It was a long and tragic weekend on Oregon's Mt. Hood, where search and rescue teams combed the area searching for three missing climbers. That search turned tragic on Saturday when one of the climbers was found dead high on the mountain, while his two companions remain missing as of this writing.
On Friday, 26-year old Luke T. Gullberg, Kattie Nolan, 29, and Anthony Vietti, 24, set off to climb the 11,249 foot Mt. Hood, which is a popular mountaineering destination in all seasons, although obviously more challenging in the winter months, when deep snow and unpredictable weather can cause all kinds of problems. The three climbers were due back at 2 PM that afternoon, but when they didn't arrive by Saturday, the search teams went into action.
Gulberg's body was discovered on the Reid Glacier at about 9000 feet, along with some climbing gear, but no trace of Nolan or Vietti was discovered. The recovery team said they found a digital camera in Gulberg's pack, which gave clues to the location of the missing climbers, but due to bad weather, heavy snow, and avalanche conditions, finding them won't be an easy task. That task will be made all the more difficult by an incomplete climbing registration form and conflicting reports on the route they were taking to the summit.
The search is expected to continue today, with a National Guard and Coast Guard helicopter reporting to the area. The Coast Guard aircraft comes equipped with thermal imaging that should prove helpful to SAR teams, despite the adverse weather conditions. Search teams remain hopeful that Nolan and Vietti will still be found alive.
If convicted, Rothstein faces a total maximum statutory term of imprisonment of 100 years (20 years on each count).
Rothstein is believed to have operated a massive Ponzi scheme since 2005. Rothstein's law firm, Rothstein, Rosenfeldt and Adler, P.A., was located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Rothstein's attorney, Marc S. Nurik, didn't return calls seeking comment.
According to an amended complaint filed on November 27th in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida by the U.S. Attorney's office, Rothstein solicited clients to investment in settlements, into which putative plaintiffs in civil cases involving sexual harassment and other labor-related issues, had entered into confidential settlement agreements with putative defendants. The potential investors were told that these settlements, which existed in blocks ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, could be purchased at a discount and repaid to the investors at face value over time. Clients who agreed to invest were directed by Rothstein or others to wire transferred funds to a trust account managed by Rothstein's firm.
For example, in September 2009, one potential investor was told that he could purchase a settlement valued at $450,000 for $375,000 which would be repaid in increments of $150,000 per month for the following three months, amounting to a yield of 20% over the period (or an annual percentage yield in excess of 80%). The FBI has determined that the investment scheme never existed and was a fraud. In reality, the investment was nothing more than a Ponzi scheme in which new investor money was used to pay previous investors, according to the civil complaint.
Rothstein used the investors' funds to fund bank accounts, purchase luxury vehicles and numerous homes, and an equity investment in Gianni Versace's South Beach mansion, called Casa Casuarina. Rothstein also used $5 million of his investors' funds to buy a luxury condominium at One Beacon Court (151 East 58th Street), coincidentally the same building where now-imprisoned attorney Marc Dreier owned a condo, and also the complex that houses Bloomberg LP. Rothstein was also brazen enough to o donated some of the funds to political campaigns, including one for the
The U.S. Attorney in Florida is suing for forfeiture of various real and personal properties, acquired, owned, obtained, funded or purchased in whole or part by Rothstein. The government is also seeking to seize numerous vehicles, including a Bentley convertible, multiple Ferrari's, several Rolls Royce's, a Hummer, a Bugatti, a Maserati and a Lamborghini. Also mentioned in the civil action are multiple bank accounts, several of which are overseas, including $16 million in cash at a Banco Populaire in Morocco.
The government is also going after Rothstein's equity investments in numerous restaurants including Bova Ristorante, Bova Cucina and Bova Prime, Cafe Iguana in Pembroke Pines, Fla. in addition to many campaign contributions he made totaling more than $151,000. Donations made to the Republican Party of Florida and a $9,600 campaign contribution made to the Florida Governor Charlie Crist, have already been voluntarily turned over to government authorities. Also targeted are Rothstein's charitable contributions, including a $800,000 charitable donation made to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital and a $1 million donation made to Holy Cross Hospital Alison W. Lehr, the Assistant U.S. Attorney which filed the civil complaint, declined to comment. Alicia Valle, Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney in Florida, was not able to comment at presstime.
