Antriksh's Blog

He came , see and conquered

2012-07-06T23:12:00.002-07:00

Euro 2012: Mario Balotelli's emotional scene at end of semi-final


Mario Balotelli

The image of the night in Warsaw on Thursday was not Mario Balotelli -ripping off his shirt and, despite his best efforts, failing to keep an ice-cool straight face after he scored the goal of the tournament to take Italy into the final of Euro 2012.
It came after the referee's final whistle. And it involved Balotelli again - of course - as he buried himself deep into the hug of his adoptive mother, Silvia, whose face was creased in emotion, whispering that the two goals he had scored to defeat Germany were dedicated to her.
Even then, there was a touch of the surreal as fans tried to get in on the act, wearing vivid wigs and hats with Balotelli-style Mohican haircuts.
In Rome, along the Piazza del Popolo, a driver changed the destination on the front of his bus to read simply "Super Mario". It has certainly been some ride. Peter Pan - and Balotelli himself has mused whether he is the boy who refuses to grow up - was making a nation believe it could fly.
"Tonight was the most beautiful of my life," Balotelli said. It was a big statement given the life he has led up to this point, when at just 21 he will lead the line for Italy in the final of Euro 2012 against the world and European champions, Spain.
There are so many stories, so many plot-lines, so much drama - tragedy and surreal comedy - surrounding this most precious, and precocious, of young men. But there are also Silvia, and Franco, his adoptive father who will now fly into Kiev, from his home outside Brescia, to attend the final.
To make sense of Balotelli, his background has to be understood. Everyone knows the stories around him: the fireworks, the silly hat, the struggle to put on a bib, the parking tickets and prison and school visits, car crashes, red cards and training-ground fights, throwing darts at youth-team players and the "Why Always Me?" T-shirt.
Yet there is also the huge degree of philanthropy, the campaigning against the use of child soldiers, the work Balotelli has done in Brazil to help destitute children and the women of the favelas and the strong interest he has in the World Wildlife Fund.
Despite that, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini stated last season - in jest but with a point - that he should move Balotelli into his home and lock him in the cellar to keep him out of trouble.
After a petulant red card against Arsenal Mancini suggested he had washed his hands of the striker, while Italy coach Cesare Prandelli had grave misgivings about including the player in his Euro squad. If Giuseppe Rossi had been fit, Balotelli may not have been here.
Maybe it is the presence of the diminutive Silvia that is making the difference. Balotelli has been followed around here by his younger brother, Enoch, who has sometimes caused disruption when he has turned up at the training camp. Now the one person who is said to be able to keep him in check has arrived.
Watching the pair embrace in Poland's National Stadium brought to mind a story told by Cristina, one of the Balotelli's three natural children and another big influence on Mario's life. She recalled how he was once stopped from going to training because of bad behaviour at home. He escaped and made the journey on foot, only for the coach to tell him when he finally arrived that his mother had called and he was to be sent straight back home.
They even joke at City that things might be a little easier with Balotelli if Silvia could be persuaded to move to Manchester.
It is obvious to see why she is such an influence. Balotelli was one of four children, two boys, two girls, born into a Ghanaian immigrant family in Palermo in 1990. He suffered serious health problems with his intestines, his father, Thomas, worked away from home, and the family eventually moved to Brescia.
Inevitably, the Barwuahs - his original family name - came to the attention of the social services and they pleaded to be moved out of their cramped studio flat to nurse Mario.
It was eventually suggested that he should be fostered and the Balotellis - whose own three children, Corrado, Giovanni and Cristina were growing up - were persuaded to take care of the child, who was only 21/2 but had already undergone a number of operations.
The striker's biological parents have since complained about being frozen out of his life, while he has argued that they showed little interest in him for years.
Franco Balotelli had already retired from his job as a warehouse supervisor, and Silvia, a nurse by profession and a regular foster mother, agreed to take Mario in. The court decree under which Mario was fostered was renewed every two years until he was 18, which did not help the sense of permanency which the Balotellis were trying to create for him.
He was also the only black kid in a white neighbourhood and he encountered racism early in his life.
Inevitably, Balotelli grew up craving attention. He never wanted to be left alone, always wanted company. For years he could go to sleep only if -Silvia held his hand.
It does not need a psychologist to explain much of Balotelli's extrovert behaviour. His talent was quickly obvious and his sporting life has been a whirl of headlines, fall-outs and a threat to be one of Europe's best strikers. Jose Mourinho publicly washed his hands of him and Mancini has veered between indulgence and despair. But he has already won titles with Inter Milan and - after a big-money move - Manchester City.
At the Euros the Italians have had to deal with the 'Daily Balotelli' - otherwise known as their press briefings - with Prandelli and a succession of players quizzed on their thoughts on and relationship with him.
Last Saturday he effectively gatecrashed Italy's pre-match press conference before the quarter-final against England. It was the first time he had spoken publicly during the tournament, although he did so again on Thursday after his thrilling contribution to the semi-final. His words were modest, he talked of how "amazing" it would be to score in the final, how happy he was and what a "special year" he had been through. It could end even more spectacularly than the fireworks that were let off in his home (and it is possible that was Enoch and not Mario).
As he spoke he wore beneath his shirt a gold medallion that Silvia gave to him a few years ago. It bears the inscription: "Professionalism, Endeavour, Humility".
They are words he may not have always have lived up to, despite his astonishing achievements, but it is not for the want of Silvia trying. She will be there on Sunday night too.

Final Nintendo Wii U design Revealed; White is the New Black

2012-06-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

Being in the gaming field, Nintendo has amassed a lot of gamers and it seems like they are not yet satisfied with the figures they are having right now. So to boost up the numbers, they revealed the Wii U with a pro-controller that is designed to attract hard core gamers into their arena.

Earlier today we had told you about the company’s new GamePad and controller and the new feature called Miiverse. The Wii U is Nintendo’s sixth home console and the first Nintendo console to produce 1080p HD graphics.

It features a new controller with an embedded touchscreen. The controller allows a player to continue playing certain games by displaying the game even when the television is off.
One strikingly different feature between the Pro Controller and an Xbox 360 pad is the right analogue stick placement, which is in a more obtrusive location higher on the controller, while the face buttons are placed much lower. The obvious reason for this placement alteration would be to encourage Xbox 360 users to migrate towards the Wii U as well as to win back disappointed Wii users.
This layout is making the Pro Controller consistent with the full Wii U control pad. The Wii U GamePad is the main controller for the Wii U.
It features a built-in touchscreen, which can either supplement or replicate the gameplay shown on the main display, even functioning as a standalone screen without the use of a television. Both the Wii U control pad and Wii U Pro Controller can be used on the same console together at the same time.
The controller also features an accelerometer, gyroscope, camera, dual analog sticks, as well as a built-in microphone and support for ‘Near Field Communications’ by which objects or cards can be scanned to load data into games. This console is compatible with the Wii Remote, Wii Nunchuk and Wii Balance Board, as well as a Wii U Pro Controller for more traditional controls.

Farewell : Didier Drogba Chelsea's legend

2012-05-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

Didier Drogba bows out of Chelsea as true blue champion with his mission accomplished

So what’s next? Chelsea tried to keep him. “To stay here was not a question of money, as people claimed. I’ve always been happy with what I have here with contracts and my family were happy.

