This is an article asking you to bet on the 2010 March Madness Bracket Tournament with Bodog Sportsbook

Since it's that obvious anyway. Arguably the greatest three weeks in sports are upon us with the 2010 March madness bracket tournament tipping off. And of course Bodog will have everything a basketball bettor could ever need. Yes, it's that time of year when even the most amateur sports fan becomes an expert in basketball with the men's NCAA tournament here. From the play-in game through the 2010 NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis, Bodog will have it all covered with basketball news, odds, contests and more. That's right, the road to the Final Four runs through Bodog and you won't find any gaming site with as many basketball betting options on the NCAA tournament than those guys. They've been doing this for 15 years and they should already know what bettors want when it comes to the Big Dance. From odds to news to brackets, you'll find it all at Bodog. This year's NCAA men's basketball tournament appears to be one of the most wide-open tourneys in recent year, and that could be good news for those basketball bettors. While the North Carolina Tar Heels were huge favorites going into last year's Big Dance and came home with the title, the Heels are not even in the field this year. The Kansas Jayhawks, the Kentucky Wildcats, the Syracuse Orange and the Duke Blue Devils are your four No.1 seeds in the bracket this year, but none of those four could be considered a lock Final Four team. Last year's tournament was very chalk, as for the first time since seeding began, all 12 teams seeded No.3 or better made it to the Sweet 16, and three No.1 seeds reached the Elite Eight for the third straight year. There are probably about 20 or so teams that have a real shot at...

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How free will Ordnance Survey's maps be? Your last chance to decide

