Microsoft puts a price on carbon, says its footprint will be neutral by July

We've seen quite a few tech companies boast about their environmental efforts in recent years, and it looks like you can now also add Microsoft to the list of those attempting to be carbon neutral. As you might expect, while that includes some alternative energy efforts and energy-saving measures, it also makes use of a carbon offset program to make up the difference, which will see Microsoft put money into an internal fund for emissions it's not able to offset through other means. That means Microsoft will be able to declare itself carbon neutral fairly soon -- by the start of the 2013 fiscal year, to be specific, which actually begins this July. You can find additional details on the initiative in the company's blog post on the subject, and yet more in the white paper linked below.

Microsoft puts a price on carbon, says its footprint will be neutral by July originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 01:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Official Microsoft Blog, Microsoft white paper (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

thanksgiving recipes thanksgiving recipes mashed potato recipe mashed potato recipe cranberry sauce oregon usc la auto show

Machines Shouldn?t Grade Student Writing?Yet

Why? Though ETS?s E-Rater proved adept at scoring so-called ?naked? essays based only on personal opinion, it couldn?t reliably handle questions that required students to demonstrate knowledge from the curriculum. State testing officials tried making lists of keywords the software could scan for: in history, for example, ?Queen Isabella,? ?Columbus,? and ?1492.? But the program didn?t understand the relationship between those items, and so would have given full credit to a sentence like, ?Queen Isabella sailed 1,492 ships to Columbus, Ohio.? Cost and time savings never materialized, because most tests also had to be looked at by human graders.

pregnant jessica simpson international womens day joe the plumber lra lra eric johnson eric johnson

John Travolta Denies Masseuse's Sexual Assault Claims

'This lawsuit is a complete fiction and fabrication,' a rep for Travolta tells People.
By Kara Warner

John Travolta
Photo: Jesse Grant/ WireImage

An anonymous plaintiff has filed a $2 million lawsuit against John Travolta, alleging that the "Old Dogs" star assaulted and sexually harassed him after he was hired to massage the actor.

Unsurprisingly, a rep for Travolta has shot down the allegations via a statement issued to People magazine, in which the rep strongly denied all claims made by the anonymous man, known only as John Doe via his court filing.

"This lawsuit is a complete fiction and fabrication," Travolta's rep said. "None of the events claimed in the suit ever occurred. The plaintiff, who refuses to give their name, knows that the suit is a baseless lie. It is for that reason that the plaintiff hasn't been identified with a name even though it is required to do so.

"On the date when plaintiff claims John met him, John was not in California and it can be proved that he was on the East Coast," the statement continued. "[The] plaintiff's attorney has filed this suit to try and get his 15 minutes of fame. John intends to get this case thrown out and then he will sue the attorney and plaintiff for malicious prosecution."

The plaintiff's lengthy 14-page suit, which was filed Friday in California's U.S. District Court, charges 58-year-old Travolta with assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that among other salacious activities, Travolta exposed himself and groped the masseur despite protests during a massage performed in Los Angeles in January 2011.

8 bit google maps kids choice awards 2012 micah true kansas vs ohio state winning mega million numbers bruce weber boston globe

Samsung, Qualcomm start up Alliance for Wireless Power to take on Qi

Wireless power has until now been closely associated with the Wireless Power Consortium's Qi standard. There's now a second proposed common ground in the Alliance for Wireless Power, or A4WP. Samsung and Qualcomm, along with some help from Powermat, SK Telecom, Ever Win Industries, Gill Industries and Peiker Acustic, are making an alternative that allows for "spatial freedom" between your gadget and the charging source, although whether or not that's better than the 1.6-inch distance of the updated Qi spec is left to the imagination. The strategy doesn't just let your device avoid French kissing the charger: it lets you power up through a material besides a metal plate, and it reduces the cost by eliminating repeaters. A4WP should power everything from low-power headsets through to smartphones and tablets, although with partnership talk just getting started at CTIA Wireless 2012, we wouldn't hold off on buying wired-power gadgets in the near future.

Continue reading Samsung, Qualcomm start up Alliance for Wireless Power to take on Qi

Samsung, Qualcomm start up Alliance for Wireless Power to take on Qi originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 04:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Alliance for Wireless Power  | Email this | Comments

2012 ncaa tournament bracket matterhorn chris harrison girl scouts printable bracket army wives khan academy

Microsoft officially offering Xbox 360 4GB console for $99, two-year Live Gold subscription required

Whoa, Nelly! As rumored, Microsoft is indeed shattering the home console pricing paradigm by trying something that US wireless carriers have been doing for years. As of now, the official Microsoft Store is hosting up a coupon that'll enable prospective Xbox buyers to snag a 4GB console bundle for just $99 (a $200 savings versus the outright unit)... so long as you agree to pay $14.99 per month for two solid years. That monthly fee -- which amounts to some $360 over the 24 month term -- gets you on the Xbox Live network with a Gold subscription, but remember, Microsoft's maintaining the ability to "terminate this offer at any time." Looking to score one yourself? Hit the source link and visit that "Find a store" icon; hopefully there's a B&M Microsoft Store near your neck of the woods.

Update: In case you're curious, yes, early termination fees will apply if you cut out of your two-year deal early. It's a prorated affair, with users asked to pay less the longer they maintain the contract. Those who part ways after only a month will have to pay $250, while those who cancel with just a month remaining will owe $12. All told, someone buying this and keeping true to the contract terms will pay $459 for the bundle and Live access, whereas those buying outright could snag it for $420 (or less, if scouring the web for cheaper Live subscriptions). The full ETF schedule is shown after the break.

Update II: Joystiq has confirmed that, for now, this is simply a pilot program. These machines will be sold only through the 16 US-based Microsoft Stores, and we can only assume the marketing and finance folks at the company will be watching reception like hawks.

Continue reading Microsoft officially offering Xbox 360 4GB console for $99, two-year Live Gold subscription required

Microsoft officially offering Xbox 360 4GB console for $99, two-year Live Gold subscription required originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  Microsoft, Contract Terms  | Email this | Comments

first day of spring mexico earthquake aziz ansari aziz ansari katherine jenkins peyton manning broncos mexico city earthquake

Rimac quells Concept_One doubters, shows its EV supercar's pedal to the metal (video)

O ye unfaithful, believe. For those of you who saw Rimac's preview of its Concept_One electric supercar and were skeptical of that claimed 2.8-second 0-62MPH time given all the leisurely putting around, the Croatian automaker has followed up with a video proving that this isn't your daddy's EV. It turns out that the 1,088HP-equivalent motor is quick enough to leave a lot of rubber on the tarmac, thank you -- both from a very enthusiastic start and from a healthy amount of drifting. This won't change the need to both drop $980,000 and get in quick on that 88-unit production run, but if you were worried that there wouldn't be a torch-bearer for high-speed EVs during the Tesla Roadster's hiatus, Rimac just put that anxiety to bed.

Continue reading Rimac quells Concept_One doubters, shows its EV supercar's pedal to the metal (video)

Rimac quells Concept_One doubters, shows its EV supercar's pedal to the metal (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

coachella 2012 dolly parton stephen colbert running for president richard threlkeld moonrise kingdom coachella lineup coachella 2012 lineup

This Augmented Reality Sand Box Is More Fun Than Anything You Had as a Kid [Video]

Technology is transforming the way kids play and learn. But this new sand box is a complete revelation: using Kinect to gather depth information it teaches kids about topography and can even simulate water without making a mess. More »

cleveland cavaliers cleveland cavaliers war horse k cups best buy we bought a zoo we bought a zoo