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Fantastic new one sheet (full size poster) released as part of the advance viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight. This hits theaters on July 18. Are you in line yet?
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Fantastic new one sheet (full size poster) released as part of the advance viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight. This hits theaters on July 18. Are you in line yet?
read more | digg story
Noticed anything new at your local Blockbuster? As the Dallas-based video chain rolls out Blu-ray Disc to nearly all it's stores, the number one renter of movies is looking for other ways to add value to the video store experience.Today's Dallas Morning News highlights a number of new concepts that may just be coming to a Blockbuster near you:
- Opening as early as 6 a.m. for members to rent movies before work
- Serving cappuccinos or fountain drinks
- Having video game play centers for games like Rock Band
- Free Wi-Fi in stores
photo credit: COURTNEY PERRY/Dallas Morning News
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Scientists say they have unlocked some of the secrets behind black holes, the gravitational fields known for sucking up light and stars from the Universe.In a report in the journal Nature, US researchers say they have worked out how black holes emit jet streams of particles at close to light speed.
The University of Boston team say the streams originate in the magnetic field near the edge of the black hole. They say it is within this region that the jets are accelerated and focused.
Despite the fact that it is probable that a black hole lurks at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, astronomers still know very little about these celestial monsters which vacuum up almost everything in their path, even light.
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TimesOnline- Surgeons have carried out the first operations in Britain using a pioneering “bionic eye” that could in future help to restore blind people’s sight. Two successful operations to implant the device into the eyes of two blind patients have been conducted at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.The device — the first of its kind — incorporates a video camera and transmitter mounted on a pair of glasses. This is linked to an artificial retina, which transmits moving images along the optic nerve to the brain and enables the patient to discriminate rudimentary images of motion, light and dark.
The operations were conducted as part of an international clinical trial of the technology, known as the Argus II retinal implant, which has already proved successful in restoring rudimentary vision to patients who have become blind because of common conditions such as age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. American researchers are hoping to develop a camera the size of a pea that could be implanted within the eyeball, replacing natural tissue with artificial technology.
Surgeons hope that the implant could be available to NHS patients within three to five years.
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Yesterday Netflix said it plans to impose a "modest" fee increase to rent Blu-ray discs. The rates would increase later this year which will be used to help offset rising costs as it expands its library to include more movies on the Blu-ray format.A lot of people are complaining about this, but it makes financial sense. The wholesale cost of Blu-ray Disc is about 27% higher than standard DVD, probably more than that when you consider the massive amount of DVDs Netflix must purchase directly from the studios at a discount. Whether you rent in a store or (legally) download them, HD movies cost more to buy or rent, generally at a 25% premium over standard def. It's simply a matter of fact that customers who want to watch HD media finance any company's expansion into that format.
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Holy Comic Book Crossover Batman! News from the New York Comic Con is that the Tony Stark character from the upcoming Iron Man film will appear in The Incredible Hulk film talking to General Ross.In the scene, Tony Stark walks in to a bar where Ross is and says "It smells like stale beer in here," Ross replies "You always have such nice suits." Tony continues "I hear you have a little problem" Ross goes on to say "You should talk" and Tony responds "You should listen."
Is that cool or what? And it appears that Stark will appear at the tail end of the Incredible Hulk trailer which will be in front of Iron Man!
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Not. This. Again. A German company, Einmal-DVD, has introduced a disposable DVD that can be viewed for 48 hours, then thrown away. The discs incorporate a self-destruct chemical coating to render them unreadable after the time period. The process begins as soon as the discs are removed from vacuum-sealed packaging.This is hardly a new idea, as five years ago here in the US, Flexplay (marketed as EZ-D) introduced pretty much the same thing. Never really getting beyond the test market phase, the concept never caught on with consumers. Before Flexplay, you may remember DIVX (not Divx-the codec) which was heavily promoted by Circuit City at the 1998 CES supposedly as a lower cost option to buying DVDs. The technology behind DIVX required a connected DIVX-equipped DVD player that would authorize playback of discs you already 'purchased.' After the initial 48 hour viewing period included in the $4.99 'purchase' price, subsequent disc viewings would be charged to your credit card. DIVX went under in 1999, leaving anyone who had bought into DIVX with a library of worthless, unplayable discs since 2001.
I don't see how Einmal-DVD can market essentially what amounts to Flexplay all over again, but unless German consumer sensibilities are different, the idea is doomed to failure as American consumers have spoken time and again on these weird limited-play versions of DVD.
