Microsoft, we get it: That Yahoo thing fell through, and picking up the pieces can be messy. But according to Kara Swisher at All Things D, Redmond just won’t give up. The company has reportedly put together a Plan B that it refers to as “Project Granola,” a name …

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It’s family day for me at Webware. After posting about the Gmail-as-baby-book tip, I got a pitch about BigScreenLive, a new on the internet environment for older adults who are frustrated by the Web and e-mail.

My default position on products targeted at the elder demographic is not charitable. I’ve seen too many services that are patronizing or exploitive (see “Presto puts digital photos in the hands of your grandma“). Old doesn’t mean dumb. And simply pumping up the type size of e-mail doesn’t make an app worth subscribing to or buying.

BigScreenLive's installable app gives a user easy access to pic sharing (shown, an RSS reader, e-mail, shopping, and the Web.

(Credit: BigScreenLive)

BigScreenLive has its faults, but it’s nonetheless a nice walled garden (with very low walls, thankfully) for people who don’t want to deal with the frenetic and inconsistent interfaces on various Web sites, sharing services, and e-mail apps.

The core of the service is a downloadable app that supersimplifies everything for the elderly user. It’s an e-mail client, a Web browser, a photo viewer, and so on. As a bonus, the app will run directly off a USB drive, so people can take their BSL network with them to wherever they can plug into a PC with an Internet connection.

The app comes preconfigured to read and display newsfeeds from several U.S. newspapers, and it also has its own simple front end to Amazon (CEO Cayce Roy was VP there). Users can get onto the Web directly from the app if they want; it has a portable version of Firefox built in to it.

People already accustomed to using another Web-based e-mail service can reconfigure the app to use it instead of the built-in e-mail. However, it can’t integrate with client-side e-mail products like Outlook or Eudora.

The service is preconfigured with popular feeds, but users can add more.

(Credit: BigScreenLive)

What makes the BSL app work is its focus on single tasking. Instead of giving the user a mishmash of options, like most Web sites and apps, BSL keeps things easy, with large buttons and clear choices. It’s just another portal, sure, but if you’re trying to get your grandparents more involved in your family’s online life, it’s a good option for them.

On the other hand, the BSL Web app for family members is a tiny too easy. It mostly copies the big-button BSL app for seniors, but adds a few more capabilities for marking sites as family favorites and for uploading photos.

The photo-sharing feature, of course, is a key driver of this family-focused service. The viewer isn’t bad. It’s a bit flat in presentation, but functional. Unfortunately, the photo uploader is old school. You have to pick images one by one. There’s neither a bulk uploader nor a swift way to import images from a photo-sharing Web site. This will be fixed in future versions, Roy told me.

The service costs $9.95 a month, which is high when you consider that it doesn’t do much that you can’t do for free elsewhere. And the company also makes money from Amazon affiliate fees when users buy goods. However, the audience BigScreenLive is trying to appeal to, older adults and their grown children and caretakers, is easily reachable via associations like the AARP and womens’ service magazines. So, there might yet be a good business here.

See also: Myfamily.com.

Fore more visit Source: [webware]

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Google executive Marissa Mayer shows off one of the iGoogle Artist Themes designs by fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg. Ironically, von Furstenberg is married to Barry Diller, whose InterActiveCorp runs would-be Google rival Ask.com.

(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET Networks)

NEW YORK–There were massive video animations projected on the sides

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“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.”

-Benjamin Franklin

If you live in an area where water shortages are not an issue, think about yourself lucky. Almost 450 million people in 29 countries face severe water shortages. Predictions indicate that within 5 years, at least 36 U.S. states will face water shortages due to a combination of rising temperatures, drought, population growth, and waste. 

But there’s hope — research has shown that residential water use could be reduced by as much as 50 percent through efficiency. Here are a few simple, low-cost recommendations for reducing your family’s water consumption. 

