San Francisco City Hall gets its own electric vehicle charging stations

It's a long way from the city-wide infrastructure that GM and others envision, but San Francisco has now at least taken one more step in that direction with three new Smartlet electric vehicle charging stations installed right outside City Hall.

Those chargers, on loan from Coulomb Technologies, will be used to charge vehicles from ZipCar, City CarShare, and one unspecified "plug-in car in the City of San Francisco municipal fleet," and Mayor Gavin Newsom (an early EV1 owner himself) says he hopes they are just the first of more to come, adding that he's also talking to other Bay Area cities about purchasing additional electric vehicles for municipal fleets.

In related news, AutoblogGreen also got confirmation from ZipCar that its first plug-in vehicle is in fact a one-off converted PHEV Prius designated specifically for City Hall, though it apparently didn't elaborate on any future plug-in vehicles.

Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone

If you were thinking offline Gmail on your desktop was the greatest thing since sliced bread, prepare yourselves people.

If an MWC keynote from Google's VP of engineering, Vic Gundotra, is any indication, the same functionality might be coming soon to an iPhone / Android phone near you. Amongst other things, the souped up web app boasts an overhauled interface, supports labels, and of course, offline access.

Despite our own hunch that Google's just using black magic and voodoo to make this happen, Gundotra claims that it's all made possible through HTML5 standards -- AppCache being the biggie. This development certainly opens the doors to more offline-enabled web apps in the future -- Docs, anyone?.

Of course, we know Apple has a thing about people messing with its own apps, so it's probably going to take some time / knee-breaking to get them to come around, but for some reason, we don't think it'll take as long with Android.

Leonard Cohen announces North American tour

04-02 Austin, TX - Michael and Susan Dell Hall at Long Center
04-03 Grand Prarie, TX - Nokia Theatre at Grand Prarie
04-05 Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre
04-07 San Diego, CA - Copley Symphony Hall
04-10 Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
04-13 Oakland, CA - Paramount Theatre of the Arts
04-17 Indio, CA - Coachella Festival
04-19 Vancouver, British Columbia - General Motors Place
04-21 Victoria, British Columbia - Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
04-23 Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater at Qwest FieldEvents Center
04-25 Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
04-26 Calgary, Alberta - EPCOR Centre's Jack Singer Hall
04-28 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre
04-30 Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
05-03 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
05-05 Chicago, IL - The Chicago Theatre
05-09 Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre
05-11 Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
05-12 Philadelphia, PA - Academy of Music
05-14 Waterbury, CT - Palace Theater
05-16 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
05-19 Hamilton, Ontario - Copps Coliseum
05-21 Quebec City, Quebec - Pavillon de la Jeunesse
05-22 Kingston, Ontario - K-Rock Centre
05-24 London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre
05-25 Ottowa, Ontario - National Arts Centre, Southam Hall
05-29 Boston, MA - Wang Theatre
06-02 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

TV On The Radio announce North American spring tour

Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall (May 12)
Austin, TX Stubbs (16)
Dallas, TX House of Blues (17)
Oklahoma, OK Diamond Ballroom (18)
Oakland, CA Fox Oakland Theatre (22) - I'll be at this one!!
Portland, OR Roseland Theatre (23)
Vancouver, BC Malkin Bowl (25)
Edmonton, AB Edmonton Events Center (27)
Calgary, AB Macewan Hall (28)
Saskatoon, SK Louis’ Pub (29)
Toronto, ON Sound Academy (June 2)
Montreal, QC Metropolis (3)
Boston, MA House of Blues (4)
New York, NY Central Park Summer Stage (5)
Washington, DC 9:30 Club (8)

Stuff White People Like - #89 Saint Patrick’s Day

Normally if someone were to wake up at 7:00 in the morning, take the day off work, and get drunk at a bar before 10:00 a.m., they would be called an alcoholic, and not in the artistic, edgy way that white people are so fond of.

On March 17th, however, this exact same activity is called celebrating St. Patrick’s day. This very special white holiday recognizes Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who helped to bring Catholicism to the Emerald Isle. His ascetic life is celebrated every year by white people drinking large amounts of Irish-themed alcohol and listening to the Dropkick Murphys.

It is also the day of the year when you can make the most gains in your social and professional relationship with white people.

