Michael Joseph Jackson!!!

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group.

Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums are among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk.

His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.

One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sales of over 750 million albums worldwide. Cited as one of the world's most famous men, Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.

On June 25, 2009, he collapsed at his home in Los Angeles. After being taken to the hospital in a coma, Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26pm.

Michael Jackson dies in LA hospital

Michael Jackson dies in LA hospital

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson's brother says it's believed that the pop star died of cardiac arrest.

Jermaine Jackson cautioned at a hospital press conference Thursday that the cause of his death would not be known until an autopsy was performed.

He said Michael Jackson's personal doctor and paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his rented home in Holmby Hills. A team of doctors at UCLA Medical Center also tried for more than an hour.

Los Angeles police Lt. Gregg Strenk said at a separate news conference that police robbery-homicide detectives have been ordered to investigate, which is common in a high-profile case. Strenk says the coroner's office, which will handle inquiries into the type of death, is taking possession of the body.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's brother Germaine says it's believed that the pop star died of cardiac arrest.

Jermaine Jackson cautioned at a hospital press conference Thursday that the cause of his death would not be known until an autopsy was performed.

He said Michael Jackson's personal doctor and paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his rented home in Holmby Hills. A team of doctors at UCLA Medical Center also tried for more than an hour.

Los Angeles police Lt. Gregg Strenk said at a separate news conference that police robbery-homicide detectives have been ordered to investigate, which is common in a high-profile case. Strenk says the coroner's office, which will handle inquiries into the type of death, is taking possession of the body.

iPhone 3G S or iPhone 3G? How to Choose

iPhone 3G S or iPhone 3G? How to Choose

The iPhone 3G S comes out today, and for the first time iPhone buyers have a choice between two different versions of Apple's popular smartphone. The 3G S is more powerful though a bit more expensive; the 3G is cheaper—but is anything missing? Let us help you decide.

The price difference is smaller than you think. Yes, the 3G costs $100 less than the 3G S. But that price is a tiny fraction of what you are really paying for your phone. A 900-minute plan with 1,500 text messages will cost you $104.99 per month, which, over two years, comes to $2,519.76. That's what you're really investing here. Think of the iPhone 3G S as costing $2,720 and the 3G as costing $2,620.

If you take pictures, get a 3G S. The 3G S's camera is much, much better than the 3G's. It has autofocus, a macro mode, and video recording. If you intend to take more than a few snapshots with your iPhone's camera, choosing a 3G S will definitely pay off.

If you drive, get a 3G S. The 3G S is the first iPhone with voice commands, so drivers can use it in a truly hands-free mode. In some states, there are laws against tapping on your phone in your car. The 3G S could be handy for more than just navigation; it could keep you from getting a ticket or endangering other drivers.

If you're a geek, get a 3G S. The faster processor in the 3G S is going to enable more applications and speed up complex Web pages. Also, geeks love faster processors and more memory. You'll just kick yourself for getting the slower model if you're that kind of person.

If you suffer from tech envy, get a 3G S—because of next year. If you buy an iPhone now, you will not be eligible for a discounted new iPhone when the next one—let's call it the 4G—comes out in 2010. You'll probably be happier with a 3G S than a 3G at that point.

If you're a basic user, get a 3G. The "old" iPhone 3G is still a fine device. It's a great iPod, and it runs 50,000 different apps. Those who don't fit into any of the preceding categories should feel no shame in going with the 3G.

If you want an iPod and a phone, get an iPod touch and a cheap phone. The iPhone isn't a particularly good cell phone, and it locks you into a long-term, expensive contract. The iPod touch does almost everything the iPhone does, except make calls and connect to 3G networks. It even surfs the Internet, as long as you're in a Wi-Fi hotspot. And the Touch doesn't charge you a monthly fee. A touch in addition to a separate phone may not be as elegant a solution as the iPhone, but for many people it's more practical.

-pcmag.

Five Things I Like About Ubuntu Desktop Software—and Five Things I Don't Like

Ubuntu 9.04

Five Things I Like About Ubuntu Desktop Software—and Five Things I Don't Like

Ubuntu 9.04 works and it's free, but is that enough? Not quite, according to this list of pros and cons.