Government consultation on OS mapping closes today - and has attracted withering comments from its own advisory body (updated) From next month, you should be able to get digital forms of Ordnance Survey (OS) maps for free - free as in beer, and free as in speech - under a new initiative announced last November by the prime minister. And why's that important today? Because this is the closing date for the public consultation on which of those maps should be made available, and in what form. The consultation, and the options it presents, stirred up strong feelings among the people working in geographic information. And the outcome could have a dramatic effect on how you use maps in the future - digital ones and paper ones. Gordon Brown announced that OS "will open up its data relating to electoral and local authority boundaries, postcode areas and mid scale mapping information. The Government will consult on proposals to make data from Ordnance Survey freely available so it can be used for digital innovation and to support democratic accountability." OK, so what about the detail? That's the tougher part. The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), which is ostensibly in charge of OS, began a consultation in December, setting out three possible options: 1) leave OS as it is. 2) make all OS's maps and digital data available for free reuse on a Creative Commons-style licence 3) make only some of OS's digital maps - roughly from 1:25,000 (equivalent to Explorer) to 1:50,000 (Landranger) - available for free reuse on a Creative Commons-style licence. Option 2 is what the Free Our Data campaign has been pushing for since its inception in March 2006. The benefits are obvious: anyone who wants to build some sort of digital or even paper product can use the OS data - which you can rely on because it's the UK's national mapping agency, and so meant to get it right - and create new products and services that build on it. But there's a catch: where's the money to come from? If we were in the middle of a boom, it might be easy to argue that OS should just be funded directly from the public purse. The catch, though, is that it isn't: it operates as a "trading fund", a government-owned business which charges for the use of its data. Its revenues last year were around £117m, on which it was profitable and gave a few million pounds to the Treasury. A profitable government business? They're like hen's teeth, you might think. However the next catch is that half of its revenues came from the public sector - so actually this is the public sector charging itself and then saying how well it's done by remitting money to the Treasury. Except that the departments which pay for the OS data are centrally funded themselves. So not so clever. It's also emerged from the consultation that OS undercharges the public sector compared to the private sector (which hasn't pleased the private sector). But the tricky thing is this: if you just make all the OS data free, can you really persuade the Treasury to provide the necessary extra £50m or so of public money that's needed to fund its operation? (£50m because you save £50m in public sector fees, but lose about that amount in private sector fees, and it costs about £100m to run the OS.) By contrast it's much cheaper to go with option 3 - you only have to fund the "lost revenue" from the digital maps and the loss of revenues on paper maps as rivals start using the CC-licensed data to produce their own paper maps. That's probably going to be closer to £20m. Into this Gordian Knot scenario comes not just Gordon, but also Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who pushed it all through. But it's the detail that matters now. Which is where the consultation comes in. You can find various responses: we published the Free Our Data response on the Free Our Data blog, obviously; and an informal one from Tristram Cary of Getmapping, a private company specialising in aerial photography (and which got into a legal battle with OS that nearly killed the company). But by far the most interesting is the response from the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI) - the advisory body to the government that has the same role on information as the Council on the Misuse of Drugs does on, well, drugs. APPSI reckoned that Option 2 - making it all free - is actually the more sensible option because it's logically "cleaner". That's a radical proposal. As the UKAuthorITy.com site noted in a news story: "The panel, which advises on policy and adjudicates in disputes over public sector licensing, says that a "free data" regime for the OS would be "the most holistic, durable and clearest solution". However it recognises that this would be an irreversible step and agrees with the government's inclination for a phased transition from the current trading fund model. Less complex, restrictive and expensive licensing is crucial to the success of the government's open data initiative, it says. ""In particular, OS should not have any intellectual property rights in derived data."" That one alone is very important. At present, OS claims that if you create some new dataset while using an OS map, OS owns the copyright in that dataset. Yes, it does. This is the reason why you don't see much council data mapped out on Google Maps, even though there are plenty of people in councils who have the programming chops to do that. And it's also why you find some councils have been doing their mapping for public consumption on OpenStreetMap - which is free for use and doesn't have the same "derived data" rule. The reason for the OS "derived data" rule is essentially to prevent people from re-using OS maps in other forms. But it drives local government and the public sector - not to mention the private sector - absolutely barmy. If the consultation has one effect, it should be to remove the "derived data" rule from OS products released under "OS Free". Ideally, and suggested by a number of people, it should move to something like the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) licence - meaning you'd have to say you used OS data, but otherwise leaving you free to build on it. The final point about the APPSI consultation: "In unusually forthright terms, the panel, chaired by professor David Rhind, a past head of OS, points to what it calls "a fundamental contradiction" in government information policy. "The great bulk of government organisations are those that provide that information to citizens and businesses at marginal cost or for free. But a relatively small number of information providers fall into a second category: notably the trading funds of Ordnance Survey, the Meteorological Office and the Hydrographic Office, and also the Royal Mail. There has been no consistent philosophy behind the allocation of a body to a particular category, other than 'make some money wherever we can'." Lastly: it's interesting to compare the COI release (timed at 15.27 on 17 November, when the announcement was made) with the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) release, which has the same date but no time. The difference? The COI one doesn't include a quote from Sir Rob Margetts, OS's chairman - the clearest possible indication that OS didn't know what was coming. The question now is: will the consultation give people what they want? And have you got your response in? If you need to do it quickly, then you could use Harry Metcalfe's quick'n'easy page. But hurry... Update: the Local Government Association has a very robust response (PDF) to the consultation: "The consultation .. fails to recognize that substantial elements of core public sector geographic data are generated by bodies other than OS, and include local authorities (address and street data under a statutory requirement), Office for National Statistics (census geographies) and Defra (national park boundaries). To this extent, the OS database consists of surveyed, redigitised and collated data from these sources." In other words, why does OS get to dictate how data it didn't generate gets used? And: "there must be clarity across the public sector about what constitutes a public task: indeed, we prefer the term public good because the issue is what should the public sector provide as a public good and therefore what is available for free, where should the public sector recover costs etc. So, local government is increasingly being asked to provide non-personal data for free on the basis that tax payers have already paid for the collection and collation of the data, while the same authorities have to purchase OS to enable this offer." It's going to be very interesting to see how DCLG pulls together the threads. But the clear message from the public sector is: we don't like the way things are set up at the moment. Change is in the air. Free our data Internet Government data Charles Arthur guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Cool Gloves Will Help You Photograph When It Is Freezing + Giveaway

Have you ever tried to photograph a wolf on a wild terrain when it is sub-zero outside? If you have, you must know that gloves are a photographer's friend. Of course, gloves can be a nemesis as well, if they are making you clumsy and take away your ability to press them little camera buttons. I am going to show three ways to handle gloves clumsiness fever and then we will have a giveaway at the end. read more

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Have Great Looking Skin and Make Money Too!

