AMBIKA AHUJA The Associated Press BANGKOK – Thailand’s prime minister avoided his office Monday as thousands of protesters calling for his resignation and allied with deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra surrounded the seat of government for a fifth day. Protesters ignored police warnings to stop blocking entrances to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s office, where they have gathered since Thursday in the largest protests since his administration arrived in December. The demonstrators say Abhisit’s government came to power through illegal means and should step down. Abhisit has rejected their calls. Abhisit said last week he would enter his office at Government House on Monday. But he revised…

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Doha – Arab leaders meet in Qatar on Monday for their annual summit in the presence of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, defying an international warrant for his arrest over Darfur. However, hopes of healing Arab rifts dimmed when Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak decided to stay at home. Sixteen heads of state from the 22-member Arab League are expected to attend the 2-day gathering, as is UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. According to a draft statement obtained by AFP, the Arab leaders are expected to adopt a Saudi-sponsored resolution urging “dialogue and consultation in solving Arab differences”. It also calls for avoiding “fiery and escalatory language… and rejecting ruptures in relations and…

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Nintendo just rolled out its own pretty significant update for the Wii, so it only seems fitting that the homebrew community has now done the same, with the always prolific Waninkoko coming through with a new USB Loader that’ll let you play your “legal game backup collection” from any old USB mass storage device. While it’s apparently not ready for public consumption just yet, the video after the break does do a decent job of demonstrating that it does, in fact, work as promised. Of course, there’s always the slight chance that this is an early April Fool’s joke, but Waninkoko does have a proven track record, and it seems that most of the folks on the homebrew forums have little reason to be skeptical.

[Via TehSkeen.com]

Continue reading Homebrew Wii USB Loader gets demoed on video

Filed under: Gaming

Homebrew Wii USB Loader gets demoed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Popularity: 25% [?]

Though not quite as extravagant as checking into a space motel, booking a stay in the Hotelicopter is pretty stupendous. Hailed as the world’s first flying hotel, the Soviet-made Mil V-12 has been extended and completely renovated since being purchased in 2004, and starting this summer, it’ll host 18 decidedly affluent individuals on a fortnight long roundtrip jaunt that begins and ends in New York, stopping at Charleston, Freeport, Montego Bay, Santo Domingo, Nassau, Miami and Charlotte along the way. There’s also a California and European tour planned for July, and the ‘copter can even be rented out for what will undoubtedly be the zaniest episode of My Super Sweet 16 ever. There’s no word on how pricey this five-star flying hotel will be, but if you have to ask, you probably can’t even afford a walkthrough.

[Thanks, Kyle]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

Hotelicopter: it’s like a cruise, but through the air originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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updated 1:46 a.m. ET March 28, 2009 Levittown – Mike Connolly scored on a power play at 13:39 of overtime to give Minnesota Duluth a 5-4 comeback victory over Princeton on Friday night in…

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Publicized in TV documentaries, editorials in the state-run media and museum exhibitions, what Beijing calls “Serfs Liberation Day” likens the end of the Dalai Lama’s rule in Tibet 50 years ago to Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation of the slaves. At a ceremony in front of Tibet’s famed Potala Palace in front of a crowd of more than 13,000 and broadcast live on national television, the national flag was raised and speeches extolled the changes brought by the Communist Party to the region and denounced the…

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Not that we haven’t seen completely off-the-wall viral marketing ads before (including one from LG, in fact), but this one just takes the proverbial cake. In a perfectly staged LGenius presentation, we’re informed about a few astounding up and coming TV advancements. The first one intelligently replaces all swear words with baby laughter or eerie silence, while the “Happy Time” feature automatically detects when a program is too sad for one’s health and adds random images of cute puppies and kittens. Finally, the “Family Time” feature turns any sensual scene into one with cartoon characters, making even the steamiest bedroom romance seem perfectly acceptable for innocent eyes. Seriously, this one has to be seen to be believed — mash that play button and have a gander.

[Thanks, Kellen]

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Video: LG’s LGenius presentation lays out totally fake, remarkable TV advancements originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Uh oh Apple — it looks like even your attorneys are dirty, thieving jailbreakers. Tipster a|e

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BEIJING (AP) — A court in China upheld convictions against two brothers given hefty sentences including the death penalty for involvement in the country’s deadly tainted milk scandal as two others appealed Thursday. Six children died and nearly 300,000 were sickened after baby formula was contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, which is high in nitrogen, in an effort to fool quality tests for protein content. When ingested, melamine can cause kidney stones and kidney failure. Four middlemen were found guilty…

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By APRIL LISANTEphoto credit By APRIL LISANTE Philadelphia Daily News For the Daily News EVERY YEAR, Americans spend millions on Easter candy, from chocolate rabbits to marshmallow eggs. This year alone, we’ll consume 90 million chocolate bunnies and munch on 16 billion jelly beans, according to industry statistics. But hard times will impact even the Easter Bunny, as the National Retail Federation reports that people will spend less on candy this year than last – an average of $16.55 vs. $18.12 a person. When the time comes to fill a basket with sugary treats, how will you choose the best among the colorfully wrapped candies crowding local supermarket and drug store shelves? To help you…

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