peaks). Such storage would greatly extend the potential use of renewables for power but also reduce the necessary investment in the grid itself. In the past it has been cheaper to build a new power plant and lay more cable to connect it to the grid than to install a large battery system. "The initial cost of batteries today is prohibitively high in most cases," Kamath explains. And "the life of batteries is relatively short: Batteries last just a few years but most grid components last for decades."

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=2cde6f4627118698b67df416986c5531

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Siri hack lets you adjust your thermostat (Yahoo! News)

If you've ever dreamed of Siri doing useful things for you around the house, you'll be interested to hear of what one developer did.?As with most of its products, Apple had a very tight grasp on Siri ? that is, until someone discovered how to extend its features beyond what it can currently do, and shared it with the world. Developer Pete Lamonica then used this knowledge to hack his way into the voice command app so that it can control his thermostat.

To hack Siri into controlling a thermostat requires a high level of technical skill: Lamonica had to create a special proxy server to issue voice commands, as well as work with security certificates among other things. Not all of us will be able to replicate what he did, so he mentioned the possibility of releasing an automated script for other people to use in the future. In the video above, you'll see Lamonica check his thermostat status, and change his heater settings using Siri.

Controlling thermostats remotely isn't anything new. Prior to this Siri hack, people have been using home energy management systems (HEMS) to operate thermostats so as not to waste electricity. Just recently, a Best Buy event introduced iPad-controlled thermostats to the public, too. But if you want to be able to set your heater (or air conditioning later next year) with a single voice command, this Siri modification is the only way to do so for now.

[via CNET, Wired]

This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

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PSA: Sharing iPhone 4S contacts also shares Siri relationships

Just a heads up — if you send a contact via your iPhone 4S‘ built in sharing feature, you also share everything in that contact, including relationships set up by Siri. For many this may not be a big deal, but if you value your privacy or...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/ufNUZrXmwB8/story01.htm

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Kelly Rigg: Tackling the Communications Challenge of the UN ...

A recent comment by Maldives President Mohammad Nasheed exemplifies the communications challenges that will arise when representatives of 194 countries meet in Durban, South Africa, as parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The current negotiation process is stupid, useless and endless. It is based on this principle: two parties reach an agreement, a third one comes along and says it doesn't agree and it reduces the ambition of the others. In essence, even if we reach an agreement, it will be an agreement about nothing. It will be so diluted that it will be of no use.

News-hungry media feast on comments like these. With prospects remote for a game-changing breakthrough in Durban, we can probably look forward to more headlines like this one from Time magazine: "The Kyoto Accords -- and Hope -- Are Expiring." The unfortunate conclusion many readers will draw: The negotiations are a waste of time, and worse, a failure in Durban spells failure for climate action more generally. Both conclusions are incorrect.

For better or worse, the December 2009 Copenhagen meeting is probably the benchmark against which many journalists will measure results in Durban.

On the one hand, we are living with the legacy of high expectations from 2009. We were supposed to get a fair, ambitious, and binding international agreement on climate change that year -- after all, 120 heads of state came to Copenhagen to do the deal! A binding agreement has thus become the yardstick for measuring success, and anything less is seen by some as abject failure. Given two decades of unfulfilled promises by developed countries, that view is not entirely unreasonable, but it's not very helpful either.

Conversely, if expectations reached their peak in the run-up to Copenhagen, the frenetic negotiations of the final 48 hours (and the disappointing outcome that resulted) may forever be viewed as the nadir of the multilateral negotiating process. Many analysts will therefore judge Durban, as they did last year's Cancun meeting, against a backdrop of expected failure. This explains why incremental progress made last year in Cancun was joyfully celebrated when an 11th-hour collapse was narrowly averted. Any forward momentum in Durban could thus be put in a positive light.

This year's outcome will not be judged solely against high or low expectations, however. There is an added level of urgency this time around. The International Energy Agency made headlines with its 2011 World Energy Outlook and a dramatic statement that the door to 2 degree C is closing. This adds a new dimension to the communications challenge. As Grist described the IEA statement in its own inimitable way, "The point of no return on climate change is fast approaching. Either we halt it in five years, or ... well, imagine I'm drawing my finger across my throat while making a 'kkkkkhhhhhh' sound."

The IPCC has been making those "kkkkkhhhhhh" noises for years, but coming from an organization like the IEA, the warning that we are headed for a 6 degree C world is all the more frightening. Remember that the IEA has always been a fossil fuel cheerleader, created as it was in the aftermath of the 1973 oil shock.

Read more: Yale Climate Media Forum

?

Follow Kelly Rigg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kellyrigg

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-rigg/tackling-the-communicatio_b_1108960.html

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