"It’s not like they don’t want me any more. We sat down all together and the boss [Roman Abramovich], Ron Gourlay [chief executive] and everyone on the board respected my decision. I know what I did for them and they know what they did for me.
“I will take time to make the right decision. My wife and I will go and relax a bit, even though there are national team games. I won’t play for another English club. I owe too much allegiance to Chelsea.
“My blood is blue. I will really miss the fans but they will always be in my heart.”
He has been linked with a reunion with Nicolas Anelka at Shanghai Shenhua. “Obviously I played with him for many years. It was difficult to see him leave but that’s part of football and life. He is happy there. He is trying to do his best to help the club. But I really want to keep thinking about what happened on Saturday rather than talking about China, America, wherever.
“Since I was a kid I was dreaming of this kind of moments, the scenario was just perfect. It’s like a movie. Even today I still want to be in Munich in that stadium, cheering and celebrating with the fans. It was too quick the first time. I wanted it to be longer.’’
As well as Saturday, Drogba listed two other cherished moments: “Winning the first title at Bolton [in 2005] and the best goal was in the [2007] FA Cup against Manchester United, the first one at the new Wembley, scoring in extra time.’’
He is proud of his legacy. “I would not say we created Chelsea, but we started a new era. We built something really strong in terms of identity. Now we go everywhere in the world and everyone knows about Chelsea. You go to Africa and people speak about Chelsea. I see kids wearing Chelsea shirts in the streets. India, everywhere, Chelsea is a brand.”
Chelsea can build on the victory over Bayern Munich. “Of course. The expectation from the fans and the owner himself will be the same as we did on Saturday. Now we set up something when you come to Chelsea you have to try as a minimum to do the best. You have to get into the Champions League final or win it.
"That’s what the club has to do to be a Barcelona, AC Milan or Real Madrid in Europe. We only have one Champions League and we need more.’’
Could Atlético Madrid’s Falcao fill his boots? “I know he’s a very good player but that’s not for me to decide. The only thing I know is we have very good strikers here already. Everybody knows Fernando [Torres] is a very good player. He’s been through difficult moments here. It happens to everyone.
"My first few seasons here were difficult. The good thing is he has our support. I know next season he’s going to improve. Chelsea is in good hands with Fernando. Of course we will need new strikers but Torres will do the job.’’
In saying his farewells, Drogba was paying tributes. “None of this would have been possible without the big boss, Roman Abramovich. So the best way to repay him was to win the Champions League.
"The boss gave so much for this club. Everybody speaks about buying expensive players but nobody speaks about the facilities at Cobham, one of the best in the world, and improving the academy.
“He said that he understood my feelings, he respected my choice and I told him that I would be a Chelsea player forever. He’s a very good man. He gave everything to my family, gave them the chance to have a nice lifestyle which is fantastic when you remember I came from the Ivory Coast where I didn’t have all these things.
“This Champions League is for all the managers who’ve been here chasing this trophy. Everybody knows the man who gave me the strength and the man I’ve learnt a lot from was Jose [Mourinho]. He gave me this winning attitude, this desire to make history. He’s a winner and we have it in our DNA now.
“I speak about Jose because he was very important to me but the one who spent less time as a manager here is the one who won the Champions League [Roberto Di Matteo]. He is a Chelsea legend. The way he managed to change the mentality of the players is enormous because we were not in good shape mentally.”
Things had not worked out under Andre Villas-Boas. “Andre is a friend. It’s difficult. It feels strange to know that he’s gone and he didn’t give to Chelsea what he really wanted to. When you don’t win, it’s easy to point the finger at the manager. But we all know inside that we are responsible for this.”
Drogba dismissed the suggestion that “senior players run” Chelsea. “When a manager comes here, he’s sat with the owner, with the board, and they’ve decided they have some targets, some objectives, to achieve.
"If they don’t do it, that gives a reason to the boss to do what he has to do. But never a player. I’d never want some players to have an influence on a manager. It’s not good for the team.”
Di Matteo restored confidence. “You can put a player on the pitch and give him 30 games but if he doesn’t feel the belief or the communication is right he’ll never perform.
"Robbie talked to us individually and collectively when he took charge and then we had to do everything to save our season. Everybody had to look at himself and change the way we behaved for the good of the group.
Drogba leaves England a truly respected sportsman, even asked to carry the Olympic torch through Swindon today. “My only disappointment is that I can’t do the Olympics. I wish with the Ivory Coast we could come and play. If it was at Wembley I’m sure we’d win!’’ He usually does.
Throughout it all, Drogba has stayed humble, “trying to save lives and reduce poverty” with his UN work. “I have to say thanks to my parents for the way they educated me and also to my friends – my real friends. They never see me as a star.”
But he leaves England as a champion of Europe.

Keeping Secrets on Facebook

2012-05-03T07:24:00.004-07:00

Facebook may be getting a little push back from its users.
A new study by Consumer Reports asked what steps Facebook users in the United States were taking to “protect your privacy.” The answers were surprising. About a fourth of respondents said they lied: They chose to “alter personally identifiable information” such as their dates of birth.
The share of Facebook users who confessed to falsifying information, which technically violates Facebook’s terms of service, was a notable increase — about double — from when the same question was posed two years ago. That suggests a heightened level of vigilance not only about how much Facebook users wish to reveal to the world, but also how much they wish to reveal to Facebook, the omniscient observer. Consumer Reports, in its June 2012 issue, described it as “evidence that people are treating Facebook more warily.”
A majority of those who were asked what steps they took to protect their privacy said they tweaked their privacy settings to control who can access their profile page. And about a third of the respondents said they adjusted settings to make sure their personal information wasn’t leaking out to Facebook applications, like games. Nearly one in five said they did none of these things.
Consumer Union, the advocacy arm of the organization that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, has rolled out a petition urging Facebook to improve privacy controls and address user concerns about what information from Facebook can be shared with third parties.
Facebook has repeatedly said that user information belongs to the user, and that the user is entitled to demand a copy of his or her Facebook data. But the vast trove of personal data that Facebook accrues daily can also be leveraged by others.
Facebook applications can glean information not only about the Facebook user who downloads the application, but also about his or her Facebook friends – unless a user explicitly opts out. And every time a user visits a web site with a Facebook widget – a “like” button, for instance – Facebook finds out. It becomes part of the company’s data vault about each of its 900 million users.
In its study, Consumer Reports, the magazine once known for its reviews of dishwashers and station wagons, found that Facebook users revealed a great deal about themselves that could one day be detrimental. That information included posts that identified family members and chronicled their alcohol use. The ubiquitous “like” button signaled a vast array of preferences, from religious to sexual. More than one in four, the magazine reported, shared all of almost all of their wall posts with an audience beyond their Facebook friends.
Consumer Reports offered a box of tips for the Facebook-verbose. “Think before you type,” was number one. “Deactivate,” was number nine.

Samsung Galaxy S3 with Quad-Core Processor & 1080P Display

2012-04-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

How many of you have already bought a Samsung Galaxy S I9000 mobile phone and are confused on should to upgrade to S2 or wait for something better? Here is a good news for all of you because Samsung’s mobile division president has hinted that the Galaxy S3 is soon going to be launched with some awesome configuration. In an age where Samsung has ruled the Android Market with its “Galaxy” Series signature after the hit and hot selling success of Galaxy S as well as Galaxy S2 phone, time has now come to speculate about the Samsung Galaxy S3 handset which is already in the making for making itself available in the year 2012.
First of all Samsung is trying to beat all the Apple Records in terms of sales and the Galaxy S2 has helped them in doing the best by bringing Samsung into Number #2 top mobiles selling company. If you are already having a pretty good mobile which you are not yet planning to sell away or upgrade then its suggested to wait for around a years time for the Galaxy S3 or the Galaxy 3D models. While the lawyers of both Samsung and Apple are busy in fighting it out for the supremacy in the technology space, the Engineering units of both are busy in creating an unforgettable and powerful smart phone with iPhone5 and Samsung Galaxy S3.

