uTest?s AppGrader Scores Mobile Apps, Helps Developers Squash Bugs

uTest, a company known for providing a variety of testing solutions for desktop, web and mobile, is launching a new solution designed to grade mobile apps' performance under real-world conditions, and then compare the app's rating with that of its competition. The solution, for obvious reasons (i.e., desperate?need) is arriving first on Android, with an iOS version to follow soon. The app testing process takes just a few minutes, the company claims, and will then return a report grading the app on a scale of 1 to 100.

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Internet group: Quality over speed in new domains

NEW YORK (AP) ? The organization in charge of expanding the number of Internet address suffixes ? the ".com" part of domain names ? is apologizing for delays but says it's favoring "quality, not speed."

Three weeks ago, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers abruptly shut down a system for letting companies and organizations propose new suffixes, after it discovered a software glitch that exposed some private data. At the time, ICANN planned to reopen the system within four business days. The system remains suspended indefinitely.

"We've very focused on the quality of what we do," ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom said. "We take this very seriously. That's why we're moving very methodologically and professionally."

In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Beckstrom added, "We apologize for the delay, but we're committed to getting this right."

ICANN has said it needed time to figure out why the software failed and how to fix it. That was completed last week, Beckstrom said, but ICANN still must undergo extensive testing on the fixes and inform companies and organizations whose data had been exposed. He declined to offer a timetable; ICANN said Friday that it planned to provide an update after Tuesday.

Up to 1,000 domain name suffixes could be added each year in the most sweeping change to the domain name system since its creation in the 1980s.

The idea is to let Las Vegas hotels, casinos and other attractions congregate around ".Vegas," or a company such as Canon Inc. draw customers to "cameras.Canon" or "printers.Canon." The new system will also make Chinese, Japanese and Swahili versions of ".com" possible.

After several years of deliberations, ICANN began accepting applications in mid-January. The application window was to have closed on April 12 ? the same day ICANN had to shut down the system, just hours before the deadline.

The glitch did not affect general availability of the Internet's domain name system ? the databases that let Internet-connected computers know where to send email and locate websites. It also did not affect the ability to register new names under existing suffixes.

Rather, the glitch was with the software ICANN had set up to take applications for new suffixes.

The proposals were supposed to be confidential until the application period closed. The software glitch allowed some applicants to view data about others, including potential competitors. The data were limited to file names and usernames, not the contents of the files.

But those names in some cases offered clues about which companies were proposing what suffixes, Beckstrom said. Knowing that could allow an applicant to change a proposal and gain an advantage.

ICANN believes that 105 applicants might have had data viewed by others, while 50 applicants might have seen information on others ? inadvertently, ICANN believes. That's out of 1,268 registered applicants, each of which can submit as many as 50 suffix proposals.

Beckstrom said that once the system reopens, ICANN will monitor applicants to determine whether they make adjustments based on what they might have seen. Applicants will also have at least a week to make sure their data didn't get lost or corrupted.

The delay shouldn't have a major effect on the availability of new suffixes, as the new names won't appear in general use until at least next spring ? in many cases, much later.

Late Friday, ICANN said it had received 2,091 suffix proposals ? fully completed or in progress ? and another 214 for which it was still awaiting or processing application fees. That means applications will be divided into at least four batches of about 500 each, potentially stretching the review process over a few years.

The bigger damage could be in the long-term confidence in ICANN. Even before the glitch was discovered, opponents of the domain-name expansion questioned ICANN's ability to roll out new suffixes smoothly.

Beckstrom said all organizations encounter technical problems, and he said ICANN hopes to retain people's confidence by resolving the problems and communicating well.

ICANN did not say what suffixes were proposed. It plans to release a list a few weeks after the application window closes, after which it will accept challenges for trademark and other issues.

ICANN said Friday that it had received $350 million in applications fees so far. Each application costs $185,000, and winners will have to pay $25,000 a year. The money will pay for ICANN's costs setting up the system, reviewing applications and making sure parties do what they have promised once the suffix is operational. Some of the money will be set aside for potential lawsuits from unsuccessful applicants and others. Companies can make money by selling names under approved suffixes.

___

Online:

ICANN's domain-expansion site: http://newgtlds.icann.org/en

Associated Press

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National Honesty Day: This story is an attempt to get Web traffic

National Honesty Day: April 30 marks National Honesty Day. We hope that you'll visit this page so that we can get a tiny bit of advertising money.