I have partnered with Rodan + Fields (creaters of proactiv), as a skin care consultant. They have created the most wonderful products! And the commissions and bonuses are terrific! Related posts: Goodlife Health – Your Trusted Skin Care Companion Skin care problems can be tough to relive, not... Cosmetic series Rose Allegory, Bulgaria ALLEGORY ROSE is specially developed based on natural rose... Loose weight and feel great Looking to loose a few kilos, want to improve... Is Making Money a System or You? Can $299 Change your Life? YES, we call it... The Day Money Making Changed Forever…. Can $299 Change your Life? YES, we call it...

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Make Your Own Mixed-Media Lyric T-shirt

Guest post by Somer of A Little Great Music and t-shirts are two things we have in abundance at our house. I often hear one of my kids complaining to the other, “You can’t sing that, its my song.” So, I decided to collaborate with...

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Capitol Hill jobs you have never heard of

The battle over health care and whether to use the shortcut tactic known as reconciliation to push it through has thrust the Senate parliamentarian into the spotlight.

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Anti Acne Body Wash – Choosing an Anti Blemish Body Wash

There are many different brands and types of anti acne body wash. Each may have their own specific qualities but basically to the same thing, that is help clear up acne. You may have acne anywhere on...

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Ferrari GT 2: Revolution (Cheat)

Press in main menu: Hidden Text You have to thank the author or make a post to see this text. You unlock: - All Cars. -All Tracks. - $100,000,000.

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25 Things You Can Remote Control With Your iPhone [Apple]

