On its way to No. 1, Chrome's rep stumbles

Google

By Athima Chansanchai

As 2011 ended, Internet Explorer preserved a precarious perch as first-place browser, yet Chrome was the only one that made such a big gain that becoming No. 1 some time in 2012 looks like a good bet. But?its ascent won't come completely clean: Google is reported to have paid bloggers to campaign for the browser, and the search giant has subsequently knocked itself down in page rank ??as a self-inflicted punishment.

StatCounter's global stats from December 2010 to December 2011 shows that of the top five browsers, Chrome is the only one that rose in usage, while IE and Firefox lost market share and Safari and Opera remained steady. Chrome began 2011 at 15.68 percent and ended it at 27.27 percent, while IE began 2011 at 46 percent and ended it at 38.65 percent.

StatCounter

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

The Dublin, Ireland-based StatCounter was the same web analytics company that showed Chrome 15 overtaking IE 8 for the top browser spot for one week late in 2011.

In the U.S., StatCounter's stats show Chrome began 2011 with 12.67 percent of the market, but ended the year with 18.73 percent. IE began 2011 with 48.38 percent and ended it with 48.26, with only one spike to 50.66 percent in November before reverting back to its constant just below half. Firefox still stands between IE and Chrome in the U.S., but just barely. It ended the year with 20.15 percent, but it began 2011 with 26.38 percent.

NetMarketShare's stats also show IE still on top at 51.87 percent at year's end, but that's after it began 2011 at 58.35 percent. Chrome began 2011 at 11.15 percent and finished at 19.11 percent. Firefox and Opera went down, while Safari made modest gains that still kept it below 5 percent.

In an informal poll of about 6,200 votes in mid-December, msnbc.com readers revealed a preference for Chrome, with 41 percent telling us that's what they were using. Firefox came in second at 34 percent and IE third at 20 percent.

But even if Chrome does close the gap on IE and become the world's top browser this year, it does so at a cost of its own reputation.

Google begins 2012 under less-than-ideal circumstances, under a cloud of controversy, as sites such as?Search Engine Land?spread the word about an unauthorized pro-Chrome campaign that rewarded bloggers with payments.?

Google has imposed a penalty on its own browser by?demoting Chrome?and lowering the site?s PageRank for at least 60 days?? which means it won't show up so high, or even on the first page, of searches for "browser"?? and explaining it in sort of simple language for the mainstream through Google+.

Nevertheless, this may prove to be only a temporary setback to the browser's inevitable march toward the top spot.

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Check out Technolog on?Facebook, and on Twitter, follow?Athima Chansanchai, who is also trying to keep her head above water in the?Google+?stream.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/04/9946713-on-its-way-to-no-1-chromes-rep-stumbles

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Walkman Flask Holds Other Kinds Of Mixes [Booze]

The next time you find yourself in 1983 trying to sneak some hooch into your high school prom, you'll have no problem fooling your principal with this Drinkman flask disguised to look like Sony's classic cassette Walkman. More »

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John Gardner: Winds of change? A mixed year on the energy front

From the standpoint of moving toward a more sustainable energy future, 2011 was a year of ups and downs.

On the national scene, 2011 saw the first increase in the CAFE standards (federal standards for automotive efficiency) in over two decades.

The law that is intended to encourage innovation in the automotive industry (which, coupled with clean air standards, drove the nearly universal adoption of fuel injection to replace wasteful and dirty carburetors) is finally getting an upgrade. Long overdue in my opinion.

Interestingly, 2011 was also the year in which the typical American household spent the highest percentage of its income on gasoline since 1981 (8.4 percent).

I wonder if the picture would have been better if Congress had allowed the CAFE standards to slowly rise over the last 20 years instead of caving in to the automotive industry, which wanted to protect its high-profit-margin SUVs.

Come to think of it, if the car companies had been motivated to be a bit more innovative in their model mix, they might not have been pushed to the brink of bankruptcy when the bottom fell out and people decided to be more circumspect in their purchasing decisions.

