Apple launches social network for music called Ping

Apple has launched a social network as part of the latest version of its iTunes software.

Ping, as it is known, allows users to build networks of friends and professional musicians, in a similar way to services such as Twitter.

The service also builds playlists based on what friends are listening to.

Analysts said it represents a challenge to existing music-based social networks such as MySpace.

"It's a social network all about music," said Mr Jobs, launching the application at an event in San Francisco.
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"We think this will be really popular very fast because 160 million people can switch it on today," he said.

The service will be accessible through iTunes 10 software on Macs and PCs as well as through the iTunes application on iPhones and the iPod Touch.

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Three dead babies found at Dutch home

Dutch investigators were trying to determine Thursday whether the bodies of three babies found at a home in the Netherlands belong to the woman who lived there.

The 41-year-old woman has been in custody since Friday, when the first baby's corpse was found at her home in Geleen, in the southern Netherlands, the Justice Department said.

Two more bodies were found in the home's garden late Wednesday, the department said.

Further forensic tests are required to find out how and when the babies died, they said.

Officials said the woman will be held in custody for at least another two weeks.

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Discovery Channel HQ hostages freed as gunman shot dead

A gunman who took three hostages at the Discovery Communications headquarters in the US has been shot dead by police and his captives have been set free.

The man had canisters strapped to his chest and a handgun when he entered the building near Washington DC, police said.

Officers opened fire because they thought the gunman was about to detonate his explosives, they added.

The police had held several hours of talks with the man.

Discovery employees were evacuated from the building shortly after the incident began at about 1700 GMT.

The area around the building in Silver Spring, Maryland, was sealed off as police negotiated with the man. After several hours, police began to fear for the safety of the hostages, said Montgomery County Police Chief J Thomas Manger.

He said a man had entered the Discovery headquarters through the main entrance wearing what appeared to be "metallic canisters" on his clothes.

The man then pulled out a handgun and told everyone to remain still.

Unnamed police officials quoted by the US media named the gunman as James Jay Lee, a man in his 40s known for protesting outside the building.

The US broadcaster NBC reported that one of their producers had a brief telephone conversation with the gunman while he was holding the hostages.

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Hurricane Earl prompts US East Coast evacuations

Evacuations have begun in areas of the US East Coast likely to be hit by Hurricane Earl.

The hurricane has strengthened to a category four storm again, generating sustained winds of 215km/h (135mph).

President Barack Obama said officials needed to be ready for a "worst case" scenario in a call to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).

North Carolina's Governor Beth Perdue has declared a state of emergency.

US officials have ordered a mandatory evacuation for thousands of visitors and residents on Ocracoke Island and Hatteras Island.

Both islands are part of North Carolina's Outer Banks, a region popular with tourists.

Fema has warned people along much of the the Eastern Seaboard of the US to be vigilant and follow official bulletins.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said they expected the hurricane to turn north and then run parallel to the East Coast.

They temporarily downgraded Earl to a category three storm on Wednesday, but the hurricane strengthened to a category four again later in the day.

"The most important thing for people living in Earl's potential tract to do is to listen to and follow the instructions of their local officials," Fema administrator Craig Fugate said.

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The Secrete of Making Your PC Work Better and Faster.

In the world today almost all fields require the use of computer; it is being used in our day to day activity. For us to actually get the best out of our day’s work. Our computer needs give us the best.

The computer sometimes behaves very vaguely. Some days it is absolutely fine whereas on some days it behaves the opposite. In case your computer has started functioning abnormally, you would be spending considerable amount of time getting it repaired which leads to waste of time and we all know that TIME IS MONEY. There is a solution out; you need to study a little about computers and the techniques which would come in handy if your PC misbehaves.

Knowledge is power, getting educated on even the basics would be of great use.

Prevention is always better than care. In the first place, you should prevent occurrence of such problems. I will give you some out of many ways in which you could get the best out of your PC.

Preventative maintenance can be categorized on two very useful facets. First is the hardware maintenance and software maintenance.

 Hardware problems can be prevented by keeping the PC neat and tidy by dusting the components regularly. You can use a soft brush for cleaning the components. These products are readily available with any computer retailer.

The exterior parts of the computer need to be cleaned with a slightly moist cloth. A milk Detergent helps to get rid of the dust and dirt. As far as possible, make sure that that computer is not subject to excessive heat, humidity or smoke. In case you have your own business, you need to necessarily go in for high class and sophisticated computer machinery. For a normal home user, simple surge protectors would take care of the computer.

You also need to do some internal maintenance on a regular basis. These Include:

1. Repairing PC Errors: Our computer get lots of problems when online and these leads to lots of errors. These errors should be fixed on a regular basis just as you check the level of water in your car radiator.
2. Fixing and Updating Drivers: Always check online for driver updates. Some times your PC drivers could develop faults; all you need to do is to fix them. Click here to Fix Driver Errors and Update to the Latest Driver Now

3. Uninstall any Unwanted Program.

4. Remove Spyware, Virus or Malware: Spywares, Viruses and Malwares have caused lot of havoc to million of PCs world wide. You need to get strong anti-virus programs on your PC. You could visit this linkRemove Spyware, Virus or Malware by Experts now.

5. PC Health Checkup: You always need to do a regular PC health checkup. For information on how to do this click here PC>>> Start FREE PC Health Checkup Now!

To ensure that your computer functions effectively, you need to do regular maintenance, so that the computer works properly without giving problems on and off. It is advised that you perform monthly maintenance registry and backups (Back up and Recover Your Data and Files with Ease

). In case the computer crashes, all the data can be transferred to another computer.

COMMAND PR

COMMAND PR
Established in 1999 by PR powerhouse Jonathan Cheban, Command Public Relations has developed national media campaigns for a wide range of lifestyle and entertainment clients with a special focus on media buzz. Our clientele sets trends, reflects popular culture and influences the course of public consciousness.
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83 Global Beauty Queens Seek Miss Universe Title

A set of 83 beauty queens plan to show off swimsuits, evening gowns and quick-thinking interview skills in hopes of impressing a panel of celebrity judges and winning the 2010 Miss Universe crown.

From Albania to Zambia, contestants from six continents were expected to strut across a stage Monday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The winner will replace Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez, who gave Venezuela a second consecutive win by taking the title at age 18 last year. The South American country has won six titles since the pageant started in 1952.

Fernandez says it's clear in her mind who's contending in this year's contest — but she won't give her picks until after the telecast.

The pageant hosted by rocker Bret Michaels and NBC correspondent Natalie Morales will air live on NBC and Telemundo and be distributed in some 190 countries and territories. The contest, co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC, will be judged by celebrities including 2010 Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek and actress Jane Seymour.

Fans of Miss Universe gave high ratings to Miss Philippines Venus Raj, Miss Bolivia Claudia Arce Lemaitre and Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson in an online vote.

If Gibson wins, it would give Venezuela an unprecedented third consecutive win.

The pageant started as a local bathing revue in Long Beach, Calif., organized by a swimwear company. It now skips over the world; it was held last year in the Bahamas and in Vietnam in 2008.

Representing the United States is Miss USA Rima Fakih.


by The Associated Press
for more info visit www.npr.org