Most of the time, white people consider celebrations of European heritage to be racist unless they omit large swathes of the 16th through 20th centuries. But since the Irish never engaged in colonialism and were actually oppressed it is considered acceptable and encouraged to celebrate their ancestry. For this reason, 100% of white people are proud to claim that they are somewhat Irish.

A big part of St. Patrick’s Day is having white people feel particularly upset at the oppression of their ancestors that has in no way trickled down to them. If you find yourself talking with a white person who tells you about how their great grandfather was oppressed by both the English and the Americans, it is strongly recommended that you lend a sympathetic ear and shake your head in disbelief. It is never considered acceptable to say: “but you’re white now, so what’s the problem?”

It is also worth noting that on this day, there is always one trump card that never fails to gain respect and acclaim. When you are sitting at an Irish bar and someone orders a round of Guinness, you must take a single sip and while the other white people are savoring their drink, you say: “mmmm, I know it sounds cliche, but it really is true. Guinness just tastes better in Ireland.”

This comment will elicit an immediate and powerful response of people agreeing with your valuable insight. This statement also has the additional benefit of humiliating the members of your party who have not been to Ireland (and thus cannot confirm this proclamation). Having not traveled to Ireland and consumed a beer that is widely available in their hometown and throughout the world, they will immediately be perceived as provincial, uncultured, and inferior to you.

It is also strongly encouraged that you memorize the lyrics to “Jump Around.” It will come in handy.

Vice Squad

As my dad used to say, “Do you want me to sew them back on?”

Fail of the Day

Scientists Agree: It's in His Kiss

You may call it love, but scientists call it philematology.

And according to experts in this field (yes, there are at least three of them), the 60's pop song got it right: It really is in his kiss.

"Kissing is a mechanism for mate choice and mate assessment," Helen Fisher, a Biological Anthropologist from Rutgers University at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said to a press conference crowded with science journalists hoping for a story or, perhaps, some advice.

Over 90 percent of human society engages in what, if you get right down to it, seems like a very strange thing to do: putting faces together and trading spit. But because it is so pervasive, scientists think there must be a good reason for it, some kind of evolutionary advantage. And humans aren't alone in this ritual. Chimpanzees kiss, foxes and dogs lick each other's faces, some birds tap their bills together, elephants put their trunks in each other's mouths, and apparently hamsters have pretty sloppy make-out sessions (see above pic).

Humans have been kissing for ages. "Many kisses, particularly in the Roman novels, are slobbery," said Donald Lateiner of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware who studies the history of kissing. "Every time that the past is excavated at Pompeii, there is good a chance there will be some additional data on sexual customs, if not kissing."

So what's all the making out about? It may have to do with that elusive but essential ingredient to true love that we call chemistry. It turns out, it may not be that elusive after all. It may just actually be...chemistry.

Saliva is like a chemical cocktail, and hooking up may have evolved to help us quickly tell if someone is a good mate or not, Fisher said.

After all, haven't we all been attracted to someone and then the first kiss just killed it? It might be because he didn't have the right stuff in his spit. Lots of hormones are present in differing quantities in our saliva, and they may serve several romantic purposes.

"There's evidence that saliva has testosterone in it, and there's also evidence that men like sloppier kisses with more open mouth," Fisher said. "That suggests to me that they are unconsciously trying to transfer testosterone to trigger the sex drive in women."

This prompted one male reporter to ask, "Should I drool more when I kiss?"

"Are you suggesting men would be more successful if they passed more saliva?" he asked. "People will want to know that."

After Fisher first mistook "drool" said with an English accent for "drill" and asked if it was some sort of British kissing technique, she dodged the question saying she's not in the "should business," about what you should or shouldn't do.

But, she did offer the advice that "you don't want to turn your partner off."

And there may be more to this chemical assessment than just kissing, Fisher said. "I think kissing is the tip of the ice berg. I think we'll find that all kinds of other chemical systems are in play that we don't know about."

New Kanye West video

While this is not my favorite Kanye West video (this one is), it is still very good, new, interesting, and different. In the world of hip-hop (specifically hip-hop music videos) the words 'interesting' and 'different' are not words I very often use, if at all.