One of the more interesting things you can do with the iPhone is use it as a remote control for other devices. Since the iPhone App Store launched almost two years ago, developers have created hundreds of remote control applications. Some of them are for entertainment — designed to control A/V equipment in your living room. Others control household appliances, functions on your computer, or even expensive corporate security systems. For now, most remote control apps operate over the Internet, or via a wi-fi or Bluetooth link between your iPhone and another device. But one company is developing an infrared iPhone accessory, which will open the doors for even more remote control applications. It's conceivable that, with these apps and accessories, an iPod touch could replace the fanciest of universal remotes, and have the bonus of shipping with a Web browser and all the other apps on the App Store. DVR More TV providers are releasing iPhone apps to use as DVR remotes. Recently, Comcast published an app that allows some of its digital cable subscribers program their DVRs remotely. And free apps from DirecTV, DISH Network, and AT&T let you program your digital video recorder from anywhere. Zipcar rental car The free Zipcar app lets you find and book rental cars. But the impressive part is that you can also use your iPhone to unlock the car or make its horn beep. Home lights and automation system A recent Apple commercial highlights this app for the Schlage LiNK home automation and security systems. You can watch your doors, lock and unlock them, turn lights on and off, etc. TV, other gadgets This isn't just an app but a $50 hardware add-on that gives your iPhone infrared support. When it ships — supposedly soon — the L5 remote accessory will let you turn your iPhone into a universal remote, replacing any number of remote controls that are on your coffee table. Chevy Volt This free app lets you access info for a Chevy Volt electric car via OnStar, including charging info, driving stats, door locks, horn, and lights. iTunes Via Apple's free Remote app, search and change the song playing on your computer's iTunes jukebox from bed, across the house, or even outside. Or change volume settings, or hit pause, etc. Another app called PodLink ($2.99) lets you wirelessly control music playing on another iPhone or iPod touch, perhaps one that is being played in a docking station across the room. There's also a $3.99 app to control WinAmp if you use that. Mouse and keyboard Apps like the $1.99 Air Mouse Pro (limited free version also available) turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a wireless trackpad and keyboard. This is helpful if you want to kick back and don't have a wireless keyboard, or if you're using an old computer hooked up to your TV and want to access the cursor or type something from the couch. A reader notes a free, similar app from Logitech. The $3.99 TouchPad app is another alternative. Blu-ray Discs Several Blu-ray discs include Internet features that can be accessed via iPhone apps. For example, the free "pocket BLU" app can act as a remote for Blu-ray discs that support "pocket BLU" — including "Bruno," "Funny People," other movies. Features include controlling playback, browsing through chapters, the soundtrack, etc. Other Blu-ray remote apps are available for different systems, including the Sony PS3. Roku video player If you use a Roku video player — the cheap, no-frills box that plays Netflix, Amazon, MLB.TV videos, etc. — you can get the free Rokumote app and control your Roku without its plastic remote. Presentations Apple's $0.99 Keynote remote lets you control Keynote presentations if you own the iWork suite. Other apps, like Evan Schoenberg's versatile $0.99 Rowmote can steer PowerPoint slides. Desktop PC or Mac This one takes a little tinkering, but free VNC — "virtual network computing" — remote desktop software on your computer (Mac, PC, Linux, etc.) will let you view and control it from anywhere, provided it's turned on and hooked up to the Internet. A search for "VNC" in the App Store turns up more than 30 apps. The VNC app we've been using for our iPhone is the free Mocha VNC Lite; there's also a pro version for $5.99. Logitech Squeezebox If you use a Logitech Squeezebox home audio system, the $9.99 iPeng app seems to be the best reviewed remote control. Control volume, switch songs, etc. Slingbox If you have a SlingBox — a device designed to let you watch your home TV/cable service from anywhere, over the Internet — you can use your iPhone to watch TV. The $29.99 SlingPlayer Mobile app recently got an important new feature, which allows you to stream TV from your SlingBox over 3G. Previously, it only worked over wi-fi. iCarly - Sam's Remote This one is for the kids: Fans of the cable TV show "iCarly" may appreciate the $1.99 "Sam's Remote" app, which includes sounds from the show. Photoshop A $2.99 app called PhotoKeys:Photoshop Remote puts the Adobe Photoshop toolbar on your iPhone. Not for everyone, but could be helpful for some setups. Apple TV Apple's free Remote software also controls the Apple TV set-top box, if you have one of those. A recent update adds a nifty feature that lets you use your iPhone's multi-touch screen as a "gesture pad" to scoot around the Apple TV display. This is much easier than using the small, plastic remote that came with Apple TV. You can also use the Boxee remote app to remote-control Boxee, if you've loaded that onto your Apple TV. Sonos Home Stereo If you have a Sonos multi-room sound system — especially the popular, newish S5 — your iPhone is a remote via the free Sonos Controller app. Pro audio software The ProRemote ($99.99) and ProRemote Lite ($35.99) act as sliders and other controls for pro audio editing software, including ProTools and Apple's Logic software. Burglar Alarm CPI Security customers can use a free iPhone app (with additional service) to monitor their home security system, turn it on and off, see activity history, etc. X-Plane Flight Simulator Sort of like how Nintendo's DS has a touch-sensitive second screen that often controls what's happening on the first screen, this will let you control and observe some of your flight simulator's features — on your computer — using the iPhone as a smaller, second screen. Requires the $4.99 X-Plane Remote app and the $29 desktop X-Plane software. Boyfriend Ladies: We're not quite sure how this one works, but the $9.99 "Boyfriend remote" app is worth every penny if it performs magic. You can tell it to "give me money," "forget about beer," and even "take me to the mall." Classy. Also available: Girlfriend Remote and Parent Remote. Boxee If you use the free Boxee media center software on your Mac, PC, Linux box, or Apple TV, you can use your iPhone as a remote via Boxee's free app. (What's Boxee? Think of it as a multimedia-specialized Web browser that you're supposed to steer from your couch. Lets you watch Netflix movies, MLB.TV, and other Web video streams.) VLC Media Player If you use the free, popular VLC (Video LAN client) media player app, you can control it with your iPhone via the free VLC Remote app or its $2.99 premium cousin. Security Camera Plenty of security camera monitoring apps in the App Store, depending on your rig. By far the most expensive, though, is Lextech Global Services' $899.99 iRa Pro, which delivers "a video command center to the palm of your hand." Digital SLR Camera onOne software makes a lite ($1.99) and pro ($19.99) version of its DSLR remote app. If you hook your Canon EOS or Nikon DSLR camera up to a computer via USB, you can remotely control settings, fire the shutter release, and see your camera's viewfinder remotely over wi-fi. The main drawback is that your camera has to be hooked up to a computer.

