Pin Apps to Your Mac’s Finder Toolbar for Shortcuts Galore

It's easy to add an app to the toolbar for quick access in Finder. Simply find an app, hold down Command (⌘) and drag it up to the toolbar. Voila! You've got an app docked at the top of your ...

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Providence Kindles Love Of Horror Writer H.P. Lovecraft

An artists's rendition of pulp-fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft is just one example of the author's growing popularity.

The Lovecraft Anthology

An artists's rendition of pulp-fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft is just one example of the author's growing popularity.

The Lovecraft Anthology

Pulp-fiction writer Howard Phillips "H.P." Lovecraft has for decades terrified an underground following of readers with horror stories about monsters and aliens. He's known to some as a bad writer, and to many as a racist. Even during the author's lifetime, his readership was limited.

But now, thanks mostly to social media, this old name in sci-fi horror is getting new attention from a growing fan base. Lovecraft's hometown of Providence, R.I., is trying to capitalize on this rising star.

Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth

The short stories of H.P. Lovecraft are filled with monsters and mysterious creatures from outer space. They have names like Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth.

"You almost feel like you're reading someone's diary entries from their horrible experiences exploring some forgotten backwater of New England," says Niels Hobbs.

In August, Hobbs revived the dormant H.P. Lovecraft literary conference. He called it "NecronomiCon," a name he hoped would signal to fans that this was no Lovecraft-pah-loozah — this was a serious literary conference. It worked. Hobbs estimates 1,200 people from around the globe converged on Providence, identifiable by their black T-shirts with obscure science-fiction references.

They came from Europe, Central America and even as far as New Zealand, and they got down on the dance floor at the Lovecraft Ball wearing masks, horns and hoods as an organist cranked out creepy tunes.

"I've read a lot of the books, but I've never been to Providence, so it's kind of amazing to see all the sites ... he wrote about and the different places he visited," says Vic Cabal, who came from Pennsylvania.

Providence, A Lovecraft Haven

Local businesses latched on to the theme and held their own events. Officials say the Lovecraft convention pumped some $600,000 into the local economy.

Now that Providence is catering to Lovecraft fans, there's an official H.P. Lovecraft Memorial Square, the historical society is working on markers for walking tours, and there's even an app that provides a virtual tour of H.P. Lovecraft sights.

A new exhibit at the Providence Athenaeum features a silent movie based on a Lovecraft story, and a new bronze bust of the author. Athenaeum librarian Kate Woodhouse says ever since the bust appeared, so too have Lovecraft fans who are making the pilgrimage almost every day.

"We knew that the event would attract a lot of people and a lot of attention but didn't realize how much we would become associated with Lovecraft by taking the bust," Woodhouse says. "It's great."

Conference organizer Hobbs says this is just the beginning. He's already planning for another conference in 2015, tied into Lovecraft's 125th birthday. For that one, he's preparing for an even bigger crowd.

In the meantime, the craze continues elsewhere — Portland, Ore., will host a CthulhuCon and film festival in April 2014.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/31/241655366/providence-kindles-love-of-horror-writer-h-p-lovecraft?ft=1&f=1001
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EE extends 'Cash on Tap' payments service to four new devices

Galaxy Note 2, Note 3, S4 Mini and Sony Xperia Z1 get support for NFC payments app

British mobile operator EE has announced that it's extended availability of its "Cash on Tap" NFC-based payment system to four new Android smartphones: the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 3 and S4 Mini, and the Sony Xperia Z1. The Mastercard-backed scheme allows users to pay for purchases up to £20 in value over NFC at some 230,000 outlets across the UK. EE notes in today's press release that it's currently supported by big-name cafe and takeaway brands, such as McDonald’s, Caffè Nero, Pret A Manger and Greggs.

The new devices join the Sony Xperia SP and Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4, which were already enabled for Cash on Tap. To use the service, subscribers will need to have an EE-branded version of one of these devices; unlocked versions aren't supported. What's more, you'll need to have an NFC-enabled EE SIM to get started.