Easing concerns over global credit problems and more signs of corporate dealmaking are giving stocks a moderate boost. Major stock indexes rose less than 1% in late afternoon trading Monday following news that Abu Dhabi had extended $10 billion to Dubai to help the Middle Eastern city-state stay afloat. Markets had been worried in recent weeks that debt problems in the struggling former boomtown could send ripples through global credit markets.
Investors were also encouraged by Exxon Mobil's (XOM) $31 billion purchase of XTO Energy (XTO), which sent energy stocks sharply higher. The deal will help Exxon tap into the growing supply of natural gas in the U.S. and could signal more consolidation in the energy industry.
(Reuters) Police detained nearly 1000 people in Copenhagen during mass demonstrations to demand that negotiators at U.N. talks agree a strong treaty to fight global warming ... Posted by American Daily Conservative at 1:05 PM ... Read More... [Source: Conservative - Google Blog Search]
It's already selling in Europe with one of AT&T's 3G bands, but the prospect of a US-friendly Acer Liquid A1 just got real, governmental-involvement style. The FCC has approved a 850 / 1900MHz version of the Android device, and while this is no guarantee of an AT&T berth -- much of Canada is crowding in on this spectrum, not to mention the possibility of selling the phone unlocked and unsubsidized -- we're massaging our temples this very second with the appropriate good vibrations to get this thing out and about in the States and on the cheap.
Who says tree-hugging has to be boring? Actually, Sony Ericsson's latest sets to join the eco-friendly GreenHeart line aren't anything special, but at least they don't slouch in the specs department -- both the Hazel slider and Elm candybar announced today feature 5 megapixel cams, GPS with geotagging, LED flashes, and dual-band HSPA on top of quadband EDGE. The real news, though, might be the introduction of SE's very first GreenHeart accessory -- the VH700 stereo Bluetooth headset -- which ponies up dual mics for improved call quality and micro-USB recharging. It'll hit in the first quarter of the year along with the Elm; the Hazel follows on in the second quarter.
'Tis the season to start revelling in the glory of Winter's Veil. To help create some classic music for us all to enjoy during the holiday, Cranius wrote and produced GreatFather Winter. While this video was originally created a year ago, it remains fresh and vibrant even today. I think that Cranius nailed his goal perfectly.
Cranius has a nice story about the final creation of this film. There were fierce snow storms where Cranius lives. He obviously wanted to get his Winter's Veil classic complete by Christmas, but was very concerned about losing power due to the snow. He was rightly concerned, as his electricity went out just as he was near finished. But, thankfully, it turned out to be a very short outage -- he was without power just long enough to get a few more inspirations for some final tweaks.
Let the holiday season begin!
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.
Milton from 'Office Space' had his coveted red stapler. Dwight Schrute from 'The Office' has his Dwight Schrute bobble-head doll. What have you pimped your cube with -- one of those horrible inspirational posters that reads something soul-crushing like, 'Excellence,' 'Success' or 'Opportunity'? Lucky for you, we've compiled a list of the 10 ultimate cubicle gadgets no worker should toil away without. And now's the perfect time to give these useful and sometimes amusing doodads as gifts, given that December is upon us and the "Secret Snowflake" office party frenzy is only just beginning. The gadgets on the following pages are guaranteed to either make you or your co-workers more productive, or make the day go by faster. And away we go!
Personal Air Conditioner
The only boss who spends money during the summer is George Steinbrenner. When yours switches off the A/C early to cut costs, be ready with your own $25 handheld climate controller. Just two D batteries stand between you relaxing, and you sweating like Britney's custody lawyer.
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Michael Sacco will be your host today.
Editor's Note: The above image has now been fixed to include its original participants.