I find myself continually enjoying the choices Kanye makes. He seems to really think about them, and do what he believes is good, regardless of the opinion of others.

I'm specifically referring to his visual aesthetic. His performance on Saturday Night Live was possibly the best stage set I've ever seen on the show, and his performance at the MTV music awards was breathtaking.

Regardless of whether or not you like it, he is at least attempting to do things uniquely and outside the norm of his genre. I, for one, am enjoying it very much.

A Promising Treatment for Athletes, in Blood

Two of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ biggest stars, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, used their own blood in an innovative injury treatment before winning the Super Bowl. At least one major league pitcher, about 20 professional soccer players and perhaps hundreds of recreational athletes have also undergone the procedure, commonly called platelet-rich plasma therapy.

Experts in sports medicine say that if the technique’s early promise is fulfilled, it could eventually improve the treatment of stubborn injuries like tennis elbow and knee tendinitis for athletes of all types.

The method, which is strikingly straightforward and easy to perform, centers on injecting portions of a patient’s blood directly into the injured area, which catalyzes the body’s instincts to repair muscle, bone and other tissue. Most enticing, many doctors said, is that the technique appears to help regenerate ligament and tendon fibers, which could shorten rehabilitation time and possibly obviate surgery.

Research into the effects of platelet-rich plasma therapy has accelerated in recent months, with most doctors cautioning that more rigorous studies are necessary before the therapy can emerge as scientifically proven. But many researchers suspect that the procedure could become an increasingly attractive course of treatment for reasons medical and financial. READ MORE.

Nokia to sell phones with Skype software

Internet calling company Skype has secured a deal with Nokia under which the world's biggest phone maker will preload Skype software into some of its new smartphones starting from the third quarter of this year.

Skype, whose technology has allowed legions of consumers to make practically free long-distance calls over the Internet on fixed lines, has been moving into the mobile arena with deals with operators such as Hutchison Whampoa's 3.

Skype software is also available to download onto mobile phones after they have been bought, but is then less integrated into features like address books, making it less convenient.

Does Facebook own the content you post?

Reacting to an online swell of suspicion about changes to Facebook’s terms of service, the company’s chief executive moved to reassure users on Monday that the users, not the Web site, “own and control their information.”

The online exchanges reflected the uneasy and evolving balance between sharing information and retaining control over that information on the Internet. The subject arose when a consumer advocate’s blog shined an unflattering light onto the pages of legal language that many users accept without reading when they use a Web site.

The pages, called terms of service, generally outline appropriate conduct and grant a license to companies to store users’ data. Unknown to many users, the terms frequently give broad power to Web site operators.

This month, when Facebook updated its terms, it deleted a provision that said users could remove their content at any time, at which time the license would expire. Further, it added new language that said Facebook would retain users’ content and licenses after an account was terminated.

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, said in a blog post on Monday that the philosophy “that people own their information and control who they share it with has remained constant.” Despite the complaints, he did not indicate the language would be revised.

The changes in the terms of service had gone mostly unnoticed until Sunday, when the blog Consumerist cited them and interpreted them to mean that “anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later.”

Given the widespread popularity of Facebook — by some measurements the most popular social network with 175 million active users worldwide — that claim attracted attention immediately.

The blog post by Consumerist, part of the advocacy group Consumers Union, received more than 300,000 views. Users created Facebook groups to oppose the changes. To some of the thousands who commented online, the changes meant: “Facebook owns you.”

Facebook moved swiftly to say it was not claiming to own the material that users upload. It said the terms had been updated to better reflect user behavior — for instance, to acknowledge that when a user deletes an account, any comments the user had posted on a page remain visible.

“We certainly did not — and did not intend — to create any new right or interest for Facebook in users’ data by issuing the new terms,” said Barry Schnitt, a Facebook spokesman.

The end of Nine Inch Nails?

Today, Trent Reznor posted a note on the Nine Inch Nails website announcing that NIN will tour with Jane's Addiction this year. And that this will possibly be the last Nine Inch Nails tour, ever.

In the post, titled "A note from Trent and a wave goodbye," he wrote, "In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases. I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while. Last year's 'Lights in the Sky' tour was something I'm quite proud of and seems like the culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year."

