Raspberry Pi - accessories

Raspberry Pi first look introduced the Raspberry PI...Now for some accessories (USB WiFi, monitor, and keyboard):

 

Sony DSC RX-100 first look

The specifications: 4" x 2 3/8" x 1 7/16" (101.6 x 58.1 x 35.9mm; Weight 8.5 oz (240g);  3.0 inch (7.5cm) (4:3), 1,229k dots TFT LCD; SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot; Micro HDMI and Micro USB ports; additional detailed specifications here.

Reviews:

Sony RX100 review

Sony RX100 review

Sony Cybershot RX100

Tiny Camera to Rival the Pros

Amazing little being (Amazon)

Sony RX100 The Rollei S35 Rides Again 

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 In-Depth Review 

Sony's RX100 Is the Best Point-and-Shoot Camera

The Sony RX100 Digital Camera Review. The best pocket digital compact of the year..actually…EVER!

On YouTube:

Review: Sony Cyber-Shot RX100 Digital Camera 

Test Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

Sony RX100 Evening and Night Shooting Sample Videos

Sony RX100 - 8 Reasons the Sony RX100 Is the BEST Compact Digital Camera EVER

Random chart - means-tested programs

Source: Growth in Means-Tested Programs and Tax Credits for Low-Income Households

Per the CBO: "The federal government devotes roughly one-sixth of its spending to 10 major means-tested programs and tax credits, which provide cash payments or assistance in obtaining health care, food, housing, or education to people with relatively low income or few assets..." 

"... in 2012, federal spending on those programs and tax credits totaled $588 billion..."

"... Total federal spending on those 10 programs (adjusted to exclude the effects of inflation) rose more than tenfold—or by an average of about 6 percent a year—in the four decades since 1972 (when only half of the programs existed). As a share of the economy, federal spending on those programs grew from 1 percent to almost 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) over that period..."

"... Increases in spending per participant resulted mainly from two factors:

• Growth in the cost of providing assistance (such as rising costs for medical care), and
• Actions by lawmakers to provide more generous benefits (such as increases in SNAP benefits)"

Random chart - expanding universe

Source: The Ultimate Mystery of the Universe, Stephen Wolfram Ponders a Unified Theory

Random charts - hacking

Source: APT1: Exposing One of China’s Cyber Espionage Units

Report (76-page) by computer security firm Mandiant, which has tracked hacking activities around the world and has concluded that "... hundreds of investigations convince us that the groups conducting these activities are based primarily in China and that the Chinese Government is aware of them."

There is some skepticism about the report (e.g. see here and here), but for the most part it is getting good press... Make of that what you will - either because it is spot on (charitable explanation), or because vested interests such as infosec companies see it as good for business (the less charitable explanation). 

A primer on APT by ISACA (registration required) can be downloaded here....

Random charts - counterfeit drugs

Source: Countering the Problem of Falsified and Substandard Drugs

Indicators

Source: Daily Dish Quote For The Day & Game of Drones

Great quotes - McCruzism

“It is at a minimum relevant to know if that $200,000 that he deposited in his bank account came directly from Saudi Arabia, came directly from North Korea.”  

- Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Chuck Hagel's income from Corsair Capital.

Random chart - measuring health care

Source: Measuring the ‘Quality’ of Health Care 

Excellent article by Uwe Reinhardt on the difficulty and necessity of measuring quality in health care...

Previous blogs on healthcare and healthcare reform:
All you ever wanted to know about the MLR - Sep 23rd, 2012
Latest MLR update -  Dec 4th, 2011
The MLR saga continues - May 13th, 2011
Misc update (MLR) - Mar 26th, 2011
Misc update - V - Feb 13th, 2011
Misc updates - MLR - Oct 25th, 2010
MLR Redux - Aug 24th, 2010
MLR update - Jun 27th, 2010
Health care re-form VIII (More nonsense) - August 28th, 2009
Health care re-form VII (Nonsense) - Aug 26th, 2009
Health care re-form VI (Effectiveness) - Aug 15th, 2009
Health care re-form V (The sales job) - Aug 14th, 2009
Health care re-form IV (What is it?) - Aug 13th, 2009
Health care re-form III (Why we spend more) - Aug 8th, 2009
Health care re-form II (P4P) - Aug 4th, 2009
Health care re-form I (Issues) - Aug 4th, 2009
So? - Jul 27th, 2009
Random chart... - Jul 12th, 2009
Random charts... - May 22nd, 2009
Random chart... - May 9th, 2009
Wyeth v. Levine - Mar 22nd, 2009
Financial crisis & hospitals - III - Mar 22nd, 2009
Random chart... - Feb 1st, 2009
Financial crisis & hospitals - II - Jan 27th, 2009
Random chart... - Jan 26th, 2009
Hospitals' financial update - Dec 25th, 2008
Good for the goose - Dec 11th, 2008
Studies of interest - IV - Nov 16th, 2008
Studies of interest - II - Nov 16th, 2008
Financial crisis & hospitals - I - Nov 14th, 2008
 

Random charts - Children & the environment

Source: America’s Children and the Environment 3rd Edition (412-pg PDF)

And now for something different...

Most of the phones currently coming out look very similar and there aren't many vendors trying out something new. Fortunately at least two have come out with something a little out of the ordinary. First up is the NEC-manufactured Medias W N-05E phone, that has two displays...

Next up, the YotaPhone. This has a high resolution LCD display on one side and an e-ink display on the back (note: the picture below is of 2 YotaPhones side-by-side)

For more check out the links below:
[Hands-On] MEDIAS W dual-screen Android smartphone 
NEC's Medias W unveiled: a folding smartphone with two 4.3-inch displays

YotaPhone: A New Archetype 
The Dual-Screen YotaPhone Is Probably The Coolest Idea At This Year's Otherwise Lame CES