Cash on Tap support for more handsets are due to be announced in the coming months, EE says.

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Ashton Kutcher Joins Lenovo, Keeps Day Job

Hollywood star and serious technophile Ashton Kutcher is proudly flashing his Lenovo employee ID these days as the company' newest product engineer. Kutcher will work closely with Yoga Tablet developers on the geeky stuff, but he'll also do his thing in front of the camera. "I think Lenovo working with Ashton Kutcher could be a home run both on style and on substance," said analyst Jeff Kagan.

Lenovo's newest product engineer got a higher-profile introduction to the world than many of the company's other employees. Perhaps that's because he's also famed actor and investor Ashton Kutcher.

Lenovo announced its multiyear partnership with the Two and a Half Men star at the launch event for the company's latest tablet. Kutcher will work with engineers on the Yoga Tablet product line, Lenovo said, by offering input and making decisions on the design, specifications and software.

Lenovo's Yoga Tablet

Emotional Connection

"I think Lenovo working with Ashton Kutcher could be a home run both on style and on substance," telecommunications analyst Jeff Kagan told TechNewsWorld. "Lenovo may be the leading computer maker today, but they have really lost much in the way of their connection to the customer. Ashton Kutcher could help them reach the customer much more effectively and emotionally."

The potential for increased customer engagement is certainly part of Kutcher's appeal for Lenovo.

"He's got a huge following and a targeted audience of 18-to-24-year-olds that we're keen to go after," spokesperson Brion Tingler told TechNewsWorld. "It's a dual partnership, on the marketing side as well as on the product engineer side. He is a seasoned tech investor and has got a lot of interesting insights to bring to the process."

Serial Investor

Kutcher is well known in technology circles. The 35-year-old has invested in companies including Airbnb, Spotify, and Foursquare, among others, through his venture capital firm A-Grade Investments, as well as news summarization app Summly. He also starred as technology visionary and Apple cofounder Steve Jobs in the biopic Jobs, which was released earlier this year.

The star has a technical background, having studied biochemical engineering in college. However, it's not yet clear how those skills might transfer to the development process of a technology product.

Celebrity Tech Partnerships

Kutcher is far from the only celebrity to have a direct involvement with technology firms. Singer Alicia Keys was named creative director for BlackBerry earlier this year. Jennifer Lopez, meanwhile, is chief creative officer and majority shareholder of Viva Movil, a wireless retail firm targeting the Latino market. The company is a Verizon Wireless premium retailer. Lady Gaga, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am have all made technology investments.

That said, Kutcher's partnership with Lenovo appears to run deeper than other technology-celebrity pairings given his participation in the product development decision-making process.

Lenovo announced Kutcher's involvement with the company at the same time it unveiled the new Yoga Tablet. One of Kutcher's first public tasks as part of Lenovo was to promote the tablet -- and flash his company ID card -- in a commercial.

Yoga Tablet Specs

The tablet has two key features that seem to differentiate it from competitors' devices. First, there are three ways (or modes) to position the device: Users can hold it, use the stand to sit it upright, or tilt the tablet on a surface. Second, the Yoga has up to 18 hours of battery life, Lenovo claimed.

The handle holds dual batteries, using power options more commonly found in laptops than tablets, Lenovo said, and the Yoga can charge other devices through its USB on-the-go connectivity. It runs Android 4.2, using quad-core processors. There are both 8-inch (weighing 0.88 lbs.) and 10-inch (1.35 lbs.) models, with 3G options and 16-GB or 32-GB capacity, plus Micro SD expansion. The tablet includes 1,280 x 800 displays, a 5-MP rear camera and front camera, and an optional Bluetooth keyboard for the 10-inch model that doubles as a cover.

Lenovo priced the tablets at US$249 and $299 for the 8-inch and 10-inch models respectively, while the Bluetooth keyboard is $69. The tablets are available now.

Battery Life Is Key

It is the battery life that might help the tablet stand out from competitors like the iPad, which has a 10-hour battery life.

"Battery life is one of the key measurements in customer satisfaction. Lenovo continues to lead -- today, anyway," said Kagan.