April 30 marks National Honesty Day. We spotted the phrase "National Honesty Day" as a trending term on Yahoo! and thought that we might share some of its history in the hopes that Yahoo! visitors would click on the phrase, and then click on the link to our story. ?

Skip to next paragraph

If you're reading this, our ploy apparently worked, and you've just helped us get a little bit of advertising revenue.?

National Honesty Day ? we're gong to repeat this phrase as often as we can in an attempt to increase this story's ranking on search engines ? is the brainchild of?M. Hirsh Goldberg, former press secretary to a governor of Maryland and author of the 1990 book, "The Book of Lies: Schemes, Scams, Fakes, and Frauds That Have Changed the Course of History and Affect Our Daily Lives," which, in all honesty, we haven't actually read.?

Goldberg chose the last day of April for National Honesty Day because the first day of April ? April Fools' Day ? celebrates falsehoods. Researching his book, he estimated that the average person lies some 200 times a day, including white lies and lies of omission. We got this information from a story in the Richmond Times Dispatch, because doing so was easier and less time consuming than trying to track down Goldberg for an interview.

Other estimates about the pervasiveness of lying offer a much lower figure. A poll of 3,000 Britons conducted last year by London's Science Museum found that the?average British man tells three lies each day, and the average woman lies about twice a day. The most common lie for men is "I didn't have that much to drink." For women, it's "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine." According to the survey, people are most likely to lie to their mothers.

Of course, statistics, even accurate ones,?can deceive. A 2010 analysis of surveys of lying in America noted that 60 percent of Americans report telling no lies at all in the past 24 hours, and that almost half of all lies are told by only 5 percent of subjects. "[Most] reported lies, concluded the study, are told by a few prolific liars."

On the opposite end of the spectrum from prolific liars are those who embrace the philosophy of Radical Honesty. Developed by psychologist?Brad Blanton, Radical Honesty calls for completely eliminating any filter that may exist between the mind and the organs of speech. Here is a sample from the Radical Honesty website's FAQ:

Q:?Suppose you met someone whom you found unattractive. How do you handle that?

A:?If the person?s outstandingly ugly, then that?s an issue I?m certainly going to bring up to talk about right off. I would say, ?I think you look kind of ugly and this is what I think is ugly. I think that big wart on the left side of your face is probably something that puts people off and that you don?t have much of a love life, is that true?? Then we?ll have a conversation about it. That ugly person has probably always felt the negative unexpressed reaction from people. The idea is that they end up not avoiding the damn thing instead of living a life that?s dancing on egg shells. They live life out loud and it?s a whole lot better life.

In 2004 and 2006, Blanton ran for US Congress in Virginia. He was not elected.

If he had been, Blanton may not have enjoyed the company.?A 2011 Gallup poll asked respondents to rate the honesty of people in 21 professions. Members of Congress scored dead last, below lobbyists, car salesmen, and telemarketers. Ranking at the top of the list were nurses.

Journalists scored about halfway down the list, just below building contractors and above bankers. (Oddly enough, pollsters were not on the list.)

National Honesty Day ends at midnight, at which point we can all go back to saying that "the check is in the mail," "we're on our way but stuck in traffic," and "that shirt looks great on you."

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Breast Cancer: Mammograms Beat Thermography, Study Says

Breast cancer awareness is huge, and everyone recognizes that a pink ribbon is the symbol for this disease, which affects millions of women, and some men too. Mammograms have long been the best way to detect lumps and cancer for women, although some doctors recommend thermography as a substitution.

New research suggests, however, that thermography actually misses about 50 percent of cancers, and also delivers too many false positives to be accurate, according to Dr. C.M. Guilfoyle, a researcher at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Pennsylvania.

Thermography is a radiation-free screening method, which uses computer software to measure and compare thermal abnormalities in breasts. I essentially creates a breast ?map? to search for signs of developing cancer. The theory for this method of detection is that increased temperature is found in areas with increased blood flow, which could indicate a tumor.

A mammogram, on the other hand, provides an x-ray of the patient?s breast, which can be used detect lumps, or tumors. Researchers evaluated the technique for breast cancer screening using 180 women, who underwent biopsies after they had suspicious findings on other imaging exams. Guilfoyle stated that:

?I think we are still trying to determine the role of thermography as a breast cancer screening tool.?

The technology, marketed as the No Touch Breast Scan, was not able to tell the difference between malignant and benign lesions in most cases. The technology is still evolving, however, and it does have room to improve, given Guilfoyle?s study.