What a great week for dungeon running. Got my shaman his full tier 9 set, my rogue her 2-piece, and a myriad of other badges and loot for my other alts. Soon I'll start pawning off my alt's Emblems of Frost for Primordial Saronite and finance some epic flying. Plus I've gathered enough mats to get my rogue berserking on both of her weapons. Not bad, Patch 3.3. Not bad indeed.
But wait! The Queue is about you. Let's get some you in here.
Squirr3llywrath9 asked...
What's the deal with the Scarlet Crusade? I thought they were against anything that is against the teachings of the Light, particularly the scourge. But in Dragonblight there are shadow priests and death knights in the various bases the crusade has in Northrend. Was wondering if I missed anything that explains their change in ideals.
It can be the moment that every parent, or doting grandparent, dreads. You ask that special child in your life what they want for Christmas, Hanukkah or their birthday and they look at you with utter seriousness and say a gorilla. They of course want a real one.
Maybe they fancy a giraffe or a polar bear, and you bemoan all those hours that you insisted they watch nature shows instead of cartoons. While their friends will be satisfied with SpongeBob or Dora themed plastic toys, your little angel wants an entire ecosystem of animals in their bedroom. The worst part about it is that they honestly believe that you can fulfill their wishes.
Now with the help of Piutre, who manufactures elegant, lifelike, and some life-sized stuffed animals, you can give that special someone the next best thing. Each animal is sewn, shaped and finished entirely by hand in Italy. Originally designed by Riccardo Chiavetta, a master toy artisan, these stuffed animals are made to resemble as much as possible their real life counter parts. For example a sitting polar bear measures 71" inches high and horses and ponies range from 79" inches to 53" inches in height. An artist is responsible for each individual piece from start to finish and this careful attention detail includes lifelike noses and eyes on all of the creatures. The collection is incredibly diverse featuring cats, dogs (over 40 different breeds), farm animals, all sorts of bears and wild animals.
The prices are as high as the quality and the larger life size animals tend to be in the low to mid five figure range with some species going for much more as the 79" Indian Elephant would set you back $8,500. Puppies and kittens are priced at less eye popping levels in and around the $100 mark.
So when that little girl in your life looks you in the eye and requests a pony, there is a way to say yes.
It's not every day we get to cite an official US Department of Justice news release, so it's with a certain glee that we can announce the US taxpayer was last week enriched by another $220 million courtesy of the not-so-fine folks who swindled him out of that money in the first place. Joining the ignominious ranks of LG, Sharp, Hitachi and Chungwa Picture Tube, Taiwanese manufacturer Chi Mei is refunding the US state for the pecuniary impact of its collusive practices, which were primarily related to keeping prices artificially high and profits proportionately inflated. US companies directly affected by these ignoble activities include HP, Dell and Apple, but don't you worry, AT&T has already started the inter-corporation scuffle, with Nokia piling on for good measure. Man, it almost seems like crime doesn't pay.
Canadian Politics and Electoral Projections December 8, 2009 Projection - Strong Conservative Minority Government. Go to the bottom of the page for the detailed statistics of the projection. The projection is updated every week or so. ... Read More... [Source: Conservative - Google Blog Search]
URL shorteners have been around for years, but they were mostly afterthoughts rather than legitimate businesses. That all changed with the rise of Twitter and short-form, 140-character blogging. With limited space for tweeting, the URL shortener business has boomed. Bit.ly has grown tremendously, companies like Coke have even made their own and even Digg has gotten in on the action.
Bit.ly has not had any major threat to its market share, but that’s about to change. We’re learning that Facebook now has its own URL shortener. It’s unclear how long fb.me has been operation. What is clear, though, is that it’s appearing more and more in mobile links and within the Twitter stream.
Currently, Fb.me seems to be rolled out on a limited basis. As Inside Facebook points out, the Facebook URL Shortener is already in use on the mobile interface. Whenever links are shared within a mobile interface (i.e. an m.facebook.com link), it is now automatically shortened using fb.me.