No dates for the NIN/Jane's trek have been announced yet. NIN are currently on tour Down Under and are scheduled to play Bonnaroo in June.

Anonymous Caller? New Service Says, Not Any More

A new service set for launch Tuesday allows cellphone users to unmask the Caller ID on blocked incoming calls, obtaining the phone number, and in some cases the name and address, of the no-longer-anonymous caller.

The service, called TrapCall, is offered by New Jersey's TelTech systems, the company behind the controversial SpoofCard Caller ID spoofing service. The new service is likely to be even more controversial — and popular.

"What’s really interesting is that they’ve totally taken the privacy out of Caller ID," says former hacker Kevin Mitnick, who alpha-tested the service.

TrapCall's basic unmasking service is free, and includes the option of blacklisting unwanted callers by phone number. It also allows you to listen to your voicemail over the web. It's currently available to AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers, with support for the other major carriers due within weeks.

Vice Squad

Ah, courting. A new girl just moved to town and you and Johnny Bones are on your best Fun Behaviour. That’s what life is all about. It doesn’t even matter who gets her.

Stuff White People Like - #86 Shorts

One thing prized by white people is making the most of situations. They like to maximize opportunities for all that they are worth. It applies to jobs, vacations, investments, books, education, and perhaps most importantly, warm days.

After a prolonged cold snap, white people are very excited at the first hint of a warm day. It is their opportunity to go back outside, to enjoy nature and thrive.

In order to get the most possible enjoyment out of these days, white people turn to one of their most trusted allies: shorts.

It is a known fact that white people believe that they can bring spring early by wearing a pair of shorts on any day that is above seasonal temperatures. This myth runs so deep that they will often wear shorts the following day when temperatures drop, at which point they will refuse to recognize that it is cold.

When you encounter a cold white person in shorts it’s best to say “I can’t wait until it’s warm enough to go windsurfing.” They will likely give you a high five.

Fail of the Day

The Boom Is Over. Long Live the Art!

The contemporary art market, with its abiding reputation for foggy deals and puffy values, is a vulnerable organism, traditionally hit early and hard by economic malaise. That’s what’s happening now. Sales are vaporizing. Careers are leaking air. Chelsea rents are due. The boom that was is no more.

Anyone with memories of recessions in the early 1970s and late ’80s knows that we’ve been here before, though not exactly here. There are reasons to think that the present crisis is of a different magnitude: broader and deeper, a global black hole. Yet the same memories will lend a hopeful spin to that thought: as has been true before, a financial scouring can only be good for American art, which during the present decade has become a diminished thing. READ MORE.

Fever Ray plans a new video

Follow the dripping foot: The Knife's Karin Dreijer Andersson sang on Röyksopp's 2005 single "What Else Is There?" Danish director Martin de Thurah directed that song's video, which is probably one of the best clips of the decade. That is not an exaggeration: it's the sort of video Björk used to make. (In it, a floating model sings Karin's part, but the mysterious Swede does show up with a haunting scowl about two-thirds of the way through.)

So news of Andersson and de Thurah re-teaming for a new clip from Dreijer Andersson's Fever Ray project is oh so welcomed. De Thurah will direct the video for "When I Grow Up", a song in which Andersson sings about plant-sitting, facials, and boomerangs. It's not the most linear lyric. And de Thurah isn't the most linear lens man.

Here's his equally abstract-but-brilliant treatment: "That initial idea was something about something coming out of water-- something which was about to take form-- a state turning into something new. And a double headed creature not deciding which where to turn. But the idea had to take a simpler form, to let the song grow by itself. I remembered a photo I took in Croatia two years ago, a swimming pool with its shining blue color in a grey foggy autumn landscape."

From the Cockpit to the Cocktail: The Sully drink has arrived

The most popular cocktail in New York — The Sully, named after Capt. Chesley B. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger. It’s two shots of Grey Goose and a splash of water. Drink up.

Michael Moore Wants to Expose Wall Street Executives

Filmmaker Michael Moore has observed what has been going on with the American economy and detected a whiff of injustice. He has cast his eye toward the titans of Wall Street and has determined that some things went down at America's banks that were not right.

