Thursday, October 20, 2011

#techdesigntrends

Libyan Official Claims Qaddafi Dead After Fall of Stronghold

VIA NYTIMES.COM 

"WHAAAT???"

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TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan fighters said on Thursday that they had routed the last remaining forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafifrom the coastal town of Surt, ending weeks of fierce fighting that had prevented Libya’s interim rulers from declaring the country liberated and starting the transition to an elected government.

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A military spokesman for the interim government, Abdel Rahman Busin, said “Surt is fully liberated.”

Libya’s interim leaders had said they believed that some Qaddafi family members — possibly including Colonel Qaddafi and several of his sons — were hiding in Surt or in Bani Walid, another loyalist bastion that the anti-Qaddafi forces captured several days ago.

Al Jazeera, citing Libyan television, said that the Libyan leader had been captured as fighters seized Surt on Thursday. But previous reports of the capture of high-level Qaddafi officials have proven false, and there was no confirmation from the interim government. Reuters reported that Colonel Qaddafi had been killed. That report, too, was not confirmed by officials.

As rumor of his capture spread in the capital, Tripoli, car horns blared as many celebrated in the streets.

Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokeswoman, traveling with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Afghanistan, said the department was aware of the reports “on the capture or killing of Muammar Qaddafi” but could not confirm them “at this time.”

Gunfire could still be heard in Surt on Thursday, as former rebel fighters searched houses and chased fleeing loyalist fighters. The anti-Qaddafi fighters killed at least 20 loyalist soldiers trying to escape down the coastal highway, and captured at least 16, The A.P. reported.

There was no immediate comment from Mustapha Abdul Jalil, the interim government’s top official. If confirmed, the capture or killing of Colonel Qaddafi — along with the fall of Surt — would allow Mr. Abdul Jalil to declare the country liberated and in control of its borders, and to start a process that would lead to a general election for a national council within eight months.

The battle for Surt was supposed to have been a postscript to the Libyan conflict, but for weeks soldiers loyal to Colonel Qaddafi, Libya’s deposed leader, fiercely defended the city, first weathering NATO airstrikes and then repeated assaults by anti-Qaddafi fighters. Former rebel leaders were caught off guard by the depth of the divisions in western Libya, where the colonel’s policy of playing favorites and stoking rivalries has resulted in a series of violent confrontations.

Surt emerged as the stage for one of the war’s bloodiest fights, killing and injuring scores on both sides, decimating the city and leading to fears that the weak transitional leaders would not be able to unify the country.

The battle turned nearly two weeks ago, after a prolonged stalemate, when the anti-Qaddafi fighters laid siege to an enormous convention center that the pro-Qaddafi troops had used as a base.

The interim leaders had claimed that the ongoing fighting had prevented them from focusing on other pressing concerns, including the proliferation of armed militias that answered to no central authority.

 

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Google Updates Presentations in Google Docs

It's about time. Google Docs collaboration and could functionality is great, but its design features have always been lacking. At the end of the day, these updates are not enough to convince me to switch from Keynote as my primary slideshow production software. What do you think?

An article from PC Magazine has been sent to you. Follow this link to view the article: Google Updates Presentations in Google Docs

Copyright © 2011 Ziff Davis Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Friday, October 14, 2011

Steve Wozniak Is “A Little Afraid” About The Future Of Apple (TCTV)

<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=kzeTl3MjowpZSUi-CsCSIFDjlWweCSX-&width=640&height=360&video_pcode=11amo6qGw2oucN78pR-BYbDpCESk&deepLinkEmbedCode=kzeTl3MjowpZSUi-CsCSIFDjlWweCSX-" ></script>

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Monday, October 03, 2011

mike.salafia@gmail.com has shared: Facebook Launches New Metric:

How will you use Facebook's new "People Talking About" metric in your social media strategy?
Facebook Launches New Metric:
Source: mashable.com

Facebook has introduced a new metric: "People Talking About," in its overhaul of its Pages Insights tool.

 
mike.salafia@gmail.com sent this using ShareThis.

Posted via email from MEDIA CHECK

Great stats on local ads from Google

Local. More than 20 percent of desktop searches on Google are related to location. On mobile, this climbs to 40 percent. Location-aware search ads can help you find what you’re looking for more easily by putting thousands of local businesses on the map—literally. More than 270,000 of our advertisers use Location Extensions to attach a business address on at least one ad campaign, connecting more than 1.4 million locations in the U.S. via ads. And, with our mobile ad formats, not only can you call a restaurant directly from the ad, you can also find out how far away the restaurant is located and view a map with directions.

Posted via email from MEDIA CHECK