It’s also active for Facebook usernames. For example, the short URLs fb.me/mashable and fb.me/benparr will take you to the Mashable fan page and my profile page respectively. This works for any username in the Facebook system.
It seems clear to us that Facebook has bigger plans for fb.me. It could be that any content coming out of Facebook could utilize the fb.me URL. It could even offer integrations with Facebook analytics, Facebook Connect and other Facebook tools — something that should concern Bit.ly.
Our guess is that you should expect to see a lot more of fb.me very soon.
As you might have already guessed, last night's Spike Video Game Awards show's "World Premiere" trailers have landed on the web via GameTrailers.com. First up for us this morning: Crackdown 2. Featuring the first campaign footage from the game that we've seen, it looks as though we'll be cooperatively taking down enemies with other agents when the game launches. Moreover, the entire trailer glories in the mass destruction introduced to us in the first Crackdown, backed up by a "Would you like to blow &%^$ up with me?" soundtrack. Color us excited.
One of the main problems with initial Blu-ray director's chat sessions was a lack of feeling any life or interactivity, but Warner gave it another shot this weekend by offering audio over BD-Live as a moderator bounced audience provided questions off of director McG while watching Terminator: Salvation. Despite a less than stellar reputation, BD-Live has continued to slowly creep along, adding features and enhancements, so we wanted to if this event bodes well for the future of internet enabled discs. Check after the break for our impressions, plus a few clips of the director talking about what he did and didn't like about the finished product, director's cuts in general, and the possibility of doing another Terminator movie.
Nobody wants to pay for iPhone apps, and some people simply don't. The good news is, you don't really need to: For almost every paid app, there's a free app that's nearly as good. Here are the best of the best.
A lot of these apps will be familiar to anyone who's checked out our Essential iPhone Apps directory before, and yeah, there is a lot of overlap. What we've done, basically, is strip out the dollar signs from list, then fill in the gaps with more free.
With the new list, you can turn a fresh, untouched iPhone or iPod Touch into a decked-out powerhouse without spending a single dollar.
(To view the following gallery as a single page, click here.)
What counts as an essential iPhone app changes all the time, and so should our guide: If we've missed anything huge, or you've got a much better suggestion for a particular type of app, let us know, or say so in the comments. We'll be updating this thing pretty frequently, and a million Gizmodo readers can do a better job at sorting through the app mess than a single Gizmodo editor. Enjoy!
Naked Emperor News dug up some old footage of President Obama talking about using Medicare as the way to move to a single payer system. Notice, he sai. Read More... [Source: Conservative - Google Blog Search]
Google Voice, which lets users consolidate all their phones under one number, archive your texts and voicemails, and much, much more, is two things to most people: vaguely promising, and totally confusing. Here's how to make the switch, in plain English.
The Pitch
It doesn't really help to describe Google Voice in terms of what it is—a bizarrely fragmented hodgepodge of different telecom and internet technologies, drawn together by Google—so you just have to start with what it does. In short, it can completely change how you use your phones, more or less for free.
⬢ It can give all of your phones the same number for incoming calls. Google will assigned you a new, Google Voice-specific phone number for free, which you can forward to as many phones as you want. What always drives the point of Google Voice home for people is when I have them call my number, which causes three of my phones to ring at once. You can keep this number forever, too, without ever having to worry about porting it from carrier to carrier. ⬢ It can give your phones the same outgoing number as well, with which you can make free domestic calls (well, sort of—more on that later), and very cheap international calls. Since Google Voice routes your calls through their phone system, they can connect you directly to cheap VoIP services to the rest of the world. It seems like you're just making a regular call, but behind the scenes you're doing something more akin to Skyping. End result: money saved. ⬢ You can send and receive unlimited text messages for free. To make things even better, they're all all archived in your online Google Voice account, where they're fully searchable. ⬢ It's got the best voicemail system in the world. Leaving a message at a Google Voice number is nothing like leaving your voice on a regular voicemail service—that is to say, it's not like sending your voice into a barely accessible technological horror pit where it might get listened to, but will probably be ignored. No, Google Voice is different: It stores your messages online, and converts them to text (which can then be sent to you as an SMS or an email). You can archive, forward, delete or save these messages from a simple interface on your phone or computer. Think of it as Gmail, except with voices. Plus, it's flexible in lots of little ways—you can change your voicemail greetings on a per caller basis, for example, or opt to listen to voicemails as they're being recorded. ⬢ This voicemail system isn't just for Google Voice numbers, either—you essentially replace your carrier voicemail with Google Voice voicemail, without using a new number. It's brilliant. ⬢ You have full control over your calls. You can record them for later listening, and have them transcribed into text. ⬢ You can screen callers. You can block numbers, or have callers record their names for your approval. You can have certain contacts only forwarded to certain phones,
Each of these features is compelling enough on its own—together, they'll totally change how you use your phones, changing you from a mere mobile customer to a full-on switchboard operator, self-spy, info hoarder and telco executive. It's like you run your own little phone company, just for yourself. For free. Spectacular.