We have very less details on this handset as of now but Apple would of course get the first preview because of the ongoing legal battle between both the companies and we should expect some actual snaps of the phone by this year end. It is being speculated that the model number for the Samsung Galaxy s3 will be GT I9300.
Going with the specifications its expected to obviously be an upgrade of the Galaxy S2 with the Camera being 12Mp, quad-core processor, a super-bright AMOLED 3D screen with NFC, 4G Supported device etc. to name a few. Especially when the HTC One X, Ascend P1 D and Meizu Mx Quad Core phones are out, it will be have to be atleast 1.5 Ghz quad core processor Samsung Exynos CPU. Also its expected that this would be the first phone which would feature the Ice Cream Sandwich. Also the screen size should be around 4.5″ which beats the LG Optimus 3D and also offer you with 4G connectivity support. Lets wait and watch how all this goes and when the phone would be actually be available to you and then you can decide if its worth upgrading your current phone or not. It is also said that this phone will be launched in the first half of FY’12. So, just in case if you have not purchased the last phone from the Samsung which is the Samsung Galaxy S2 then its probably just time to wait as you can buy an all new and probably the World’s best would be smart phone, the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Undoubtedly, Samsung is betting very big on this handset as its in no mood to disclose things about this Samsung Galaxy S3 anything Officially. This smart phone is going to be the World’s slimmest smart phone ever which was disclosed by our close source from Samsung. Another most important feature which is speculated is that it will be having the lowest SAR value which is basically the radiation emitted by the phone. With rising health concerns around the Globe and people’s preference on talking on the phone more than meeting personally, its very important ensure that you have a smart phone which has the lowest SAR Level. With higher SAR levels, the phone tends to get heated up which can in turn damage the brain. Considering the fact that by 2012, the 4G will turn into reality and almost maximum countries will be witnessing the 4G, this support also looks possible. So, in all if you have a look at some of the core features or say USPs then these will be 12MP camera with probably CMOS Sensor with it.
The below picture was recently popped up on the web claiming that the Samsung Galaxy S III would be launched world wide in May 2012. Hope these rumors are true and we really get a chance to see this device.

Highlight Features of Samsung Galaxy S3:

NFC (Near Field Communication) Chip,
3rd generation Super AMOLED 3D Screen,
Ultra Low SAR Levels,
Blazing fast Speeds with Quad Core Processor,
Probable 4G Supported Phone,
Slimmest Smart Phone ever

Am sure after reading this whole article you might just still want to know on by when this phone will be launching, for which we just can say one thing, stay tuned to antrikshvijh.blogspot.in as we will be updating this article as in when we get any inputs from our sources at SAMSUNG etc. We still haven’t added any concept photos of Samsung Galaxy S3 as of now in this article, but as soon as we get any we will surely update this article with the same.

Facebook IPO 'expected on May 17

2012-04-20T22:30:00.001-07:00

Facebook's highly-anticipated flotation is expected to happen on May 17, according to reports.

Facebook is preparing to file paperwork as early as Wednesday for an initial public offering of stock, according to The Wall Street Journal. Its public debut will be the most anticipated tech IPO since Google went public in August 2004

The social networking company, which lodged its initial public offering (IPO) documents at the start of February 2012, is believed to be working towards May 17 to float on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Technology site TechCrunch cites several sources close to the company who have revealed the target date.

Facebook declined to comment.

Facebook is expected to be valued at around $100bn when it floats – making it the biggest ever stock market flotation by an internet company.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to clear the paperwork for the IPO by this date - as well as approving Facebook’s recent $1bn acquisition of photo-sharing app, Instagram.

The purchase of the app, which has 40 million users but has yet to turn a profit, has reignited talk about a new technology bubble forming. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s 28 year-old founder and chief, is believed to have only told the social network’s board that he had sealed the huge deal with Instagram on the day it was announced.
Zuckerberg’s discretion could rattle a few shareholder groups already concerned about Facebook’s governance arrangements ahead of its IPO.
Back in February, when the initial documents for the IPO were lodged, it was revealed that the young founder and chief, who created the company when he was a student at Harvard University, owns a 28.4pc stake, but has effective control under a share structure which gives him voting rights over 56.9pc of the equity.
In an echo of Rupert Murdoch's stranglehold on News Corporation, Zuckerberg's Class B shares each carry 10 votes, whereas the Class A shares being offered at IPO will have just one vote a piece.
"[The structure] provides Zuckerberg with the ability to control the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, even if he owns significantly less than a majority of the shares," the filing said.
His controlling stake means Facebook will not need to appoint a majority of independent directors or set up board committees to oversee compensation and other matters.
Zuckerberg was paid a base salary of $500,000 in 2011 and his total compensation came to $1.48m, but he will take home just $1 a year from 2013, following the example of Apple founder Steve Jobs.
In a letter accompanying the SEC filings, he claimed that, like the printing press or the television, Facebook has the power to lead a "complete transformation of many important parts of society".
"They gave more people a voice. They encouraged progress. They changed the way society was organized. They brought us closer together. Today, our society has reached another tipping point," he wrote.
He stressed Facebook's mission has more social than about making money.
"Facebook was not originally founded to be a company," he said. "Simply put: we don't build services to make money; we make money to build better services."
Some analysts believe Facebook’s valuation could come in at less than $100bn next month.

IPL 2012 Schedule List

2012-04-06T20:27:00.002-07:00

Friends ,next month IPL going to start .so many peoples searching for its schedule list .so i have collect all the information for all cricket lovers .