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Although many theories have been postulated (wormholes, string theory, cosmic strings) as to how time travel would be possible, some scientists now state that time travel into the past is impossible.There are a handful of scenarios that theorists have suggested for how one might travel to the past, said Brian Greene, author of the bestseller, “The Elegant Universe” and a physicist at Columbia University.“And almost all of them, if you look at them closely, brush up right at the edge of physics as we understand it. Most of us think that almost all of them can be ruled out.”read more | digg story
Stan Lee, who will oversee Virgin Comics' new line of superheroes, says he has 'some exciting things in mind.'British tycoon Richard Branson is going into business with 85 year old Lee, the co-creator of Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Iron Man, Daredevil and dozens of other signature characters made famous by Marvel Comics.
Branson's upstart Virgin Comics will formally announce the deal with Lee at this weekend's New York Comic Con, where Lee is being honored as "a living legend" and is scheduled to receive the inaugural New York Comics Legend Award at an event at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square.
The new venture will have Lee as the editor overseeing a line of superhero comics that will launch next year with a tentpole title he is writing himself. That project -- the title of which remains under wraps -- will center on a superhero team that sounds similar to his classic work on the Avengers at Marvel. (Lee ended his exclusive relationship with Marvel in the 1990s but still has ties to the company and even has cameo roles in the upcoming Marvel films "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk.")
"It will be a team of 10 heroes and they will be dealing with personality conflicts, personal problems and chemistry within the team," Lee said in an interview this week. "I'm going to get started working on it right away and I'm very excited about doing something that will be fresh and breaking new ground. I can't give away the details or the names yet, but I have some exciting things in mind."
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NASA has extended the international Cassini-Huygens mission by two years. The unmanned Cassini-Huygens spacecraft entered orbit around Saturn in 2004 on a mission that was supposed to come to an end in July this year.The two-year mission extension will encompass some 60 extra orbits of Saturn and more flybys of its moons. These will include 26 flybys of Titan - its biggest moon - seven of Enceladus, and one each of Dione, Rhea and Helene.
Bob Mitchell, programme manager for Cassini-Huygens at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in California, commented: "The spacecraft is performing exceptionally well and the team is highly motivated, so we're excited at the prospect of another two years."
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The official title of the second X-Files movie was unveiled today as "The X-Files: I Want to Believe." For fans of the series, the title is a familiar phrase as it was the slogan on a poster UFO-obsessed agent Fox Mulder had hanging in the basement office where he and Dana Scully worked. "It's a natural title," Carter said in a telephone interview Tuesday during a break from editing the film."It's a story that involves the difficulties in mediating faith and science. `I Want to Believe.' It really does suggest Mulder's struggle with his faith."
Unbelievably, it has been 10 years since the first "X-Files: Fight the Future" hit the big screen and 6 years since the series ended. Reportedly the new film will not feature aliens or be from the show's 'mythology' storyline, but be a new, standalone story that will serve as an entry point for new viewers while still remaining faithful to the spirit of the show. "X-Files: I Want To Believe" hits theaters July 25.
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A lot of Blockbuster in the news recently.Blockbuster Inc yesterday said it has offered up to $1.3 billion for Circuit City Stores Inc. (offering $6 to $8 per share compared to CC's current stock price of $3.90.) Blockbuster is touting the move as a strategic combination of retailers focused on electronics and digital media.
Investors and technology pundits are critical of the move. Blockbuster's reasoning behind the combination of the two companies is not immediately apparent to many. It is clear new Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes is determined in his intent on making Blockbuster a more retail-focused business as it faces increased competition from alternate forms of delivery of entertainment content.
"The combination of Blockbuster and Circuit City will result in an $18 billion retail enterprise uniquely positioned for the convergence of media content and electronic devices. We would seek to differentiate products in both Blockbuster and Circuit City stores by offering exclusive content and content-enabled devices" Keyes said in a public letter to Circuit City's Philip Schoonover.
Many don't remember that Blockbuster tried to integrate Radio Shack into it's stores at the beginning of the decade. The 'store within a store' concept didn't expand beyond the initial 130 test stores as Blockbuster abandoned the move 10 months later. Of course, just how Keyes specifically intends to integrate the companies is not known and Blockbuster undoubtedly learned what did and didn't work from the Radio Shack test.
Whether there will be little Circuit Citys inside Blockbuster or little Blockbusters inside Circuit City stores, an unknown integration of the two, or if this deal even goes through remains to be seen.
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Paramount has officially released the one-sheet for the new Incredible Hulk. Looks awesome, I'm looking forward to seeing this one.
Image courtesy ImpAwards.
The European Space Agency (Esa) is seeking volunteers for a simulated human trip to Mars, in which six crew spend 17 months in an isolation tank.They will live and work in a series of interlocked modules at a research institute in Moscow. Once the hatches are closed, the crew's only contact with the outside world is a radio link to "Earth" with a realistic delay of many minutes.