"Anything that helps differentiate a product is very important for market share," Vinita Jakhanwal, director of mobile, emerging displays and technology at IHS Electronics and Media, told TechNewsWorld. "Extended battery life is definitely a plus for any mobile device."

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/79308.html
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These Guys Take the Robot Dance Very, Very Seriously

The Robotboys featuring Poppin John have all the right moves!

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'Blurred Lines' Lawsuit: Marvin Gaye Family Now Claims Robin Thicke Stole Two Songs (Exclusive)

Marvin Gaye's family is responding in a major way to Robin Thicke's lawsuit claiming that "Blurred Lines" wasn't stolen from Gaye's "Got to Give It Up."

On Wednesday, the family went nuclear with counterclaims that allege that Thicke stole the summer mega-hit and also committed copyright infringement on Gaye's "After the Dance" to create his song, "Love After War." What's more, the new legal papers obtained by The Hollywood Reporter suggest that Thicke's  "Marvin Gaye fixation" extends further to more songs in the Thicke repertoire.

Perhaps even more consequential, Gaye's family also has set its sights on EMI April, the song publisher now owned by Sony/ATV that has business relationships with both sides. According to the counterclaims, EMI has breached a contract and its fiduciary duty by failing to protect Gaye's songs, attempting to intimidate the family against filing any legal action, failing to remain neutral when faced with a conflict of interest and attempting to turn public opinion against the family. The penalty for those acts, says the Gaye family, should be that EMI loses all profits on "Blurred Lines" as well as rights to administer the song catalog of Gaye, known as the "Prince of Soul."

EARLIER: Robin Thicke Sues to Protect 'Blurred Lines' from Marvin Gaye's Family 

This court battle was triggered in August when Thicke and his producers Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris Jr. went to a California federal court with the aim of preemptively protecting "Blurred Lines" from allegations that it was illegally derived from Gaye's song as well as Funkadelic's "Sexy Ways." Requesting declaratory relief, the plaintiffs stated that "being reminiscent of a 'sound' is not copyright infringement."

In the latest court papers, Frankie Gaye and Nona Gaye say that not only does the lawsuit concern "blatant copying of a constellation of distinctive and significant compositional elements of Marvin Gaye's classic #1 song," but that Thicke himself candidly admitted as much.

The Gayes point to pre-litigation interviews given by Thicke to GQ and Billboard. To the first publication, Thicke said:

"Pharrell and I were in the studio and I told him that one of my favorite songs of all time was Marvin Gaye’s ‘Got to Give it Up.’ I was like, ‘Damn, we should make something like that, something with that groove.’ Then he started playing a little something and we literally wrote the song in about a half hour and recorded it."

But Thicke's tune supposedly changed after the lawsuit was filed. Here is a TMZ interview with the singer, quoted in the latest legal papers:

"Q: So, so, when you, when you wrote ["Blurred Lines"], do you like think of Marvin Gaye like when you write the music?

A: No."

The Gaye family quotes music critics at The New York Times, Vice, Rolling Stone and Bloomberg Business Week who have remarked about the Marvin Gaye resemblance in "Blurred Lines." The countersuit also presents an expert report by musicologist Judith Finell detailing "at least eight substantially similar compositional features" with Gaye's original. The similarities are said to encompass the signature phrase, vocal hook, backup vocal hook, their variations, and the keyboard and bass lines -- "far surpassing the similarities that might result from attempts to evoke an 'era' of music or a shared genre," according to the court papers.

While the countersuit makes the case that the public has detected Gaye in Thicke's other songs -- "including the similar bridge and identical lyrics from Marvin Gaye’s 'I Want You' in Thicke’s similarly-themed work, 'Make U Love Me'" -- it brings a second copyright infringement claim only over Thicke's "Love After War." That song is said to share a similar chorus, hook melody and more with Gaye's "After the Dance." (Listen below.)