It was also the year when two major automakers widely released electric vehicles. The Chevy Volt (actually a plug-in hybrid) and the Nissan Leaf (100 percent electric) have not sold as well as the industry had hoped, but it?s early going.

The trend toward electrification of our transportation fleet is a mixed bag. On one hand, it helps us become less dependent on petroleum (foreign and domestic) thus easing the geopolitical and environmental problems that seem inextricably tied to oil.

On the other hand, widespread adoption of electric vehicles has the potential to disrupt an already stressed electrical grid.

But this also represents a terrific opportunity through the smart grid to help balance the unruly impacts of wind and solar generation.

Time will tell if we successfully link the two.

Closer to home, 2011 was not particularly kind to Idaho?s nascent renewable energy industry, but it could have been worse. In a session with mixed results, the Legislature allowed a sales tax rebate on renewable energy equipment to expire and then chose not to impose a statewide moratorium on the wind industry. It tells you just how tough the wind industry has it in Idaho if its core business is nearly outlawed, and it can call it a victory.

I found the debate around the moratorium to be particularly interesting. This is a legislative body that had consistently resisted statewide oversight of the placement of generating facilities (something many other states closely manage) with the argument that local control should trump the state on these issues.

In light of this sentiment, it?s amazing that the moratorium (which I would characterize as ultimate state control) got as much traction as it did before it was ultimately defeated.

Which leads me to local option taxes as a means of funding much-needed public transit, but let?s hold off on that for later in the year.

Speaking of state control of renewable energy projects, this was the year when the Public Utilities Commission passed down a controversial ruling that makes it impossible for wind developers to take advantage of the provisions of a 1978 federal law that is intended to open up energy markets to those very developers.

While a contrary ruling from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in October led to a partial reprieve, I suspect that damage has been done. For better or worse, I predict that 2012 will see the last major wind projects being constructed in Idaho for the foreseeable future.

But in spite of the set-backs, I am fundamentally optimistic that we?ll figure it out in the long run and that 2012 will be a better year.

I?m also immensely grateful that I live in a country where we can have these kinds of discussions, that my family is happy and healthy, that I have a job (which I happen to love) and that every time I flip the switch, the light goes on. I constantly strive to remember that not everyone is so lucky.

John Gardner is a professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Boise State University and director of the CAES Energy Efficiency Research Institute.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IdahostatesmancomOpinion/~3/ymMUzRV2Ck8/winds-of-change-a-mixed-year-on.html

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PSG chief Leonardo casts doubt on deal for LA Galaxy's Beckham

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Source: www.tribalfootball.com --- Friday, December 30, 2011
Carlo Ancelotti David Beckham PSG LA Galaxy PSG chief Leonardo admits a deal for LA Galaxy star David Beckham is in doubt. Leonardo made the revelation during the unveiling of Carlo Ancelotti as new coach. read more ...

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New Year's black-eyed peas, updated

An updated version of a Southern classic New Year's dish.

Here?s a Deep South shocker: the Southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year?s Day originated with the Jews. (I guess the salt pork floating atop the pot threw me off.)

Skip to next paragraph Pam Anderson, Sharon Anderson, and Maggy Keet

Veteran cookbook author, Pam Anderson, and daughters, Maggy and Sharon, believe that just about anything worth being part of happens in the kitchen. Each week they share their thoughts about recipes, cooking, eating, and anything that comes with it (which in their world, is just about everything). There are three cooks in their kitchen. Sometimes that?s too many, but usually it?s just right.

Recent posts

Wikipedia says Jews have been eating black-eyed peas for good luck at Rosh Hashana since 500 CE, and Sephardic and Israeli Jews still do today. How come none of my Jewish friends bothered to share this with me?

Apparently the Southern black-eyed pea tradition originated with Sephardic Jews who settled in Georgia back in the 1730s. The pork addition doesn?t need much explanation. We Southerners can?t cook anything without throwing in a hunk of the stuff. ?

