My Living Journals

THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED A SECRET SOCIETY October 1st, 2010 at 3:51 PM Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter for The Social Network, which delves into the beginnings of Facebook and the Harvard final clubs it was modeled on, opened his big mouth this week and threw his informant to the wolves. Sorkin told a group of Harvard students at an early screening that Natalie Portman, a Harvard grad who studied at the Ivy League university from 1999 to 2003, had dated a member of the famed Porcellian Club and Portman invited him to dinner to dish for his research. Clubs like the Porcellian served as inspiration to Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg — the focus of The Social Network. It's a cute anecdote and all, but those all-male, ultra exclusive and still-more secretive Harvard final clubs are secretive for a reason, and probably don't take kindly .. more»

Some observers believe that today's media environment is desensitizing young people to the hurtful effects of their actions. The case of a Rutgers student death is renewing scrutiny of this issue. The story of Tyler Clementi is bringing to light the darker side of the pervasiveness of social media in young people’s lives. It’s prompting renewed calls for everything from more specific antibullying education to stronger consequences for harmful uses of media technology. Skip to next paragraph Mr. Clementi, a freshman at the Rutgers University campus in Piscataway, N.J., killed himself Sept. 22. According to prosecutors, a few days earlier his roommate, Dharun Ravi, and another student, Molly Wei, used a Web cam to secretly transmit images of a sexual encounter between Clementi and another man. They intended to do so again on Sept. 21, the prosecutors say. While the Rutgers student death is an extreme case, “a .. more»

MILPITAS, Calif., Oct 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Sigma Designs /quotes/comstock/15*!sigm/quotes/nls/sigm (SIGM 11.45, -0.04, -0.35%) , a leading provider of system-on-chip (SoC) solutions used to deliver entertainment and control throughout the home, will be presenting and attending multiple industry conferences in October. Sigma experts will present technology trends and successful customer solutions in IPTV, connected media players that display Over-The-Top (OTT) content, home control, home entertainment networking, and more. Sigma Designs is currently the only company with the key technologies OEMs and service providers need to address all aspects of the media processing, powerline, phoneline, and coaxial cable infrastructure within the connected home. Come and hear Sigma's experts articulate where the digital home industry is headed and why. For a detailed list of upcoming events, please visit: http://www.sigmadesigns.com/events.php .. more»

Friday, October 1st, 2010, 2:16 pmFannie Mae and Freddie Mac will provide instructions to servicers Friday to review foreclosure processes, ensuring each is in compliance with state law. Major lenders and servicers are reviewing foreclosure processes following announcements from Ally Financial, formerly GMAC Mortgage, and JPMorgan Chase suspended foreclosure sales and cases in 23 states when faulty documentation was detected. Employees at those two companies were signing affidavits without knowledge of the documentation or a notary present. The process is now known as robo-signing. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ordered the largest lenders in the country to review its processes, now the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are taking action. "Freddie Mac is deeply concerned about recent reports that there may be affidavits that were improperly executed in connection with foreclosures. The alleged practices in these reports are clearly not in compliance with Freddie .. more»

With all the grim news about underwater mortgages and rising foreclosures, you might be surprised to learn that a bellwether measure of the national housing market -- homeowners' equity stakes -- has been on the rebound. It hasn't received much publicity, but the Federal Reserve's latest "flow of funds" statistical report on the nation's finances found that homeowners' net equity holdings have increased from $ 5.9 trillion during the first quarter of 2009 -- the hard bottom of the recession cycle -- to just under $ 7 trillion through the second quarter of 2010, ending last June 30. Big numbers, you say, but what does a $ 1 trillion increase in homeowner equity really mean? How could the Fed's widely accepted measurement have jumped 17.1 percent in just 15 months? Home prices may be up modestly in some parts of the country over that period .. more»