If the countersuit against various parties including Universal Music and Geffen Records stopped there, it would be a noteworthy example of the legal issues that arise in copyright law in controversies over songcraft. But the Gaye family, represented by attorneys Richard Busch and Paul Duvall at King & Ballow, add more. In fact, what makes the case possibly precedent-setting is the allegations lodged against EMI.

EMI is the co-publisher of producing superstar Williams and is said to co-own and control "Blurred Lines." The Gaye family owns rights to "Got to Give It Up" and "After the Dance," but says it has assigned the rights to administer and protect those copyrights to EMI. Hence, a claimed conflict of interest.

According to the countersuit, EMI's "misconduct" includes failing to identify and raise claims based on entrusted Marvin Gaye copyrights, and after allegedly admitting that a claim was viable, "subsequently instructing its litigation attorney to intimidate the Gaye Family from filing an action by antagonistically warning that any lawsuit would be frivolous."

The Gaye family asserts that not only did EMI refuse to bring counterclaims after seeing a "renowned musicologist's report," but that it gave "strong biased support to the Blurred Writers."

To support the claim that EMI has breached its legal, contractual and ethical obligations, the Gaye family says that the chairman of EMI contacted its legal representative and accused the family of "ruining an incredible song," "killing the goose that laid the golden egg" and being responsible for "Blurred Lines" not receiving an MTV Video Music Award. He also allegedly complained that the lawsuit might kill any chances that Thicke would win a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

The Gaye family also accuses EMI and representatives of Williams and Thicke of "the planting of a knowingly false story in the press that the Gaye Family supposedly turned down a “six figure settlement,” (no such offer was made) in order to make them appear unreasonable."

This is intolerable, say the counter-claimants.

"Not only did EMI fail to bring this action, which is necessary to carry out EMI’s duties to protect the Gaye Family’s copyrights," says the countersuit, "EMI attempted to dissuade the Gaye Family from pursuing this action by repeated threats and tactics to intimidate the Gaye Family and its representatives."

Now a contractual rescission is demanded in light of EMI's alleged decision to take no action on the "golden goose" that is Robin Thicke's hit. (Sony/ATV is one of the counter-defendants.)

"The EMI Defendants control approximately thirty percent (30%) of the music publishing market throughout the world," says the family's court papers. "Accordingly, there is a strong likelihood that conflicts of interest, such as the one in the present case, will arise again between the EMI Defendants and the Gaye Family.  Based upon the blatant and egregious breach of the EMI Defendants’ fiduciary duty and their covenant of good faith and fair dealing, the EMI Defendants have proven that they cannot be trusted to remain neutral and impartial, and that they are unworthy of the level of trust and professional conduct which is required of a copyright administrator charged with protecting the Gaye Family’s important interests in copyrighted works created by Marvin Gaye."

The countersuit adds, "The Gaye Family should not be compelled to remain in this contractual relationship."

We'll add responses by the Thicke camp and EMI as they come.

Twitter: @eriqgardner

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Liberty Ross Opens Up about Husband Rupert Sanders’ Affair with Kristen Stewart

Liberty Ross opens up for the first time about her husband, Rupert Sanders’ affair with Kristen Stewart in Vanity Fair magazine. The ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ director’s infidelity with the ‘Twilight Saga’ star was shocking news in the entertainment world, with lingering consequences, including the dissolution of the couple’s marriage. The 35-year-old British model and actress had kept her silence over the affair and resulting scandal, which became a mainstay in entertainment and celebrity news the previous summer after US Weekly published paparazzi photos of her husband, Rupert Sanders, 42, kissing the 23-year-old Kristen Stewart. He was the director of ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ in which she had a co-starring role. Stewart made a public statement and endured the breakup of her high-profile relationship with Robert Pattinson, her boyfriend and ‘Twilight Saga’ costar. But Liberty Ross held her silence until now. Her story appears in Vanity Fair, along with a photo spread by photographer Norman Jean Roy. She married Sanders in 2002 is also the mother of the couple’s two children, a daughter and a son, putting her modeling career on hold to raise them. To date she has just a few screen credits, ironically one of them [...]Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/XCEV1rGMe58/
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