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What You Need To Know About The National Broadband Plan - A good first step, possibly made worthless without lobbying reform

Some 36 public workshops, 9 field hearings, and 31 public notices later, the FCC today finally unveiled their national broadband plan (pdf). There's 376 pages of dense policy to dig through, so it's going to take some time to completely digest the plan. Legal experts and policy wonks will be poring over this one for weeks, given the FCC recommends some fairly dense changes to telecom mainstays like the Universal Service Fund (USF). Also keep in mind that this plan is preliminary, and will heavily mutate as it runs the lobbyist and political gauntlet. That said, here's our high and low points: What's Promising About The Plan • At least it's a plan -- kind of: One good thing about our national broadband plan is that it is one. Almost. It's more like a pile of recommendations to Congress, or a plan for a plan. That may not sound like much, but for a country that has spent the last decade using bad data to proudly proclaim we didn't have any broadband issues to fix? It's a forward step. The plan punts to Congress on some of the tough issues, but it at least gives recommendations and establishes a framework. • The FCC wants 4 Mbps to be broadband's baseline: For years we've reported how the FCC used fairly paltry definitions of broadband (256 kbps downstream, recently updated to 768 kbps) so that our national success on this front looked good. The FCC's plan now calls for broadband to be defined as "4 Mbps of actual download speed and 1 Mbps of actual upload speed" (page 135). Page 19 tries to argue that 95% of us already have access to those speeds, which brings us to... • The agency makes collecting more hard data a priority: On page 38 of the plan, the FCC proclaims that "the dearth of consistent, comprehensive and detailed price data makes it difficult to evaluate price competition." While the FCC tries to do so anyway -- it's clear the agency's decade-long disdain for hard science has come home to roost, and impacted the agency's plan draft. The plan calls for a complete overhaul of FCC data collection and public presentation. This is the first of many FCC proposals where the devil will be in the details and the agency needs to stand up to major carriers to achieve the goal. • The plan pushes for broadband advertising improvements: While the plan's habit of citing transparency as a fix for competitive issues is disingenuous, the plan makes it clear the FCC would like to impose requirements that improve the accuracy of broadband advertising. The FCC is eager to eliminate the use of the dreaded "up to" speed descriptor, replacing it potentially with a "broadband nutritional label" (see FCC example, left and page 46 of the plan) that could potentially advertise both the maximum and average provisioned rate. • The plan finally begins revamping the Universal Service Fund: For years even the government's own General Accounting Office has complained that the Universal Service Fund was collecting billions in taxpayer dollars but the FCC wasn't doing a very good job managing the fund. While the plan's USF reform is a complicated tangle of policy revision, the primary goal is to refocus $16 billion in USF funds over the next ten years away from legacy voice service and toward broadband. By 2020, voice-only networks (assuming there are any) won't be eligible for USF funds. •The FCC wants wireless broadband to be a priority: The plan clearly pins a lot of hope on 4G wireless broadband services as a cornerstone of future competition, and Chapter 5 (starting on page 73) is entirely dedicated to spectrum. The plan's goal is to get 500 megahertz of spectrum into the hands of 4G providers, of which 300 megahertz (between 225 MHz and 3.7 GHz) is to be made newly available for mobile use within five years. There's an ocean of details involved in the FCC's agenda, and the devil will be in the end-game details and whether broadcasters want to give up some unused spectrum (hint: they don't). •The FCC wants more competition in the set top box market: The FCC is pretty clearly annoyed with the industry's (and their own) failure with CableCARDs and starting on page 49 explains how the agency is going to push hard to end proprietary conditional access systems "on or before" December 31, 2012. In other words: they want more consumer choice in broadband-powered set tops and home gateways that can access the Internet without carrier restrictions. Again, the devil will be in the details and whether TV operators want consumers to have access to their choice of completely open set tops (hint: they don't). What's Troubling About The Plan • USF reform could actually increase the cost of broadband and phone service: While the FCC repeatedly states their goal for the plan is to deliver "affordable" broadband to Americans by 2020, the proposals could actually raise your broadband costs. The plan imposes a new "Connections" fee as part of an overhaul of the USF that will be used for deploying broadband to under-served markets. While good for under-served markets, that means a higher bill for you. The plan annoyingly omits how much this fee could be, but once the details are hashed out, it could raise your monthly broadband bill from anywhere from $1 to $5 a month. In addition, the FCC recommends to Congress