No, this is not a reality TV show. The modular "spacecraft" measures some 550 cubic meters (19,250 cubic feet), the equivalent of nine truck containers. It is based at the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems in the Russian capital. The goal is to gain insight into human behaviour and group dynamics under the kinds of conditions astronauts would experience on a journey to Mars.
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AP-Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption — except there are no volcanoes in the area.Scientists don't know exactly what the earthquakes mean, but they could be the result of molten rock rumbling away from the recognized earthquake faults off Oregon, said Robert Dziak, a geophysicist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon State University.
There have been more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin 150 miles southwest of Newport. The biggest was magnitude 5.4, and two others were more than magnitude 5.0, OSU reported. On the hydrophones, the quakes sound like low thunder and are unlike anything scientists have heard in 17 years of listening, Dziak said.
Some of the quakes have also been detected by earthquake instruments on land. The hydrophones are left over from a network the Navy used to listen for submarines during the Cold War. They routinely detect passing ships, earthquakes on the ocean bottom and whales calling to one another. Scientists hope to send out an OSU research ship to take water samples, looking for evidence that sediment has been stirred up and chemicals that would indicate magma is moving up through the Juan de Fuca Plate, Dziak said.
The quakes have not followed the typical pattern of a major shock followed by a series of diminishing aftershocks, and few have been strong enough to be felt on shore. The Earth's crust is made up of plates that rest on molten rock, which are rubbing together. When the molten rock, or magma, erupts through the crust, it creates volcanoes. That can happen in the middle of a plate. When the plates lurch against each other, they create earthquakes along the edges.
In this case, the Juan de Fuca Plate is a small piece of crust being crushed between the Pacific Plate and North America, Dziak said.
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Beginning this week, in addition to the standard DVDs lining its shelves, Blockbuster will be rolling out Blu-ray movies, for rent and sale in all of its corporate stores in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, Blockbuster will be installing Blu-ray kiosks in the center of its stores. Featuring a 42-inch HDTV with movies playing on a PS3, the kiosks will enable customers to take a look at high definition movie playback as well as highlight the fact that PS3s play Blu-ray movies. This week Blockbuster also began offering online subscribers a Blu-ray preference setting so they can automatically indicate that they want to receive all available movies in that format.David Podeschi, Blockbuster SVP, Merchandising, Distribution and Logistics:
"Blockbuster was the first national retailer to accurately recognize and react to consumers' preference for this format when we added Blu-ray discs to a large percentage of our stores last summer. Now, with this national rollout, we believe Blockbuster is perfectly positioned to drive consumer adoption of this next generation DVD format and to become the customer's headquarters when it comes to renting or buying Blu-ray movies, whether in-store or online."read more | digg story
I was a big fan of 'V,' the 1983 TV miniseries created by Kenneth Johnson. Johnson, the driving force behind other genre series like The Incredible Hulk, Alien Nation, and the 1970s forgotten show Cliffhangers, brought the Visitors back for a second miniseries 'V: The Final Battle' and even a regular series for one season in 1984-85.Now The Deadbolt is reporting on Johnson's current attempts to bring 'V' to the big screen. Johnson is saying he's "in the process" of bringing a remake of the original miniseries to the big screen. The plan would be to follow this with a remake of the second storyline, and then a film version of V: The Second Generation, a novel by Johnson that has never been produced for TV or film.
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The FCC today handed down some fines to several retailers for failing to properly label soon to be obsolete analog TVs. The FCC requires all analog TV equipment to have a warning label that they will not be able to receive broadcast signal after the Digital TV switchover on Feb. 17, 2009.Sears Holdings Corp. looks like the most egregious offender with nearly $1.1 million in fines; Wal-Mart was fined $992,000; Circuit City, $712,000; Best Buy, Fry's Electronics Inc. and CompUSA Inc. were assessed fines between $168,000 to $384,000.
In many instances the failure to label may very well have been unintentional due to the fact that most retailers have already voluntarily pulled all analog TV products from shelves to avoid customer confusion. Sears --fined for 15 of its stores, its Web site and 20 Kmart stores--said it was "surprised" by the FCC's action and had eliminated analog inventory from its stores last fall and will soon offer converter boxes. No explanation as to how unlabeled analog TV products were on the shelves in so many of its stores (not to mention its website) was given.