1 April 4 20 :00 Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians M .A . Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
2 April 5 20 :00 Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi Daredevils Eden Gardens , Kolkata
3 April 6 16 :00 Mumbai Indians v Pune Warriors Wankhede Stadium , Mumbai
4 April 6 20 :00 Rajasthan Royals v Kings XI Punjab Sawai Mansingh Stadium , Jaipur
5 April 7 16 :00 Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils M Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore
6 April 7 20 :00 Deccan Chargers v Chennai Super Kings Y .S .Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium , Visakhapatnam
7 April 8 16 :00 Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders Sawai Mansingh Stadium Jaipur
8 April 8 20 :00 Pune Warriors v Kings XI Punjab Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium , Pune
9 April 9 20 :00 Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians Y .S .Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium , Visakhapatnam
10 April 10 16 :00 Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders M . Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore
11 April 10 20 :00 Delhi Daredevils v Chennai Super Kings Feroz Shah Kotla , Delhi
12 April 11 20 :00 Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals Wankhede Stadium , Mumbai
13 April 12 16 :00 Chennai Super Kings v Royal Challengers Bangalore M .A . Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
14 April 12 20 :00 Kings XI Punjab v Pune Warriors Punjab Cricket Association Stadium , Chandigarh
15 April 13 20 :00 Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals Eden Gardens , Kolkata
16 April 14 20 :00 Pune Warriors v Chennai Super Kings Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium , Pune
17 April 15 16 :00 Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab Eden Gardens , Kolkata
18 April 15 20 :00 Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals M Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore
19 April 16 20 :00 Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils Wankhede Stadium , Mumbai
20 April 17 16 :00 Rajasthan Royals v Deccan Chargers Sawai Mansingh Stadium , Jaipur
21 April 17 20 :00 Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune Warriors M Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore
22 April 18 20 :00 Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders Punjab Cricket Association Stadium , Chandigarh
23 April 19 16 :00 Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils Feroz Shah Kotla , Delhi
24 April 19 20 :00 Chennai Super Kings v Pune Warriors M A Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
25 April 20 20 :00 Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore Punjab Cricket Association Stadium , Chandigarh
26 April 21 16 :00 Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals M A Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
27 April 21 20 :00 Delhi Daredevils v Pune Warriors Feroz Shah Kotla , Delhi
28 April 22 16 :00 Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab Wankhede Stadium , Mumbai
29 April 22 20 :00 Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders Barabati
Stadium , Cuttack
30 April 23 20 :00 Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore Sawai Mansingh Stadium , Jaipur
31 April 24 16 :00 Pune Warriors v Delhi Daredevils Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium , Pune
32 April 24 20 :00 Kolkata Knight Riders v Deccan Chargers Eden Gardens , Kolkata
33 April 25 16 :00 Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians Punjab Cricket Association Stadium , Chandigarh
34 April 25 20 :00 Royal Challengers Bangalore v Chennai Super Kings M Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore
35 April 26 20 :00 Pune Warriors v Deccan Chargers Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium , Pune
36 April 27 20 :00 Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians Feroz Shah Kotla , Delhi
37 April 28 16 :00 Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab MA Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
38 April 28 20 :00 Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore Eden Gardens , Kolkata
39 April 29 16 :00 Delhi Daredevils v Rajasthan Royals Feroz Shah Kotla , Delhi
40 April 29 20 :00 Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers Wankhede Stadium , Mumbai
41 April 30 20 :00 Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders MA Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
42 May 1 16 :00 Deccan Chargers v Pune Warriors Barabati Stadium , Cuttack
43 May 1 20 :00 Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils Sawai Mansingh Stadium , Jaipur
44 May 2 20 :00 Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kings XI Punjab M Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore
45 May 3 20 :00 Pune Warriors v Mumbai Indians Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium , Pune
46 May 4 20 :00 Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers MA Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
47 May 5 16 :00 Kolkata Knight Riders v Pune Warriors Eden Gardens , Kolkata
48 May 5 20 :00 Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals Punjab Cricket Association Stadium , Chandigarh
49 May 6 16 :00 Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings Wankhede Stadium , Mumbai
50 May 6 20 :00 Royal Challengers Bangalore v Deccan Chargers M Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore
51 May 7 20 :00 Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders Feroz Shah Kotla , Delhi
52 May 8 16 :00 Pune Warriors v Rajasthan Royals Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium , Pune
53 May 8 20 :00 Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium , Hyderabad
54 May 9 20 :00 Mumbai Indians v Royal Challengers Bangalore Wankhede Stadium , Mumbai
55 May 10 16 :00 Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium , Uppal , Hyderabad
56 May 10 20 :00 Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings Sawai Mansingh Stadium , Jaipur
57 May 11 20 :00 Pune Warriors v Royal Challengers Bangalore Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium , Pune
58 May 12 16 :00 Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians Eden Gardens , Kolkata
59 May 12 20 :00 Chennai Super Kings v Delhi Daredevils MA Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
60 May 13 16 :00 Rajasthan Royals v Pune Warriors Sawai Mansingh Stadium , Jaipur
61 May 13 20 :00 Kings XI Punjab v Deccan Chargers Punjab Cricket Association Stadium , Chandigarh
62 May 14 16 :00 Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians M Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore
63 May 14 20 :00 Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings Eden Gardens , Kolkata
64 May 15 20 :00 Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab Feroz Shah Kotla , Delhi
65 May 16 20 :00 Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders Wankhede Stadium , Mumbai
66 May 17 16 :00 Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium , Dharamsala
67 May 17 20 :00 Delhi Daredevils v Royal Challengers Bangalore Feroz Shah Kotla , Delhi
68 May 18 20 :00 Deccan Chargers v Rajasthan Royals Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium , Uppal , Hyderabad
69 May 19 16 :00 Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium , Dharamsala
70 May 19 20 :00 Pune Warriors v Kolkata Knight Riders Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium , Pune
71 May 20 16 :00 Deccan Chargers v Royal Challengers Bangalore Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium , Uppal , Hyderabad
72 May 20 20 :00 Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians Sawai Mansingh Stadium , Jaipur
73 May 22 20 :00 Qualifier 1 – TBC v TBC ( 1st v 2nd ) Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium , Pune
74 May 23 20 :00 Eliminator – TBC v TBC ( 3rd v 4th ) M Chinnaswamy Stadium , Bangalore
75 May 25 20 :00 Qualifier 2 – TBC v TBC ( Winner Eliminator v Loser Qualifier 1 ) MA Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai
76 May 27 20 :00 Final – TBC v TBC MA Chidambaram Stadium , Chennai.
Hope these informations will useful to you.

Brock Lesnar returns to WWE, but what does he want this time

2012-04-06T00:19:00.004-07:00

Brock Lesnar's shocking return on Raw SuperShow generated a wide range of reactions from the Miami crowd. Some members of the WWE Universe chanted his name and imitated his signature entrance motions. Others dropped their jaws and were in complete and utter shock.

Brock's back, baby. And he's left some huge questions to answer.

For starters: Why is he back in WWE? Why has he targeted John Cena?
The leader of the Cenation had invited The Rock out to the ring at the close of Raw, not looking to pick another fight but to congratulate him for his victory at WrestleMania XXVIII. Before he could even get a response from The Great One, Lesnar's music reverberated throughout the AmericanAirlines Arena. In one venomous instant, Brock turned a handshake offering into a devastating F5 that immediately changed the entire landscape of WWE.

Lesnar, a three-time WWE Champion, hadn't entered a WWE ring since WrestleMania XX on March 14, 2004. Now, eight years later, he came back to brutalize one of WWE's most legendary Superstars, a man who was already coming off an agonizingly close defeat on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
What kind of message is Brock trying to send Cena and the entire WWE Universe by punishing the Cenation leader? We can only speculate at this point, but there's no denying these two have a heated and tumultuous history. In early 2003, when Cena was first trying to climb the Superstar ranks, he sought Lesnar's WWE Championship and even mocked his finishing maneuver the very move that crushed him on Monday night.
Is Lesnar back to prove a point to Cena? Or is he just on an uncontrollable rampage?
Only one thing seems certain right now: Brock Lesnar has rocked WWE once again and he sure looks hungry for pain.

The Messis and Ronaldos of 1912

2012-03-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

Football a hundred years ago was very different to the sport we watch today; beamed around the world, captivating millions. There were similarities though, and one of the most notable was the presence of iconic individuals, famed and beloved by the fans of the era.

So who were the Lionel Messis and Cristiano Ronaldos of 1912?

Manchester’s miners and marvels
Britain, as the birthplace of the game, had a thriving professional scene by the early stages of the 20th century and was already producing players of great renown. In England, where the FA Cup had been running for over 40 years, 1912 began – just as 2012 has – with Manchester United as champions.

record in the process.