The Catch(es)
Now that I've got you all riled, it's time for me to pour an icy bucket of water down the front of your pants. Google Voice, as incredible a concept and service as it is, isn't perfect. In fact, there are a few things you need to know and accept before taking the dive, and they might be dealbreakers:
⬢ You can't use your own phone number. At least, not in the way you wish you could. In an ideal world, you'd be able to port your old cellphone number to Google Voice, and have that—the digits people have been using to get in touch with you for years—be your new all-inclusive point of contact. You can't do this yet. For now, the closest you can come is to port your voicemail to Google Voice. That means that your T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon or Sprint number's voicemail can be outsourced to Google, but not its calls. You can unify all your phones under your new Google Voice number, but that means you have to switch. Along with the basic inconvenience of telling everyone about your new number, you're trusting an awful lot in a beta service, the terms of which could change quickly and without notice. It's not something I worry about, but it's not nothing, either.
⬢ You can't record calls that you've placed, just calls that you've received. And every time you initiate recording, Google Voice notifies the other person on the line. This is all makes perfect moral and procedural sense, but just in case you had the impression that there were no limits on your recording abilities, well, there are.
⬢ The mobile app situation isn't ideal. There are apps for Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and iPhone via jailbreak, and they all work. That said, they're not perfect—they can be slow, poorly integrated, glitchy, or hard to figure out. And since they're supposed to replace the dialer on your phone entirely, this isn't wonderful. The online mobile interface is a good fallback for placing calls and sending texts, but navigating to that adds an extra step to any call or text that can get tiresome after a while.
⬢ Lastly, the way American phones work, you're still going to end up paying for your minutes, somehow. Just because Google Voice says you can make free domestic calls and cheap international calls doesn't mean that you actually can: in both cases, you need to dial out to Google Voice's external system in the first place, which means you're still using your monthly minute allotment. There are ways around this which I'll discuss later, but Google Voice, as good as it is, isn't magic.
Discouraged? Don't be. Google Voice is still well worth you time and effort, and it's only going to get better. Now, for God's sake let's get started already.
The Process
Signing up. This is simultaneously the easiest and most irritating part of Google Voice: It's still invite only. Lucky for you, "Invite" in this case doesn't mean you actually have to wait for an individual to select you from the masses; it's just Google's way of saying their keeping the signup pace down at manageable levels while the service is still in beta. Just submit your address, after which Google "anticipate[s] that it will be a short wait before you receive your invitation."
What's a short wait? My invite took about four days. Some come within 48 hours. At worst, they take about two weeks. Lots of you will have already received your invite, and just not done a whole lot with it—you guys can keep reading—while the rest of you should just bookmark this post, and come back to it once you get your invite. Protip: check your spam filters.
—
Ok, hello again, people I was talking to anywhere between two seconds and two weeks ago! How are you? Now that you've got your invite, you can log in to your Google Voice Dashboard. It'll look familiar if you've used any Google Service before:
Logging in. Follow your confirmation link, or navigate here. Click around for a while to get a feel for the interface. This is how you'll manage your phones from now on. It's liberatingly simple.