Dr. Kimberly Lovett, an attending physician at Southern California Permanente, and an investigator at the University of California-San Diego Center for Patient Safety, writes about the dangers of online ads by thermography companies, telling people that it is a good substitute, and can be the sole method for detecting breast cancer. Lovett says that:

?I would tell women that thermography continues to be studied, and the technology will hopefully improve over time. However, at this time, thermography should absolutely not be used as an alternative to screening mammogram or as an alternative to breast biopsy in the presence of a positive mammogram.?

Until a thermography method is developed that yields better results, Guilfoyle recommends sticking with a yearly mammogram for breast cancer detection.

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What killed Lenin? Stress didn't help, poison eyed

In this undated photo, Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin is seen on his death bed. Syphilis probably didn't kill Lenin. Stress, on the other hand, didn't help, and poison may have done him in. That's the conclusion of a doctor and a historian who examined medical records and other evidence for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference on the deaths of famous figures. UCLA neurologist Dr. Harry Vinters and Russian historian Lev Lurie reviewed Lenin's records for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference that opens Friday, May 4, 2012 in Baltimore on famous people's deaths. (AP Photo)

In this undated photo, Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin is seen on his death bed. Syphilis probably didn't kill Lenin. Stress, on the other hand, didn't help, and poison may have done him in. That's the conclusion of a doctor and a historian who examined medical records and other evidence for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference on the deaths of famous figures. UCLA neurologist Dr. Harry Vinters and Russian historian Lev Lurie reviewed Lenin's records for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference that opens Friday, May 4, 2012 in Baltimore on famous people's deaths. (AP Photo)

In this 1921 photo, Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin speaks at a celebration in Russia. Syphilis probably didn't kill Lenin. Stress, on the other hand, didn't help, and poison may have done him in. That's the conclusion of a doctor and a historian who examined medical records and other evidence for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference on the deaths of famous figures. UCLA neurologist Dr. Harry Vinters and Russian historian Lev Lurie reviewed Lenin's records for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference that opens Friday, May 4, 2012 in Baltimore on famous people's deaths. (AP Photo)

Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin is seen in an undated photo. Syphilis probably didn't kill Lenin. Stress, on the other hand, didn't help, and poison may have done him in. That's the conclusion of a doctor and a historian who examined medical records and other evidence for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference on the deaths of famous figures. UCLA neurologist Dr. Harry Vinters and Russian historian Lev Lurie reviewed Lenin's records for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference that opens Friday, May 4, 2012 in Baltimore on famous people's deaths. (AP Photo)

In this 1921 photo, Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin speaks at a celebration in Russia. Syphilis probably didn't kill Lenin. Stress, on the other hand, didn't help, and poison may have done him in. That's the conclusion of a doctor and a historian who examined medical records and other evidence for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference on the deaths of famous figures. UCLA neurologist Dr. Harry Vinters and Russian historian Lev Lurie reviewed Lenin's records for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference that opens Friday, May 4, 2012 in Baltimore on famous people's deaths. (AP Photo)

In this 1922 photo, Vladimir Lenin, left, sits in a park with Joseph V. Stalin. Syphilis probably didn't kill Lenin. Stress, on the other hand, didn't help, and poison may have done him in. That's the conclusion of a doctor and a historian who examined medical records and other evidence for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference on the deaths of famous figures. UCLA neurologist Dr. Harry Vinters and Russian historian Lev Lurie reviewed Lenin's records for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference that opens Friday, May 4, 2012 in Baltimore on famous people's deaths. (AP Photo)

BALTIMORE (AP) ? Stress, family medical history or possibly even poison led to the death of Vladimir Lenin, contradicting a popular theory that a sexually transmitted disease debilitated the former Soviet Union leader, a UCLA neurologist said Friday.

Dr. Harry Vinters and Russian historian Lev Lurie reviewed Lenin's records Friday for an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine conference that examines the death of famous figures.

The conference is held yearly at the school, where researchers in the past have re-examined the diagnoses of figures including King Tut, Christopher Columbus, Simon Bolivar and Abraham Lincoln.

The 53-year-old Soviet leader suffered several strokes before dying in 1924 and what caused them isn't clear.

An autopsy found blood vessels in his brain were extremely hardened, results that have been difficult to understand, said Dr. Philip Mackowiak, who organizes the yearly event.