Their captain in those days was Charlie Roberts, a strong, speedy and skilful centre-half who served the Red Devils and England with distinction, leading United to the first two of their record 19 league titles. He was also known as something of a rebel, having been instrumental in forming the players’ trade union in 1907 and in openly flouting FA rules by wearing his shorts above the knee. Such disregard for authority did not,

however, dissuade Oldham Athletic from paying £1,500 for his services in 1913, setting a new transfer

Roberts might have been commanding big money, but even he struggled to compete in the superstar stakes with a team-mate and fellow founder member of the players’ union. Billy Meredith was United’s Welsh wizard long before Ryan Giggs ever strutted his stuff at Old Trafford, and he also had the rare distinction of being adored on both sides of the Manchester divide. Yet amazing as it may now seem, this gifted outside-right turned down professional terms with City to sign as an amateur, in order that he could return home to the Welsh mining village of Chick and continue to work in the coal pit, a job he had held since the age of 12.

Meredith's second match for City, in November 1894, happened to be the first-ever Manchester derby – and he marked the occasion in style, scoring twice in a 5-2 win for City. A couple of months later, Meredith finally succumbed to the temptations of professionalism and quickly became a star of the English game, finishing top scorer in his first season at the club. By the time City won the FA Cup, the club’s first major honour, in 1904, Meredith was captain. Within two years, however, he had made the switch to United, and though 38 by the time 1912 came around, his skill and trickery remained crucial to the then English champions.

Indeed, Meredith – famed for playing with a toothpick in his mouth – went on to play a further nine years at United before returning to City to wind down his career, making his final appearance at the age of 49 years and 245 days to set an FA Cup record that stands to this day.

Groundbreaking goalscorers
Another record-breaker of that time was Vivian Woodward. A star centre-forward for Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, the Londoner scored 29 times in just 23 appearances for England, setting a benchmark that took 47 years to surpass. Woodword was also captain of the victorious Great Britain teams at the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Football Tournaments before his top-level career was ended by a wound he picked up while serving in the First World War.

These, of course, were the days long before overseas imports became the norm in Europe’s top leagues, but that didn’t stop one foreigner from making his mark in England. Nils Middelboe was the scorer of Denmark’s first-ever goal in international football, and he went on to represent his country in the 1908, 1912 and 1920 Olympics, winning silver in the first two. However, the 6ft 2ins centre-forward –nicknamed ‘The Great Dane’ - also made history by becoming the first foreigner to represent and captain Chelsea, although he also insisted on playing football part-time while, in his case, working in a London bank.

North of the border, Jimmy Quinn was the darling of the Celtic and Scotland support of that era. A rampaging centre-forward, Quinn scored 216 goals in 331 appearances for the Bhoys, including a hat-trick against Rangers in the 1904 Scottish Cup final, and was similarly prolific for the national team, famously inspiring a 2-0 win over England that led to him being hailed as the best player in Britain. Willie Maley, his manager, lauded him as “the keystone in the greatest team Celtic ever had."

With the first FIFA World Cup™ still 18 years away, the Olympics provided the greatest international stage of the time, and it was at the 1912 games that German Gottfried Fuchs became an overnight sensation. The tall striker, a German champion with Karlsruher in 1910, finished top scorer in Stockholm with ten goals. What was truly remarkable about the achievement was that all ten were scored in a single match – Germany’s 16-0 thrashing of Russia. Fuchs retired with an average 2.17 goals per match from his six international appearances, a scoring ratio unmatched by any German before or since.

Stars emerge in Spain, Brazil
While Fuchs dazzled in Stockholm, two of Spanish football’s most prolific goalscorers were just starting out in their careers. Last month,It was marked the 100th anniversary of Paulino Alcantara’s legendary Barcelona debut, which he marked with a hat-trick at the tender age of 15. The Filipino frontman would go on to score 357 goals for the Catalans, and it is only because some of these came in friendlies that Messi was able to claim the club’s scoring record earlier this week.

Around the same time as Alcantara was exploding on to the scene at Barça, Athletic Bilbao were bringing through a young striker by the name of Rafael Moreno Aranzadi. He would become better known by his moniker, ‘Pichichi’, which - due to Aranzadi’s incredible scoring feats – is the name by which Spain’s top scorer prize is known to this day. Renowned as a complete striker – dominant in the air, with a powerful shot and elusive dribbling skills – he averaged more than a goal per game for Athletic, and later inspired Spain to reach the final of the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. Tragically, Pichichi passed away at the age of just 29 from typhus, although his legend lives on at Athletic’s San Mames stadium and throughout Spain.

Another all-time great from this era who amassed more goals than appearances is the Hungarian, Imre Schlosser. A national hero long before the likes of Ferenc Puskas came along, this prolific forward scored over 400 times during spells with Ferencvaros and MTK Hungaria, as well as finding the net on 59 occasions during a 20-year international career.

Though such footballing superstars were to be found throughout Europe by this stage, the game was still a developing force in South America and elsewhere in 1912. Indeed, it would be another two years before Brazil would play their first international match. Nonetheless, one of A Seleção’s first stars was already making a name for himself at club level, and was breaking down barriers in the process. Arthur Friedenreich was, after all, the country’s first-ever black professional player, and he went on to become its first football icon too, winning two Copa Americas and being feted as ‘The King of Football’ during a tour of Europe in 1925.

And though Friedenreich, like all these latter-day legends, never enjoyed the same worldwide status as their modern equivalents, their contribution to the game’s early development was vital in making football the game we all know and love.

2012-03-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

WWE WrestleMania 28 Matches for April 1, 2012

Randy Orton vs Kane.
Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres.
Team Teddy Long vs Team John Laurinaitis.
Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes vs Big Show.
WWE Champion CM Punk vs Chris Jericho.
World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus.
The Undertaker vs Triple-H (Hell in a Cell Match).
The Rock vs John Cena.
Other matches will be announced soon. Keep visiting Wrestling Valley to get latest updates on upcoming PPV “WrestleMania 28″. The show will take place on April 1, 2012 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. As always Wrestling Valley will provide you live results of “WrestleMania XXVIII” on April 1, 2012.

WrestleMania 28

Team Teddy Long vs Team John Laurinaitis

Team Teddy Long (Santino Marella, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston and rest participants will be announced soon) vs Team John Laurinaitis (David Otunga, Mark Henry, Christian, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, and rest participants will be announced soon) in a 12-Man Tag Team Match (The winner will run both shows). If Team Teddy wins then he will run both shows (Raw and Smackdown) else John Laurinitius.

WrestleMania 28

Randy Orton vs Kane

The Legend Killer Randy Orton will face Kane at upcoming PPV “WrestleMania 28″.

WrestleMania 28

Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres

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Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos will face Divas Champion Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres in a tag team match at upcoming PPV “WrestleMania 28″.

Cody Rhodes vs Big Show

Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes will defend his title against Big Show at upcoming PPV “WrestleMania 28″.

WrestleMania 28

CM Punk vs Chris Jericho

WWE Champion CM Punk will defend his title against Chris Jericho at upcoming PPV “WrestleMania 28″.

Triple-H vs The Undertaker

The Undertaker will defend his streak against Triple-H in a Hell in a Cell match with special guest referee Shawn Michaels at upcoming PPV “WrestleMania 28″.

Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus

World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan will defend his title against Royal Rumble 2012 winner Sheamus at upcoming PPV “WrestleMania 28″.

The Rock vs John Cena

The Rock will face John Cena at WrestleMania 28.