So he's decided to make a movie about it, because he is the one lone voice in the wilderness brave enough to expose these scoundrels for who they truly are, blah blah blah.

Wall Street insiders with a conscience and stories to tell him should e-mail bailout@michaelmoore.com.

And remember, it's not for Michael Moore, it's for America: "You have information that the American people need to hear," he writes.

Laser-bonded healing could replace needle and thread

A team at Massachusetts General Hospital has developed a way to heal surgical incisions with laser light.

Christened laser-bonded healing, the methodology has been studied for years, but up until now, scientists have found it impossible to find the perfect balance of heat required to coax tissue into healing itself back together.

Irene Kochevar described the process as "nano suturing," as diminutive collagen fibers are woven together in a way that the old-fashioned needle-and-thread method simply can't match.

The benefits, as you can likely imagine, are numerous: less scarring, faster recovery, and the potential for fewer infections.

Still, the procedure is far from becoming commonplace in ORs, given that the dermatological procedure hasn't even been submitted to the FDA yet.

Conan O'Brien packing up for L.A.

Conan O'Brien opens up about the end of his 16 year run hosting "Late Night", as he is set to replace Jay Leno as host of NBC's "Tonight" show in June.

Feb. 20 will be his last show before turning it over to Jimmy Fallon.

Vice Squad

When the only way you can deal with the subway is to squeeze your head so far into the sleeve of your coat it looks like you got hit with a disintegration ray, maybe you're not cut out for the city.

Stuff White People Like - #84 T-Shirts

Many people and cultures view t-shirts as a simple piece of apparel that can be acquired cheaply and worn in casual situations. For white people, it’s never that easy. The t-shirt is one of the most complex and expressive items in their entire wardrobe.

Your choice of casualwear says a lot about you, and there are stringent rules and hierarchies associated with T-shirts that you must know before venturing into any white-dominated social situations.

T-shirts fall into three categories: vintage, new, and unacceptable, with the latter category compromising the bulk of the world’s supply. Within each category lies another, more precise subset of rules and rankings. Make no mistake, this is complicated.

The most prized t-shirt category is vintage. As shown earlier, white people need authenticity like they need oxygen and to have an original vintage t-shirt from the 1970s or 1980s is a very powerful social status symbol. The ideal shirt will have a funny logo, a year attached to it, and will be as thin as rice paper. In the event that two white people have shirts that meet this criteria, the superior ranking is given to the person who paid the least for the shirt. Acquiring a shirt at a vintage clothing store is seen as less respectable than sorting through racks at the Goodwill.

The second category of t-shirt is new and there really are only two options. The first is American Apparel, a company that constantly reminds you it is based in downtown Los Angeles. They are considered an acceptable white company since they produce things that are very simple, but also very expensive. The second acceptable new shirt is Threadless. This Chicago-based company produces artistic and funny t-shirts that are acceptable for concerts, Whole Foods and 80s night. White people like these shirts so much because they are designed by white people, for white people. Sort of like a white FUBU.

Finally, and perhaps the most important to be aware of, is the unacceptable category of t-shirts. There are a few simple rules to follow in order to avoid wearing the wrong t-shirt. First, if it’s made of a stiff, thick cotton, throw it in the garbage immediately. White people t-shirts must be made of the softest, finest organic cotton. This is law. Unless it is vintage, the shirt cannot be made in a foreign country (unless you can certify its labor conditions). The shirt cannot contain a current sports logo. Shirts with sports logos are acceptable, but they must contain a logo that hasn’t been used in 15 years. Last and not least, it cannot be baggy. Your t-shirt must be tight-fitting for both style and mating purposes.

It is also imperative to understand that faux vintage shirts (”Getting Lucky in Kentucky”) are completely unacceptable. They are beloved by the wrong kind of white people, and must be avoided at all costs.

This information is best applied when you are planning on attending a social gathering. Your t-shirt says a lot about you, and if it’s the right kind of shirt it will set white people at ease. Also, asking a white person “where did you get that shirt?” will allow them to tell you a detailed story about how they acquired it. This will enable them to assert why their shirt has a higher ranking than yours and they won’t view you as a threat.

Never underestimate the importance of t-shirts to white culture. It is an essential tool in determining the social rank, desirability, and value of a white person.

Fail of the Day