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New exoplanets seem to be discovered on a regular basis now, with some 280 or so already cataloged. Now Spanish and University College London scientists have discovered a possible terrestrial-type planet orbiting a star in the constellation of Leo. The new planet, which lies at a distance of 30 light years from the Earth, has a mass five times that of our planet but is the smallest found to date. One full day on the new planet would be equivalent to three weeks on Earth.The lead author of this study from the Spanish Research Council, says: “After final confirmation, the new exoplanet will be the smallest found to date. It is the first one to be identified from the perturbations exerted on another planet of the system. Because of this, the study opens a new path that should lead to the discovery of even smaller planets in the near future, with the goal of eventually finding worlds more and more similar to the Earth.”
Most of the 280 or so planets discovered to date are gas giants similar to Jupiter, although some with masses below 10 times that of the Earth have already been found. Planets with masses of between one and 10 times the Earth are often dubbed super-Earths. In this case, current models predict that the new planet is a rocky type and has a radius some 50 per cent larger than the Earth.
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British physicist Peter Higgs who more than 40 years ago postulated the existence of the so-called 'god particle' in the makeup of the atom, is now predicting its discovery within the next year.The Higgs Boson particle, is a hypothetical massive scalar elementary particle predicted to exist by the Standard Model of particle physics. It is the only particle remaining not yet observed by science but would explain how other subatomic particles - such as quarks and electrons - have mass. The Higgs theory is that bosons create a field through which other particles pass.
Why is Higgs now predicting that we are so close to discovery? Competition between the Large Hadron Collider, under construction since 2003 near Geneva, Switzerland, and the Tevatron at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory outside Chicago. The Tevatron is currently the world's most powerful particle accelerator. CERN's new LHC, which has been installed in a 17-mile circular tunnel under the Swiss-French border, will be more powerful still and will be better able to show what particles are created in the collisions of beams of protons traveling at the speed of light.
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If It's Movies has posted a huge new batch of Iron Man photos. Here are two, for the remaining 13, follow the link. If Paramount gets them removed from that site, I'll post them here.
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SaveJourneyman.net has posted news that Journeyman will not be returning to the air on any network. Citing "information from very trustworthy sources," the site is stating that Kevin Falls, executive producer of Journeyman, has signed a development deal with another studio, and neither NBC or Fox are interested in continuing the show. The same fate is facing Jericho unless a network decides to pick it up very soon, before the producers and principals move on to other things.read more | digg story
Charlton Heston, 83, an Academy Award-winning actor probably best known for his roles in "Planet of the Apes" and "The Ten Commandments" and more recently as a conservative political activist and president of the National Rifle Association, died last night at his home in Beverly Hills.The Heston family issued the following statement:
"To his loving friends, colleagues and fans, we appreciate your heartfelt prayers and support. Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played. Indeed, he committed himself to every role with passion, and pursued every cause with unmatched enthusiasm and integrity.read more | digg story
We knew him as an adoring husband, a kind and devoted father, and a gentle grandfather, with an infectious sense of humor. He served these far greater roles with tremendous faith, courage and dignity. He loved deeply, and he was deeply loved.
No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country. In his own words, "I have lived such a wonderful life! I've lived enough for two people."
For people struggling to make their elders understand the upcoming government-mandated transition from analog to digital television, a new ad campaign seeks to help.The “Convert Your Mom” awareness campaign, launched by The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), will be hosted by Florence Henderson of “The Brady Bunch.” The campaign will start with a satellite media tour in early May and will feature a downloadable guide with tips on how to continue receiving free over-the-air TV, such as buying a new TV with a built-in digital tuner, subscribing to a pay-TV service such as cable or satellite TV, or using the two $40 coupons allotted by U.S. Department of Commerce to purchase a digital TV converter box.
For more information on the digital TV transition, go to dtv.gov or dtvtransition.org.
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According to an NPD Group report just released, more than 70 percent of the U.S. population played video games in 2007. This figure is up from the previous year's 64 percent. 58 percent of these game players play online games such as World Of Warcraft and Xbox Live.Video gaming has expanded beyond teenagers and young adult males as the population that grew up with them ages and other age groups join in. Gaming among seniors has grown as easy to play games on the Nintendo Wii have become popular.
Despite the increased figure, "there is still a large, untapped market for gaming in general and online gaming in particular," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.
This is a shocker. Smallville series creators Al Gough and Miles Millar have announced their departure from the show at the end of the current season, meaning the show will go on for season 8 without them.Something tells me there have got to be behind the scenes events causing this. Gough and Millar have always talked about their vision of the show up to its conclusion, and now they are leaving before what is likely the final season? In an open letter to fans, they say "After much heartache and debate, we have decided it is time for us to move on."
This will leave Executive Producers Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson running the show next season. They have been writing for the show for the past six seasons, and producing the last four. The letter is posted below.