Picking your number. You'll be given a choice of numbers, which you can choose from practically any available area code. Choose wisely: this will be your primary number from here on out. Choosing your first number is free; changing it in the future will cost you $10. Boo, waah, etcetera! But really not a huge deal.
Adding your phones. This is assuming you want to forward a single number to all your phones, which is kind of the point here, so: Go to the Google Voice settings page (up in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. In the first section, called "Phones," click "Add a Phone" or "Add Another Phone." Give it a name "My iPhone" and enter its phone number. That's it.
Now you'll be given a passcode, which you'll use to authenticate your existing phone. Clicking "Connect" will call your phone from your Google Voice number, and a friendly robot will ask for you code. Enter it. That's it!
Setting up your voicemail. Now that the phone is added, it can accept calls directed to your Google Voice number. If the call is ignored, it will forward the voicemail to Google Voice, where it will be stored online. Alternately, if you only want to use Google Voice for voicemail, you can disable the calling feature (by unchecking the box next to the phone), and set up the service to hijack your actual cellphone number's voicemails—even when the call didn't get routed through Google Voice.
This is much easier that it sounds: Just click "Activate Google Voicemail" next to your newly-added phone, and enter the number they give you exactly as it's written, symbols and all. Once you "call" that number, you'll get some kind of message on your phone. On the iPhone, it looks like this.
Your voicemail has been switched—all you need to do now is set up a quick bookmark in your mobile phone to Google Voice, which provides a functional, if sparse, interface for your Google Voice messages. It's like visual voicemail, except through your browser. (Or a mobile app, which I'll get to soon.)
Choosing the rest of your settings. Now you'll see your phone listed under the "Phones" settings tab. The other tabs contain a few pages of settings for your Google Voice account. How you toggle these is up to you, but here are the most important ones: If you want to forward SMSes to email, you'll have to enable that in the "Voicemail and SMS" tab; call screening settings are located under the "Calls" tab; and international call credit can be added under the "Billing" tab, from a credit card. Finding your feet. Take some time to experiment with some of Google Voice's core features now. Place a call using the button at the top left of the Google Voice homepage. Enter your recipient's number, and choose which of your phones you'd like to place the call with. Google Voice will call your phone first, which upon answering will immediately call your recipient's phone, which will think it's getting a call from your new Google Voice number. It might sound odd in writing, but once you see it work, it just kind of clicks. You can also place these calls from the mobile web interface, without a computer. Texting is more direct—you can send those directly from the web interface without any intervention from your phone.
Placing calls. The aforementioned methods is the most obvious, and it will reliably work. It's a little cumbersome, especially if you're used to just tapping on a contact and placing a call. Thankfully there are a few more ways to place calls from your phone, and have it routed through Google Voice:
⬢ Apps: This is by far the best way to use Google Voice. Android has an official Google Voice app, as does BlackBerry.These automate the dialing/texting out process, so you don't need to mess with a web interface—you just opt to make some or all of your calls through Google Voice, and the app takes care of the rest. Windows Mobile has unofficial clients that do the job pretty well, as does the Pre, in the App Catalog. iPhone clients are available, but they're not approved by Apple: You'll need to jailbreak your phone and install them from Cydia.
⬢ The call-in method: Simply dial your new Google Voice number from your cellphone or landline, press 2 once it's connected, then enter the number you want to dial. This is less convenient than the web interface method, even, but it's vital to the next one:
⬢ The contact method: This is a little cheat to automate the aforementioned process. What you're doing, basically, is saving your Google Voice number, a pause, the number 2 (which selects "call another phone" from the Google Voice automated menu tree), a pause, then your recipient's number.
Adding a pause is different on each phone—on the iPhone, for example, you need to save a number as a contact, and in the number editing screen, press the "+*#" button at the bottom left of the keypad. The zero will be replaced with a "pause" button, which when pressed inserts a comma into the number. Google is your friend for this one, though most smartphones make the option available in their respective contact editing screens.