Sony Japan announces ICS for tablets in late April, WiFi-only Tablet P April 21st

2012-03-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

Owners of Sony's Tablet S and Tablet P can look forward to receiving Android 4.0.3 next month, at least in Japan. Beyond the latest and greatest Google-provided underpinnings, the update will also expand their photo capabilities with activation from the lock screen and the ability to take panoramic pictures, plus a new "Recopla" app for viewing DVR'd TV programs from its Blu-ray recorders. They'll also have an enhanced "Small Apps" feature that lets users multitask more efficiently, pulling up a windowed web browser, calculator or remote control app. Finally, if the only thing keeping you from the dual-screen Tablet P was its 3G radio and associated data plans, Sony has also announced a WiFi-only version due April 21st with optional color panels for 50,000 yen ($600 US). There's no word yet on hardware or software availability over here, or further details on Ice Cream Sandwich for the Xperia line

Apple's new iPhone will use bigger 4.6-inch display

2012-03-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

Apple Inc's new iPhone will have a sharper and bigger 4.6-inch "retina" display and is set to be launched around the second quarter, a South Korean media reported on Thursday.

Sales of the iPhone, first introduced in 2007 with the touch screen template now adopted by its rivals, account for around half Apple's total sales.
Apple has decided on the bigger 4.6-inch display for its next iPhone and started placing orders to its suppliers, the Maeil Business Newspaper said, quoting an unnamed industry source.
Its major display suppliers LG Display and Samsung Electronics Co declined to comment.
Samsung, which is also the biggest challenger to Apple in smartphones, uses 4.6-inch OLED display for its flagship Galaxy S II smartphone, introduced in April last year.
The high-definition "retina" display - containing several times as many pixels within the same area - is used in the latest iPad released earlier this month.
The latest iPhone 4S was introduced in October last year.

The wonderful world of our hero Mario Balotelli our 6 favourite Mario Stories

2012-03-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Mario has taken over our lives at 1FITG Towers. We can’t stop thinking of him, wondering what is he doing RIGHT NOW.
That lead us to our favourite Super Mario Balotelli moments. Here is our list – what are we missing? Spoof (funny) stories welcome too….
1. What do you do when you’ve got a day off and a younger family member to entertain? Go to a womens prison of course! Mario drove his Mercedes Coupe into a women’s prison in Manchester, the officer explained that the pair were questioned for half an hour and said they were “specially curious at the fact it was a women’s prison”.
2. When a youngster asked for an autograph outside City’s training ground, Balotelli demanded to know why the boy was playing truant. After the child revealed he was being bullied, Balotelli drove the boy and his mother to the school in question so he could tackle the bully himself. He demanded to see the headmaster to make him aware of the issue and then mediated between the two boys to resolve the issue. A source said: “Mario feels strongly aboutbullying.”
3. Since moving to Manchester, Balotelli has racked up £10,000 in parking fines and had his white Maserati impounded 27 times. Once he was pulled over by the police who wanted to enquire why he had £25,000 in cash on his front seat. Balotelli reorted: “Because I can.”
4. After gambling at Manchester’s 235 Casino, Balotelli walked away with winnings of £25,000. Feeling generous, he gave a homeless man ‘with ginger dreadlocks and a beard’ £1,000.
5. When Mario spotted the prostitute Jenny Thompson, who was linked with Wayne Rooney, leaving the toilets of a restaurant, he chanted “Rooney, Rooney” before flicking a middle finger at her friends. He then offered to fight one of her entourage. Click here for the full story.At the same restaurant as the above incident a beautiful WAG wannabe walked in. Balotelli shouted ‘Hey!’ with food tumbling out of his mouth. The WAG went over and without saying a word, Balotelli handed her his phone so she could input her number. Plaaaaaaya
6. Mario’s mum over from Italy, asks the cleaner if she has everything she needs. Cleaner: “No, I need all the practical things – iron etc.” Mario’s mum: “Where can we go to buy these things? Write me a list and we’ll go and buy it all” Cleaner: “John Lewis.” So Mario’s ma sends him & his mates to John Lewis with a shopping list in hand…Mario returns to the house 5 hrs later…empty-handed. Cleaner: “Where’s the iron, iron-board etc?” Then a big John Lewis van arrives…van contains nothing from the shopping list bt the following ‘practical items’: – giant trampoline, Scalextric, 2 Vespas, table tennis set’

Facebook’s New News Feed Is Newsier than Ever

2012-03-14T00:05:00.001-07:00

Facebook's ever-churning redesign mill just spat out some freshly ground News Feed—now it knows when you signed on last, and lets you talk about how totally fat Jennifer's getting with friends in realtime via ticker. News, news, news! Essentially, the News Feed will now dish up photos, status messages, the like based on what you've already seen, instead of the usual chronological downpour. If it's been a few days since you've checked Facebook (WHAT?), relevant stories you missed (close friends, family, etc) will be shown and flagged with a blue corner. If you're a habitual Facebooker, you'll just get the most recent stuff in order. It's a rational system that should help you wade through the inexorable crap flood of online stranger noise, and get straight to at least your fake friends.
There's also a more visually dramatic change to the page—a sidebar ticker. Facebook's been fiddling with what the hell to put there ever since they plopped the Facebook Chat bar to much bleating and dismay. Now Chat will share the space with a live-updating news stream, which you can use to hop into a conversation with your friends. Did someone post a funny of a cat launched out of a cannon? Are your best pals talking about how funny it is? You'll see them doing it, and can easily jump in. At least that's how it's supposed to work. The updates are rolling out today, so we'll be able to see whether Facebook's nailed this particular update, or totally botched it.

Long Mario is long: early Super Mario 3D Land concepts that didn't make it

2012-03-08T02:54:00.002-08:00

Super Mario 3D Land director Koichi Hayashida opened his GDC talk with some concepts that didn't make it into the final game. They were ... wacky. The ideas included a "Huge Mario," who is so huge that you can only see the bottom half of his body on the screen, and a long Mario: "He has long arms and long legs, sort of scary," Hayashi said, in English. "I'd like to give this idea to Luigi's Mansion 2 team."

Hayashida also showed simple animated drawings of a "Pro Skater Mario" riding a Koopa shell on a half pipe, and a cockroach that would appear on the top screen, forcing you to quickly shut the 3DS to crush it. And finally, "You can change Peach's face ... to your girlfriend's face!"

He then asked what we expected to see in a 2012 Mario game, showing some of these concepts again. "If you are here today, please don't write 'the new Mario game will be pro skater Mario with cockroaches!'" Hayashida quickly interjected. "We might get in trouble."

The Biggest Gaming Carnival in India!

2012-02-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

The Biggest Gaming Carnival in India!

In an incredible oppurtunity for the gamers from across the globe, WTF Eventz brings first of it’s kind Games Carnival in India and unites the national and international gamers to play together. This flagship 3-day extravaganza that starts from April 6th, 2012 will be palyed at the glittering 22 acres of posh Ayati Hotel in Greater Noida, Delhi, which has become quite famous after the successful completion of F1.

The 3-day carnival will house all the latest digital and online games of 2011 including Need for Speed, Counter-Strike, FIFA, Tekken, DOTA, COD, Poler, Angry Bird and more!
Indians are too witnessing a change from the outdoor sports to virtual games. people are spending more time on virtual space and competing against the world. However there has been lack of platform where the minds can exchange ideas to bring the virtual sports to mainstream. The platform therefore will unite the gaming circuit in an incredible way and will witness the greatest game developers from across the world to bid farewell to Late Steve Jobs, founder and CEO Apple Inc.
Announcing the dates for the flagship carnival, Mr. Kushagra.Director,WTF Eventz Pvt Ltd. said “The motive behind IGC is to expose Indian gaming experience. The online gaming has now become a buzz and people here are showing interest in this new age gaming. This will provide a platform for gamers, dealers and youngsters to share ideas under one roof. We are inviting them to play, feel and win!”