As the creators of Smallville we look back at 7 amazing years. We look back at 152 episodes. We look back knowing that the show will continue into Season 8 without us. After much heartache and debate we have decided it is time for us to move on.read more | digg story
Over the last 7 years we have had the honor of working with a remarkable team of people here in Los Angeles and in Vancouver. We have been blessed with a wonderful cast who we have watched mature with admiration and affection. We have been rewarded with a fan base that is as loyal as it is vocal.
We are incredibly proud of our work on this show. We achieved what we set out to do. We never compromised our vision. We leave knowing that Smallville is the longest — running comic book based series of all — time. The show was featured on the covers of Rolling Stone, MAD magazine, TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. The pilot had the highest — rated premiere in the history of the WB. Even in its seventh year it is still the #1 scripted show on the network. Smallville is watched by millions of people in hundreds of countries and in dozens of languages around the world.
The show's success is a credit to a fantastically talented group of people.
We wanted to take this chance to single some of them out:
Our writers — your work speaks for itself.
James, Jae, Rob, David — the backbone of our team in Vancouver.
Joe Davola, Chris and Shelly — remember those Friday night brainstorming sessions?
Len Goldstein and Steve Pearlman — thanks for believing we could do this. David Nutter — for giving the show your magic touch.
John Litvack — when the knives were out, you always had our backs.
Ken Horton — our Yoda.
Peter Roth — Smallville's biggest fan.
Melinda, Michael R., Paul M., Susan and Suzanne — for steering us through 152 episodes.
Greg Beeman — your passion is an inspiration.
Jordan, David, Garth, Carolyn, Bob & Lew — and everyone at the much — missed WB.
Paul Levitz, Greg Noveck and the guys at DC Comics.
Lisa Lewis — our very own soccer mom/mafia accountant.
Michael Gendler — aka mega — counsel.
David Lubliner — we can finally focus on features now.
And last but in no way the least, Renee Kurtz — the smartest TV agent in town, we would be nowhere without you!
Finally, to the fans who have stuck with us through the highs and the lows:
know this — we never stopped fighting to make this show great. Thanks for watching.
Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
Wow. Remember Microsoft Surface, those cool touch screen tabletops that would do everything from talk to the devices you set on it to let you order and pay the table for dinner? Well you will finally see Surface units in action at AT&T stores. AT&T will use several counter-height units inside its cellular retail stores. The company is beginning with five stores on April 17: two in New York, one in San Francisco, one in San Antonio, and one in Atlanta.The Surface tables will allow you to place models of phones on it and will tell you about the specs and how they compare.
Microsoft has said it is aiming to have the consumer version on shelves by 2011, as much as two years earlier than its initial plan.
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The space shuttle fleet, for all its sophisticated engineering, is basically an orbital delivery truck. It’s also nearing a well-earned retirement, and this week the world gets a close look at its replacement: a pilotless, fully automated spaceship. The Jules Verne is the first of seven probable Automated Transfer Vehicles, built by the European Space Agency to deliver cargo and supplies to the International Space Station. On Thursday at 9:40 am EST the 20.7-ton ATV will make its first rendezvous with the station. French engineers at an ESA command center in Toulouse, France, have been testing the craft in orbit over the past two days, bringing the delivery ship into the first phases of a docking approach and evaluating how it handles abort scenarios. The navigation software, solar arrays and collision avoidance systems have all worked fine; apart from a slight inconsistency between the oxidizer and propellant in the fuel mix, the flight has been perfect. For the past several days the Jules Verne has been lingering 1000 miles away from the ISS, the two spacecraft circling the planet together until showtime.read more | digg story
Panelists discuss whether controversial decisions by the Robot Congress and President Executron indicate robots have too much control over our lives.
I for one welcome our new robot overlords.
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Introducing Gmail Custom Time. Be on time. Every time.How do I use it? Just click "Set custom time" from the Compose view. Any email you send to the past appears in the proper chronological order in your recipient's inbox. You can opt for it to show up read or unread by selecting the appropriate option.
Is there a limit to how far back I can send email? Yes. You'll only be able to send email back until April 1, 2004, the day we launched Gmail.
How does it work? Gmail utilizes an e-flux capacitor to resolve issues of causality (see Grandfather Paradox).
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One man can make a difference, Michael. Although the recent Knight Rider TV movie was met with mixed reactions, today comes word that the ratings were apparently good enough for NBC to give it a new weekly series starting this fall. Early reports indicate a Friday night timeslot is slated, which is of course subject to change at this early date. The assumption is stars Justin Breuning and Deanna Russo will be returning. Wednesday when NBC has its Upfront presentation for advertiser and agency executives we will know more.read more | digg story
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