"Number one, he's so young and number two, he has none of the important risk factors," Mackowiak said.

Lenin didn't smoke ? he never let smokers near him. He also didn't have diabetes, wasn't overweight and the autopsy didn't find any evidence of high blood pressure, said Mackowiak, director of the medical care clinical center of the VA Maryland Health Care System, a co-sponsor of the event.

There was "considerable suspicion" among Russians at the time of Lenin's death that syphilis was to blame, Mackowiak said.

However, family history appears to have worked more against Lenin, Vinters said.

Lenin was treated for syphilis using the primitive medications available at the time, and while the sexually transmitted disease can cause strokes, there is no evidence from his symptoms or the autopsy that was the case with Lenin, Vinters said.

The Soviet leader's father died at 54 and both may have been predisposed to hardening of the arteries. Stress also is a risk factor for strokes, and there's no question the communist revolutionary was under plenty of that, the neurologist said.

"People were always trying to assassinate him, for example." Vinters said.

Lurie, a St. Petersburg-based expert in Russian history and politics who also spoke at the conference, said that while Lenin had several strokes, he believes Josef Stalin may finished him off with poison, a theory that Vinters said is a possibility.

Lenin's health had been growing worse over time. In 1921, he forgot the words of a major speech and he had to learn to speak again and write with his left hand after one stroke. A major stroke later left him paralyzed on one side and unable to speak.

However, Lurie said Lenin had recovered enough in early 1924 that he celebrated the new year and went hunting. Lenin, who supported Stalin's rise to power, may have realized he made a mistake and began aligning himself with Leon Trotsky, which caused Stalin to poison Lenin, the historian said.

Poisoning, in fact, eventually became one of Stalin's favorite methods of disposing of enemies, Lurie said.

"The funny thing is that the brain of Lenin still is preserved in Moscow, so we can investigate," Lurie said.

Lenin's embalmed body also still lies on public display in a Red Square mausoleum almost 20 years after the collapse of the communist state he helped bring to life.

Vinters, who reviewed autopsy records and the leader's clinical history, said toxicology tests that might have revealed poisoning were not conducted during the autopsy. Reports from the time also show Lenin was active and talking a few hours before his death.

"And then he experienced a series of really, really bad convulsions which is quite unusual for someone who has a stroke," Vinters said.

Associated Press

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Unsecured Loans for Bad Credit ? Keep Financial Worries Away ...

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If you are maintaining a profile of bad credit problems and want to go for an unsecured loan, then you are about to face hurdles produced by the loan provider. However, you don?t need to worry about borrowing since there is a financial option that is unsecured loans for bad credit. These loans are especially dedicated for endowing financial aids to bad credit people. These are the hassle free financial alternatives for people having bad credit history to get out of all hassles in life. The borrowed amount can be used for various purposes mentioned below:

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- Home improvements,

- Meeting with wedding purposes,

- Debt consolidation,

- Buying used or new vehicle,

- Supporting child?s higher study,

- Planning to go on exotic holiday tour,

- Paying off medical or hospital bills,

- Setting up business expenses and so on

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The unsecured loans for bad credit are collateral free financial programs that do not involve borrowers to put any security against the fund.

As a result, these credits are absolutely risk free for the borrowers. All you suffering from missed payments, defaults, arrears, late payments, payment defaults, county court judgments, individual voluntary arrangements, bankruptcy against their name are eligible for unsecured loans for bad credit. ?

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In these financial plans, the loan lenders do not consider the credit history and endow desired amount by contemplating the repayment ability and monthly income of the borrower. You are needed to fulfill some basic eligibility conditions and once you execute it, the required finance with directly transfer into your bank account. In certain condition you:

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- Should be permanent inhabitant of UK.

- Must be aged of 18 years.

- Must be having an active bank account.

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As unsecured loans for bad credit you would be approved smaller amount that ranges from ?5,000 to ?25,000 for shorter but delighted repayment duration of 1 to 10 years. A marginally draw back of these loans is that the loan providers tend to levy higher interest rate which may go higher if your credit score is low as well. But by a systematic research of the completive online loan market can help you to acquire the better financial deal.

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The online way is better in order to get your application approved in no time. You are required to do is to fulfill a simple online application form giving your genuine details and submit it. After verifying of your details the amount is transferred directly into your bank account on same day.

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After GOP race, Gary Johnson seeks Libertarian nod (The Arizona Republic)

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