Highlights of IGC

Open to players from across the country.
Latest gaming facility – free transport from nearest noddle point.
Facility to play with over 15000 gamers. Age no bar!
Games for every age. From motion gaming to legend gaming.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor will supposedly Next Xbox to play Blu-rays, block used games

2012-01-30T07:04:00.000-08:00

Speculation over the next generation of consoles--specifically Microsoft's Next Xbox--has spread like fire as of late. The latest hearsay suggests the processing chip for Microsoft next console is already in production, with debug kits available to game studios as soon as April. Now, new light has been shed on Microsoft's Next Xbox, the latest word suggesting it could play Blu-ray discs, block users from playing used games, and introduce the Kinect 2.

Microsoft is taking a stand against used games with its next console, says a source.

According to "games industry sources" speaking with Kotaku, the Next Xbox will use Blu-ray as its disc technology, an upgrade from the DVD drive the Xbox 360 currently sports. Sony's PlayStation 3 supports Blu-Ray, and it has since it was first launched in 2006. Blu-ray disc capacity is significantly greater than that of DVD.
Additionally, a "reliable industry source" tells Kotaku that Microsoft's Next Xbox may incorporate a system that blocks gamers from playing used titles. Further details concerning the implementation of such a system were not offered.
Further, a source familiar with Microsoft's plans told the blog that the company will ship the Next Xbox with an updated version of the full-body gesture-recognition technology Kinect. According to Kotaku's source, this new iteration of the Kinect will contain an onboard processor for greater motion detection, a feature that was supposedly considered for the first Kinect.
Lastly, the gaming blog reports that Microsoft is "interested" in creating a smaller controller for the Next Xbox. Further details on this controller were not made available.
A Microsoft spokesperson told GameSpot, "As an innovator, we're always thinking about what is next and how we can push the boundaries of technology like we did with Kinect. We believe the key to extending the lifespan of a console is not just about the console hardware, but about the games and entertainment experiences being delivered to consumers. Beyond that, we don't comment on rumors or speculation."
The Xbox 360 is Microsoft's second home console, following the original Xbox. The Xbox 360 was released in North America in November 2005 and has gone on to sell 66 million units worldwide. The Kinect has shipped 18 million units worldwide since it was launched during the holiday 2010 season.

World's shortest man is a Filipino

2012-01-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

A poor Filipino blacksmith's son who stands less than 2 feet (60 centimeters) tall was declared the world's shortest man by Guinness World Records on his 18th birthday Sunday, sparking a celebration in his hometown. The previous title holder is Khagendra Thapa Magar from Nepal who measures 26.4 inches (67.06 cm), being 2.9 inches (7.36 cm) taller.

A woman uses a mobile phone to take a picture with Junrey Balawing, the "World's Shortest Living Man" declared by the Guinness World Records in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte in southern Philippines. Balawing was certified by the Guinness World Records as the shortest man in the world with a standing and lying down average measurement of 23.5 inches (59.93 cm), on his 18th birthday on Sunday. REUTERS

Google Search Fully Blocked in China

2012-01-25T20:17:00.000-08:00

Acording to several reports and data from Google, the search engine is fully blocked in mainland China as of today.

emai Also fully blocked are ads and mobile access. Image search is partially blocked, as are Google Docs, Google News and Google Groups.
Other sites and apps that were previously and remain blocked include YouTube, search suggestions, Google Sites, Blogger and Picasa.
Google and China have been at odds since at least the beginning of this year, when a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” was conducted on Google’s corporate infrastructure; the attack originated in China. As a result, the search engine, which had been serving censored search results to comply with the demands of the Chinese government, announced it would no longer be modifying search results.
The company said it would even be willing to pull out of China altogether if search results were to be censored.

However tense relations were between the company and the country, negotiations continued — even past the point where some felt that Google’s stand for freedom of information had been compromised. Our Ben Parr wrote in March:

After Google was hacked, it was put in between a rock and a hard place. Its actions, while still bold, will not change how things are done in China. Its indecisiveness with how to proceed has made the pressure on China all but evaporate.

Earlier this month, we were told that China and Google had reached a satisfactory conclusion to the search-and-censorship negotiations; Chinese authorities had renewed Google’s Internet Content Provider (ICP) license after the company found a loophole which allowed them to display search results and also allowed China’s Golden Shield Project (a.k.a. the Great Firewall) to block those links at will.
Now, however, it seems China/Google relations have once again broken down.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt told press earlier this month, “Our operations in China are completely at the discretion of the Chinese government. I don’t want anyone to be confused about that.”
The only confusion we at Mashable have surrounds questions of timing: Why now? What new developments have caused China to change its position on Google?
As Google continues to lose market share in China to competitor Baidu, we’re sure a few Googlers are wondering the same thing. We’ve reached out to the company for comment and will update this post as more details become available.
UPDATE: A Google spokesperson has told us, “Because of the way we measure accessibility in China, it’s possible that our machines could overestimate the level of blockage. That seems to be what happened last night when there was a relatively small blockage. It appears now that users in China are accessing our properties normally.”
Let’s hope Google and China maintain this rather tenuous status quo. YouTube, search suggestions, Google Sites, Blogger and Picasa are still fully blocked, and other services and features are partially blocked.

Dalglish surprised by ´fantastic´ Downing

2012-01-20T22:24:00.001-08:00

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has defended Stewart Downing, insisting the England international is a better player than he first thought.
Downing has come in for criticism in some quarters since his move to Anfield from Aston Villa over the summer, having scored just one goal for the club in an FA Cup victory over Oldham.
But Dalglish has used the midfielder 24 times in all competitions, and suggested Downing – naturally a wide midfielder – has had life on Merseyside made more difficult for him by the team’s need for him to play in a number of different positions.
“Stewart is a fantastic footballer, an England international, who made a big move in the summer to come here,” Dalglish said.
“For me, he’s better than I thought he was going to be.”
“I don’t think it’s been too comfortable for him because we’ve played him in two or three different positions. Maybe we have to look at ourselves and say we have to be fair as well.”
“But he’s better than I thought he was. He’s a better footballer – he’s also quicker than I thought.”
Downing is available for Liverpool as they take on Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday, with a win potentially enough to see Dalglish’s side move into the top five.

Resident Evil 6 dated for November 20

2012-01-20T00:51:00.000-08:00

The writing's been on the wall for a new flagship installment in Capcom's Resident Evil franchise for some time now, and today, the publisher pulled the trigger on that announcement. Resident Evil 6 will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 20.

Resident Evil 6 will feature a split plotline, though bioterrorism remains the motif. In the US, Leon S. Kennedy joins the president of the United States 10 years after the events that defined Raccoon City, ostensibly to offer the truth on what actually happened there. However, in the midst of this revelation, bioterrorists attack, converting the president into a lurching undead.
On the other side of the world, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance member Chris Redfield touches down in China, which is in the midst of its own bioterrorism outbreak. Resident Evil 6 will be the first installment in the franchise to feature both Redfield and Kennedy, and Capcom noted that new characters will also be introduced in the game.
Development on Resident Evil 6 is being led by Hiroyuki Kobayashi. The developer has previously received producer credits for a number of Capcom's titles, including Resident Evil 4, Killer7, and Dragon's Dogma.