Although I love the way pork flavors black-eyed peas, I don?t especially like a hunk the size of an old shoe swimming in the middle. This year I decided to change that. Thick slice the salt pork, then cut it into pieces a person might actually want to eat. Next, fry up those little bite-size nuggets. Not only is golden brown a better look than gray boiled, there are also renderings for saut?ing onions and peppers to flavor the beans.

Now it?s time to add the beans and liquid. I?ve always used water, but this year I switched to more flavorful chicken broth. Bring all this to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer. Keep cooking the beans until they start to break down and turn the pot juices from translucent to opaque. Otherwise you?ll end up with watery, wan beans. Salt the beans only after they have fully softened. (Salt too soon and they never will.)

Now they?re ready to eat. You?ll need cornbread. Vinegar?s nice too, and if you like heat, vinegar-soaked peppers (aka pepper sauce) is even better. A little crunch in the form of minced red onion is a nice foil to the soft pork and beans.

And the final Southern touch: drop a coin into the pot for good luck. This year for the first time ever (battling the Great Recession), I?m dropping in more than one.

Black-eyed peas

Serve 12 to 16 as a side dish

3/4 pound slab salt pork, sliced thick and then into 2-inch pieces
?1 large onion, cut into medium dice
?1 large bell pepper, cut into medium dice
?2 lbs black eyed beans, soaked in 12 cups of water overnight and drained (see notes for quicker method)
?2 quarts chicken broth, plus 1 to 2 cups water as needed
?1 coin
?Salt and ground black pepper
?2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
?1 medium red onion, minced
?Red wine vinegar (or pepper sauce) as desired

Heat a large soup kettle over medium-high heat. Add salt pork; fry until golden brown and fat has rendered, 4 to 5 minutes. Add onions and pepper; saut? until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add peas, chicken broth, and coin; return salt pork to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until peas are fully tender and cooking liquid turns from translucent to opaque, adding water as necessary to keep peas moist but not soupy, about 1 hour.

When peas have fully softened, season generously with salt and pepper and stir in thyme. Continue to simmer to blend flavors, a couple of minutes longer.

Serve with a dish of red onion and vinegar or pepper sauce alongside.

Related post: A formula for bean and grain salad

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of food bloggers. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by The Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own and they are responsible for the content of their blogs and their recipes. All readers are free to make ingredient substitutions to satisfy their dietary preferences, including not using wine (or substituting cooking wine) when a recipe calls for it. To contact us about a blogger, click here.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/r-RgfySrZgw/New-Year-s-black-eyed-peas-updated

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The Best Videos of 2011: Day 4

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?Day 4 of WWE.com's Best Videos for 2011 continues to revisit the greatest moments of the year from Raw, SmackDown and our own exclusive videos. Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for the final five clips!?

WWE.com Exclusive: John Laurinaitis "congratulates" Punk
In this WWE.com exclusive video, The Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim General Manger of Raw begrudgingly congratulates CM Punk on winning the WWE Championship at Survivor Series.

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Sin Cara Negro is unmasked
After weeks of twin Sin Caras dueling on SmackDown, the two face off in a Mask vs. Mask Match in Mexico City.

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Jim Ross makes Michael Cole tap out
The Hall of Fame announcer teams with John Cena on Raw, making Michael Cole submit with an ankle lock.

Superstars and Divas vote no confidence in WWE COO Triple H
Believing that they are not safe while Triple H is in charge of Raw, the WWE Superstars and Divas show they have no faith in the COO and walk out.

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CM Punk unveils the "Johnny Ace" tribute video
After winning the Pipe Bomb of the Year Slammy, CM Punk presents a totally rad tribute to the sports-entertainment career of Raw?s Interim General Manager.

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/wwefeaturepage/best-videos-2011-day-4

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Chinese Manufacturing Index Rises to More-Than-Estimated 50.3

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Source: http://www.forexfactory.com/news.php?do=news&id=334258

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