that they allow increases in the FCC subscriber line charge, which is money that goes right back to carriers. The plan is vague when it comes to hard numbers per subscriber here as well, but industry analyst Dave Burstein tells us his his initial analysis suggests the plan could actually wind up with American families paying $5-$10 more a month when it's all said and done. Yes, maybe this money goes back to the public, but given the FCC history on this front, maybe this money goes into AT&T's pocket. Of course also tied directly to high consumer prices is the fact that... • Again, the plan fails to tackle a lack of competition: On page 30 of the plan, the FCC proudly proclaims that the plan "contains more than 40 recommendations that directly spur competition," which makes the fact that the plan doesn't really address competition all the more obnoxious. These recommendations include such things as child safety, digital education efforts, and identity theft countermeasures. While all noble, they don't address the problem that large swath of U.S. markets suffer from high prices and slower speeds created by monopoly or duopoly markets. The agency's own study suggested that open access policies could be one possible solution to the nation's duopoly logjam. However, the agency has made it very clear they have no intention of upsetting incumbent carriers -- many of which not only wield incredibly influence over Congress, but have also been fused into our national security infrastructure. With absolutely no hyperbole intended, many of these carriers now wield far more legislative and legal power than the FCC itself. "The dearth of consistent, comprehensive and detailed price data makes it difficult to evaluate price competition." -FCC's National Broadband Plan• The plan is heavy on the showmanship: Many of the recommendations look good and are politically easy to accomplish -- but lack substance. As we've already noted, the agency's goal of bringing "affordable" 100 Mbps to 100 million U.S. homes sounds good and is getting played up by the press. But when you consider that cable broadband alone already passes 125 million homes -- the majority of which will be upgraded to faster DOCSIS 3.0 service within 5 years without FCC intervention -- this supposed "cornerstone" of the plan rings hollow. Did we mention "affordable" is left undefined? The agency also proclaims that they want to see broadband adoption improve from 65% to 90% by 2020, something that could happen organically whether the FCC is involved or not. A few million thrown at digital literacy campaigns is the supposed answer -- though several of these efforts involve using taxpayer dollars to fund cable industry advertising campaigns. There simply is a vast mountain of policy in this plan that is, for lack of a more scientific term, empty, feel-good crap, while issues like unethical billing practices go completely unaddressed. • The plan fails to disrupt the status quo: We've been covering this sector for a decade, and there is absolutely no limit to the number of think tanks, fake consumer groups, policy wonks and PR flacks employed by major carriers to help shape (and distort) public opinion, press coverage, and DC policy. Both before and after the plan's announcement these chorus of voices for hire were collectively, notably, uncritical. Why is that a problem? Any plan worth the 376 pages it's printed on should address competition, which could hurt revenues, which would anger the carriers, who would then fire up this "sound wall" of opinion for hire. Granted, some carriers may not like the various rulemaking processes that emerge from this initial plan, but by and large the plan itself (after two full read throughs) does absolutely nothing to rattle the duopoly status quo in the broadband sector, and carrier silence proves it. That indicates a lack of conviction, courage and vision by plan architect Blair Levin. It also indicates that politics and carrier loyalty drove the national broadband plan's structure as much as science. That doesn't mean that things can't be accomplished as we head into the real rulemaking battles to come, but... •The plan completely fails to address money in politics as a primary reason for our failures: The primary problems the plan faces actually aren't technical, given we're a nation packed with oodles of fiber, bright network engineers and significant wealth. The plan's primary obstacle is the influence the nation's wealthiest carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast) have on the nation's political and legal infrastructure. We've seen an endless parade of well-intentioned sector reforms scuttled by carrier lobbyists. It remains unlikely that true change in the broadband (or any other sector, for that matter) can be implemented until the problem of undue corporate influence on policy has been addressed first. What Happens Now As we noted at the start, the FCC's new national broadband plan is more of a "plan of a plan," and implementation in the face of lobbyist pressure will be key. As plan architect Blair Levin stated this morning at the plan's introduction, the "plan is in beta, and always will be." The FCC has simply set the table for a significant number of policy discussions and rule making procedures, that may (or may not) end in substantive improvements in the sector. read comment(s)

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