GRAND THEFT AUTO V Official Announcement

2012-01-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

On 25 October 2011, Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto V via their Twitter account, which included the #GTAV hashtag and a link to their homepage, which displayed the game's logo. The 'V' in the logo is styled like a bank note. A message was printed below the logo stating that a trailer would be released on 2 November 2011. The following day Rockstar put a Grand Theft Auto V trailer countdown on their homepage.Shares of Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, jumped seven percent following the revelation that Grand Theft Auto V is in development.

On 26 October 2011, video game website Kotaku claimed that it had been told that rumours about Rockstar being set to make a switch to reality by recreating real-world Los Angeles for GTA V "are true" by "a source familiar with the game". Kotaku said that GTA V will be set in "some version of L.A."
On 2 November 2011, Rockstar released the debut trailer for Grand Theft Auto V.Giving fans a first look at the upcoming title, the trailer revealed the setting to be Los Santos, the fictional version of Los Angeles and its California surroundings, including Hollywood ("Vinewood") and rural hills and valleys. Additional features revealed in the trailer included golf, planes, jetskis, and a working gym. The song used in the trailer is "Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake" by the British band The Small Faces.

On 3 November 2011, Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto V was in full development and that it would take place within Los Santos and its "surrounding hills, countryside and beaches", and that it would be "the largest and the most ambitious game Rockstar has yet created", with Sam Houser describing it as a "radical reinvention of the Grand Theft Auto universe".A version of Los Santos was previously featured in 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, along with two other cities that were part of that rendition of the state of San Andreas (Las Venturas and San Fierro, based on Las Vegas and San Francisco, respectively). Rockstar parent Take-Two called GTA V "a bold new direction in open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online multiplayer," while confirming that its story will focus on "the pursuit of the almighty dollar in a re-imagined, present-day Southern California." No release date or platforms were provided in the announcement.
On 8 November 2011, Take-Two's second quarter financial earnings report included an update on future product launch dates, with the newest game to be added to the list was GTA V, which carried a "TBA" release. Rockstar North have most recently begun accepting applications for Game Testers in Grand Theft Auto V, as reported 7 January 2012.

60 apps launch with Facebook auto-share

2012-01-19T01:03:00.000-08:00

Nike's fitness app was among the 60 launch partners for the new Facebook features.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Facebook is now letting all developers make apps that can automatically publish to profiles
The system will try to guess the importance of an app based on past activity
Facebook Music was a precursor to these new features

San Francisco (CNN) -- Joining "likes" on Facebook, the social network has added dozens of new types of posts, including "bought," "read" and "want."
Sixty applications that let users publish information automatically to Facebook launched at a news conference held at a trendy nightclub here on Wednesday. Many of these are new versions of existing online services or mobile apps.
Apps for foodies, like Foodspotting and Foodily, can publish to a user's Facebook profile when she updates her digital diary of meals. Ticketmaster can publish to Facebook when customers buy concert tickets.
Like with Facebook Music, the social network may create monthly personalized reports that are posted to a person's profile showing how the app was used at any given time. For example, someone could see the places a friend traveled to last summer, thanks to TripAdvisor.
Since the launch of Facebook Music in September, participants such as MOG and Spotify have reported large increases in membership. Some 400,000 people coming from Facebook have signed up for MOG accounts since September, and each day, Facebook sends an average of 4,000 people who have never visited MOG before, David Hyman, the music company's CEO, said in a phone interview.
"The platform itself is the biggest traffic generator we've ever had," Hyman said. "It is very significant."
Facebook programmers have created a mathematical algorithm that will examine the types of posts a person has chosen to give prominent placement to on his or her profile, Facebook CTO Bret Taylor said in an interview.
Whether food, movies or exercises logged into Facebook, the site will try to predict what you're most passionate about based on past choices, similar to how the system determines its news feed based partly on the people you contact most often, Taylor said. Each user will be able to manually override these profile placements, he said.
"People care a lot about the way their profile looks," Taylor said.
These features are only available to those who have enabled the Facebook Timeline, which opened to everyone about a month ago. Eventually, every user will be required to use that version of the site profile.
Taylor described the new app features as part of a maturation of Facebook, which goes beyond the initial perspective of its co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who coded the website in his sophomore year at Harvard University. Zuckerberg, who is now Facebook's CEO, did not attend the event Wednesday.
"Previously, the profile was all the things Mark Zuckerberg was interested in in college," Taylor said. "You know, movies, music and books."
(Zuckerberg, 27, only lists one book on his Facebook profile: Ender's Game, which came out the year after he was born.)
Facebook will review each new action, as it's called, that's proposed by developers in order to screen for profanity or other unwanted words, Mike Vernal, the company's platform engineering director, said in an interview. Software developers will be able to create an unlimited number of these actions, he said.
That would be useful for something like iTunes, which allows users to "listen," "watch" and "buy" things, although Apple is not participating in the program. A spokesman didn't respond to a request for comment.
Despite some early opposition, Facebook wants to encourage all developers to adopt the new tools.
"We've got a whole new set, a whole new class, of applications that we think we're enabling with this platform," Carl Sjogreen, a Facebook product director, said onstage during the announcement. "When we say anything, we really mean anything."
In characteristic Facebook ambition, Sjogreen added, "We're even more excited about the thousands of apps to come."

David Beckham signs for 2 more years with L.A. Galaxy

2012-01-19T01:01:00.001-08:00

David Beckham has re-signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy after the best season of his five-year MLS career.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

David Beckham's 2011 season was best of his five-year MLS career
He helped lead club to its first championship since 2005
He says he's "committed as ever" to growing soccer in the United States

Star soccer player David Beckham has re-signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy, extending his stay with the team for another two years, the Major League Soccer team announced Wednesday.
Beckham, 36, known just as much for being an international sex symbol as a soccer player, had the best season of his five-year MLS career in 2011, helping lead the club to its first championship since 2005.
"I've seen firsthand how popular soccer is now in the States and I'm as committed as ever to growing the game here," Beckham said about the deal. "My family and I are incredibly happy and settled in America and we look forward to spending many more years here."
Despite "many offers from clubs from around the world," the former England captain said he is still passionate about playing in the United States.
"David had many options and we are pleased he felt comfortable, not only with our organization but also with Los Angeles, and will remain an important part of our club, our AEG family and our city," Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG, said in a statement.
The two-time MLS all-star Beckham has tallied 31 assists and 11 goals for the Galaxy in 74 games. He had a league best four postseason assists last year.
"I felt that he was one of the best players in all of MLS last season and we could not have achieved the success that we did without him," said Bruce Arena, Galaxy general manager and head coach. "We look forward to trying to replicate that success this season with David once again in a Galaxy uniform."
Before joining the Galaxy midseason in 2007, Beckham played for Real Madrid in the Spanish Premiere League, where he was one of soccer's most recognizable faces. He is credited with increasing the sport's popularity in the United States and around the world. A 2002 feature length film entitled "Bend it Like Beckham" paid homage to the midfielder's impressive corner kick.
"We have made great progress over the past five years in raising the profile of soccer domestically and the MLS on a worldwide stage, and we are encouraged by all the results," said Simon Fuller, Beckham's business partner and manager. "[T]his new deal confirms our commitment to continuing our journey and making sure the world's biggest sport, soccer, continues to grow in the world's most passionate sports-loving nation, the USA," he said.
In the five years since Beckham's arrival to the stateside club, the MLS has experienced "exponential growth," increasing from 12 teams in 2006 to 19 teams this season, with average attendance rising to 17,872, a statement from the Galaxy said.

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2012-01-19T00:51:00.000-08:00

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