I've been running Ubuntu 9.04 for about a month now on an IBM ThinkPad. I consider myself technically proficient, but I'm certainly not one of those all-night code pounders. So, with those caveats, here is what I like and don't like about open-software Ubuntu, as well as where there's some room for improvement.

Five Things I Like

1. It works. This is no small statement from someone who remembers shuttling floppy disks of early Microsoft Windows software in and out of personal computers. The biggest hindrance to the many forms of open-software desktops has been the install. I've installed Ubuntu via the CD version, from a bootable USB and using Unetbootin to create a CD image on a hard drive. They all worked. The system runs solid and secure.

2. It's not ugly. I'm sure there are techies out there who live and die by the command-line interface, but having a computer that has a nice interface, let's you know what's going on and easily moves from one app to another is a modern requirement. I'd say the Ubuntu startup process is equal to Windows, Mac or anyone else.

3. It doesn't crash or freeze. Not yet, not once.

4. I don't have to buy a new computer. The personal computer industry was built around new resource-consuming software requiring new hardware. The proponents would claim the capabilities users demanded required this ever-upward trek. The cloud computing advocates will claim all the complexity and high-end processing should never have landed on the user's desk. It seems clear that the big, resource-gulping personal computer will go the way of the SUV. In any case, being able jazz up your old clunker with a free operating system is great.

5. It's free. I left this for last instead of first. Free is only good if you don't end up spending all your time trying to get the computer to compute and you don't end up crashed when most needed. Personally, I think free is too cheap and I'll send a few bucks to keep the system available to educators and low-income users.

Five Things I Don't Like

1. Some stuff still is too difficult. Sometimes I can get Flash to work on 9.04, sometimes I can't. I don't think it is just me, as the forums are filled with similar complaints. And yes, I've tried lots of workarounds, including others besides Adobe.

2. The help can be overwhelming. Since anyone can work on the program, there are lots of levels of advice out there. Let's just say something like this, "--- /usr/lib/swiftfox/run-mozilla.sh.orig 2006-08-23 16:19:43.000000000 +0300+++ /usr/lib/swiftfox/run-mozilla.sh2006-08-23 16:30:48.000000000 +0300@@ -163,7 +163,30 @@" is not help even if it is part of cut-and-paste code.

3. There are still a lot of Windows apps out there. You can try to run Windows in an emulation mode, you can try to squeeze Windows into a virtual box, but that is not going to work too well on older systems. Developers write apps for Windows because they can make money from their code. This is still a big issue for the open-software writers.

4. Where's Google? I like Google Chrome on Windows. It works great and has lots of potential. There are some early versions of Chrome around for Linux, but nothing you want to touch unless you are a developer.

I'm wondering if Google will also be late with a Linux version for Wave.

5. What happens if Mark Shuttleworth decides he has invested enough money? It is still his project. He's a great guy, even if he does write overly long blog posts about development cycles. While I'm convinced open software will always be around, I'm not so sure about the whole Ubuntu thing.

-eweek

Google Expands Site Dedicated to Fighting Malicious Ads!!!

Online malware ----

Google Expands Site Dedicated to Fighting Malicious Ads

Google has relaunched its Anti-Malvertising site to help its ad network partners fight malware in the online advertising ecosystem.

The company breathed new life into the site June 18, adding new educational content to supplement the custom search engine Google launched in February. The search engine is designed to allow users to perform a quick background check on advertisers to avoid malicious advertisements.

Through the site, users can query an advertiser's name, company name, or any URL or domain associated with an ad to find information. While not perfect—Google admits any query results should not be taken as the be-all-end-all—the site offers an important service. Last year, Google Security Engineer Niels Provos estimated about 2 percent of malicious Websites were distributing malware through advertising, based on analysis of 2,000 known advertising networks.

"The world of online advertising, like the offline world, is a dynamic environment that contains a diverse mix of people with different goals—both good and bad," a statement on the Anti-Malvertising site reads. "This website focuses on malvertising (the threat of malware being distributed through advertising) and how you can help prevent it."

The educational content on the site ranges from tips for publishers and ad operators to information on system scanning tools and recommended reading.

"The site fits into our broader goal to help and encourage all members of the online advertising ecosystem to take an active role in malvertising prevention," said Eric Davis, a member of the Google Anti-Malvertising team. "It's one part of Google's commitment to educating our customers, improving the industry as a whole, and making the Internet a safer place for everyone."

-eweek