⬢ The 406 method: Have the person you want to text send a message to your Google Voice account. When you receive the message, it will be from a number you don't recognize, with the area code 406. It will be labeled with the sending contact's name, and any replies to that number will return to the person who sent them, but the number is completely new. This is a Google Voice alias, which you can use forever: Just save it as part of your friend's contacts—perhaps as a secondary cellphone or a work number, whatever you can remember—and use it as their primary contact number when call through GV.
Sending Texts. Again, using the web interface is a great way to send texts, as are the mobile apps. But the best solution? The 406 trick listed above works for SMSes too.
The Hacks
As you've probably noticed, Google Voice is kind of a loose system—and a system that's ripe for a little gaming. There are two methods that currently work for getting truly unlimited, free calls over Google Voice. This is where things get really interesting. Interesting in a good way for you; interesting in a terrifying way for the phone companies.
⬢ The Calling Circle Method: You know how some carriers let you designate a few contacts that don't count toward your monthly allotment of minutes, like T-Mobile MyFaves, or the AT&T A-List? By making your Google Voice number one of your friends, you can filter all your calls through Google, whether they be free domestic calls or cheap international calls. Once your Google number is added to your circle, making free calls is simply a matter of dialing into your Google Voice number and, using Google's audio menu system, dialing through to your recipient. (The contact method listed above will work too.)
To make incoming calls—including outgoing calls initiated from the Google Voice web interface—free, you'll need to change your Google Voice settings under the "Calls" tab. Select "Display my Google Voice Number" under the "Caller ID (in)" setting, and you're good to go. A full setup guide for the calling circle method can be found here.
Note: Designating Google Voice as one of your preferred contacts may be against your carrier's user policies—check with them if you're concerned.
⬢ The VoIP method: By signing up for a number with free VoIP service Gizmo5 and adding to to your Google Voice account as a phone, you can place unlimited free calls from your VoIP number to landlines. You can also forward the calls through to Skype, if you'd prefer. This isn't a solution for mobile phones, but it's a great way to make yourself an effectively unlimited VoIP landline for free. Lifehacker's got the whole rundown here. UPDATE: Registrations for Gizmo5 have been closed. Sorry!
Easing the Transition
Lifehacker has assembled a fantastic guide for easing the transition from many numbers to one, covering everything from how to convince people not to call your old numbers, to coping with voice latency.
That's pretty much it! If you have any tips to tricks for getting the most out fo Google Voice, please drop some links in the comments-your feedback is hugely important to our Saturday How To guides.
And if you have any topics you'd like to see covered here, please let me know. Happy Voicing, folks!
Wachovia Bank (now part of Wells Fargo) took over the deed from the Sea Island Company for the Frederica development, a 3,000 acre residential community with home sites ranging from two to five acres, in mid-November. The loan for the property had been made by Wachovia, which merged with Wells Fargo in December, 2008. The transfer of the deed was a private transaction and not a foreclosure. The other assets owned by the Sea Island Co. are not impacted by the transaction.
"As the lender to the Frederica development, Wells Fargo has been working closely with the Sea Island Company to explore options for the property that would serve the needs of both parties and the community," says Wells Fargo spokesperson, Elise Wilkinson. "As a result, Sea Island has transferred ownership of Frederica, including the club property, to affiliates of Wachovia Bank, a Wells Fargo Company."
"We don't anticipate any changes in the short term," adds Wilkinson. "Ultimately, Wells Fargo will seek to sell the property to a new owner that is equipped to recognize the long-term potential of Frederica."
During the transition, the Sea Island Co. will continue to provide professional on-site management. "Wells Fargo will ensure the Frederica property is operated in a professional manner," says Wilkinson. "This is something that is very important to us." Wilkinson added that she doesn't anticipate any changes in the short term that would impact members or homeowners at Frederica.
The Frederica development is located on St. Simons Island and includes a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, deep water river frontage, a 400-acre fresh water lake, salt marsh and wooded views.Property sites currently on the market include a two acre undeveloped home site with expansive lake views for $1.7 million. A 5,600 square feet home (still under construction) on 2.4 acres with 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms is currently on the market for just under $5 million.
