EU Galaxies Now Far, Far Away

The BBC reports that Apple has been granted an injunction against Samsung that will prevent sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Europe, alleging that the Galaxy is basically just a copy of iPad 2.  Apple is after the same relief in the U.S.

Already owning the No. 2 tablet in the world, the ASUS Transformer running Android 3.2, not an Apple or Samsung, I can only look at this and say "Huh ... ain't that a shame?"

Apple remains worried about this:

"Hey what's all the racket?"

7:30 this morning, time for some craftsmanlike street repair below my window! Fortunately jetlag has me wide awake at 5:30 am, but I'm not so sure all my neighbors are on that schedule. Notice that this does not stop bicycle traffic at all, of course!

**update** -- the hole is now twice as big, but now that they've opened up that gaping hole in the street, the boys have been on a break for the last hour or so. Good union!

Liftoff for Jupiter

OK, enough of the doom and gloom about us not having any manned space launches on U.S. vehicles for a little while ... we're still the ones exploring this solar system. Here's the liftoff aboard an Atlas V booster of NASA's Juno mission, set to reach Jupiter in 2016 on a scientific research mission.

SONY distribution center, Enfield, England

"Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."
The Dark Knight

Justice for All?

We'll see. Major test ahead for Obama's Justice Department and the Supreme Court:

Two former US security contractors may sue former Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for his role in their alleged torture in Iraq, a court has ruled.

US citizens Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel said they were held for months by US troops under harsh conditions.

They said they were detained in retaliation for efforts to reveal illegal activities by their employer.

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that former Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld had no immunity in the case.

"Plaintiffs have alleged sufficient facts to show that Secretary Rumsfeld personally established the relevant policies that caused the alleged violations of their constitutional rights during detention," the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Chicago, ruled in a 2-1 decision on Monday that upheld a decision by a lower US district court.

BBC Coverage

Third night of riots in London ...

And the picture PM David Cameron gets in the papers is this one, on holiday in Tuscany with the wife. Having a Dubya moment there, David.

Street Music Guy

First afternoon at home after 16 days on the road and 20 hours on planes to get here, I've been on a grocery run, and I'm thinking about a post-lunch nap .... then some guy with an amp shows up on my bridge!

I was ready to be a little NIMBY until I listened for a while and ... actually he didn't suck.