Reduce water use from showers and faucets
Although it’s often the smallest room in the house, the loo is where 75 percent of indoor household water consumption occurs. Seem impossible? Think about this: The average 6-minute shower uses about 20 gallons of water! Reduce this amount with the following tips: 

• No cost: Limit shower time to 5 minutes or less.
• Less than $10: Install an on/off valve between the shower arm and showerhead. This temporarily shuts off the flow while maintaining the temperature, and can be a useful water-saver while soaping up or shaving.
• $10-$50: Install a low-flow (less than 2 gallons per minute) showerhead. Previous low-flow showerheads sacrificed water pressure for efficiency, but now there are many options (GAIAM and Delta make two of my favorites) that don’t simulate a dripping faucet.
• $20-$50: Insulate all accessible hot-water pipes, especially those within 3 feet of the water heater. You’ll get hot water faster, avoid wasting H₂O while it heats up, and save energy in the process.

Finally, fit all household faucets with low-flow aerators (less than two gallons per minute). This is the ideal in-home water conservation method, and it’s also the cheapest. 

Toilets are the enemy
Each day, the U.S. uses 5.8 billion gallons of fresh water to flush waste. If you’re in the market for a new porcelain throne, check out options with either a very low (less than 1.6) gallon per flush (gpf) rating, or dual flush controls.

This new technology provides 2 buttons for flushing: one at 1.6 gpf for solid waste, and another at only 0.8 gpf for liquids. These double-duty flushers can reduce water usage by up to 67 percent compared with traditional toilets. 

Feeling even earthier? Go for a waterless composting toilet and be the envy of all your neighbors! 

And if you haven’t budgeted for a new toilet, try these swift fixes: 

• Check for leaks: Put a tiny food coloring in your toilet tank. If the color begins to appear in the bowl within 30 minutes, you have a leak that should be repaired. Most replacement parts are inexpensive and simple to install.
• Displace water: Most older toilets don’t require nearly as much water as they use (3.5-5 gallons) to flush properly. To “trick” your toilet into using less water, place a half-gallon plastic bottle inside your toilet tank to displace water volume. (Be sure at least 2.5 gallons of water remain in the tank so it will flush properly.) Ideally, weigh down the bottle with sand or pebbles so it doesn’t interfere with the tank mechanisms. This simple retrofit could save a three-person family 225 gallons of water per month! Not a do-it-yourselfer? For only a few dollars, you can buy a prepared toilet bag designed to displace 0.8 gallons of water with every flush.

Minimize appliance water consumption
Outside the water closet, most water is used to wash clothes and dishes. Rather than wearing dirty clothes and using paper plates, keep these tips in mind while tackling daily chores: 

• Fully loaded: Dishwashers and clothes washers should be operated when full for optimum water conservation. If you must wash partial loads, adjust the water levels as appropriate.
• The dishwasher is your friend: Even old-school dishwashers don’t use as much water per dish as hand-washing. Newer, more efficient dishwashers use only 1/6 of the water used during hand-washing, and save 230 hours of yourtime each year.
• Scrape, don’t rinse: Pre-rinsing dishes before loading the dishwasher is unnecessary. Scrape off food and then trust that bad boy to do its job.
• Pass on permanent press: Avoid the permanent press cycle when washing clothes, which uses an additional 5 gallons for the extra rinse.
• Upgrade your equipment: Consider buying a water-saving front-loading clothes washer, or a top-loading one with no central agitator. Check ENERGY STAR for ideas and ratings.

Kendra Tupper is a consultant with the Energy & Resources Team at Rocky Mountain Institute. 

For more visit Source:[green.yahoo]

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WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)–A forecasting gauge of existing- home sales decreased in March as expected, with would-be buyers having trouble getting loans. The National Association of Realtors’ index for pending sales of previously owned homes fell 1.0% to 83.0 in March from February, the industry group stated Wednesday. Private analysts projected pending sales would drop by 1.8% during March. NAR’s chief economist, […] For more visit Source:www.investment-blog.net

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