The Frederica development is a few miles from the world-renowned Cloisters resort, also owned by the Sea Island Co.The Cloister was the site selected by President George Bush to host the G-8 Summit of world leaders in 2004. Sea Island Resorts stretches along five miles of private beach and has served as an unrivaled Georgia luxury resort destination since 1928.
Sea Island Resorts consistently ranks high on lists of best spas, resorts and golf destinations published by such leading publications as Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler and Mobil Five-Star. In addition to the Cloister at Sea Island, the development includes the Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club and the Sea Island Golf Club which has two 18-hole championship golf courses.
The Sea Island Co. has been owned by the Jones family since its inception in 1928. Alfred W. "Bill" Jones, III currently serves as its chief executive officer and chairman of the board. Jones is the fourth generation of his family to lead the company.
Merry Tipton, spokesperson for Sea Island Co., had no comment.
Want to turn your iPhone into a real GPS Swiss knife, with turn-by-turn navigation, tracking and all, but you just don’t like the prices for the best GPS applications out there?
Well, you’re in luck, as TomTom has reduced the price of the U.S. version of their iPhone application by half, to $49.99. This is a limited offer that lasts only until December 28th, so if you like the new price, you can get it here.
Furthermore, one of the best GPS tracking applications out there, MotionX GPS 9.0, has also been available at a reduced price of $2.99 throughout December, and the offer’s still there.
So there you have it, two of the best GPS iPhone apps for approx. half the regular price of TomTom, which was $100 before the price cut. GPS-related applications are traditionally among the most expensive apps in the App Store, which is what makes these deals super sweet.
Not content with unleashing a full-blown zombie apocalypse, Valve has come up with the second most socially awkward event imaginable: inviting characters from the original Left 4 Dead to hang out in the sequel's first DLC campaign. Bill, Louis, Zoey and Francis will meet with the stars of Left 4 Dead 2 in "The Passing," which Valve VP of marketing Doug Lombardi calls "the most important campaign in the Left 4 Dead story, as all the Survivors are being called together in one campaign." It's targeted for release in early 2010 on Xbox 360 and PC.
In addition to a co-op campaign (set in rural Georgia) and a new "co-operative challenge mode of play," The Passing will offer new content for Survival, Versus and Scavenge modes. Playing as the L4D2 cast, you can also expect to encounter a new melee weapon, firearm and "uncommon common" zombie.
We can't wait to meet up with last year's survivors again ... oh, assuming they really are still survivors.
It was a long and tragic weekend on Oregon's Mt. Hood, where search and rescue teams combed the area searching for three missing climbers. That search turned tragic on Saturday when one of the climbers was found dead high on the mountain, while his two companions remain missing as of this writing. 
Easing concerns over global credit problems and more signs of corporate dealmaking are giving stocks a moderate boost. Major stock indexes rose less than 1% in late afternoon trading Monday following news that Abu Dhabi had extended $10 billion to Dubai to help the Middle Eastern city-state stay afloat. Markets had been worried in recent weeks that debt problems in the struggling former boomtown could send ripples through global credit markets.
Picking your number. You'll be given a choice of numbers, which you can choose from practically any available area code. Choose wisely: this will be your primary number from here on out. Choosing your first number is free; changing it in the future will cost you $10. Boo, waah, etcetera! But really not a huge deal.
This is much easier that it sounds: Just click "Activate Google Voicemail" next to your newly-added phone, and enter the number they give you exactly as it's written, symbols and all. Once you "call" that number, you'll get some kind of message on your phone. On the iPhone, it looks like this.
Placing calls. The aforementioned methods is the most obvious, and it will reliably work. It's a little cumbersome, especially if you're used to just tapping on a contact and placing a call. Thankfully there are a few more ways to place calls from your phone, and have it routed through Google Voice:
Sending Texts. Again, using the web interface is a great way to send texts, as are the mobile apps. But the best solution? The 406 trick listed above works for SMSes too.
