Media mogul Rupert Murdoch takes to Twitter

FILE- Chairman of News Corp. business empire Rupert Murdoch, in this file photo dated Thursday, April 10, 1997. The 80-year old media mogul Murdoch has begun the 2012 New Year by setting up a twitter account under the handle at rupertmurdoch, it is confirmed Monday Jan. 2, 2012, with one of his first tweets "My resolutions, try to maintain humility and always curiosity," he tweets. "And of course diet!", and with some 46,000 followers already, it seems that the communications mogul is reaching new highs. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, file)

FILE- Chairman of News Corp. business empire Rupert Murdoch, in this file photo dated Thursday, April 10, 1997. The 80-year old media mogul Murdoch has begun the 2012 New Year by setting up a twitter account under the handle at rupertmurdoch, it is confirmed Monday Jan. 2, 2012, with one of his first tweets "My resolutions, try to maintain humility and always curiosity," he tweets. "And of course diet!", and with some 46,000 followers already, it seems that the communications mogul is reaching new highs. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, file)

LONDON (AP) ? Rupert Murdoch has begun the new year by setting up in a new field of communications ? he's started tweeting.

The media mogul, who is recovering from perhaps his most difficult year in the business, is posting on Twitter under the handle rupertmurdoch, spokeswoman Daisy Dunlop at News International confirmed Monday.

The account was opened over the New Year's holiday, but many doubted its authenticity because Murdoch, 80, has generally tried to stay out of the spotlight as his media empire comes under increased scrutiny because of widespread phone hacking at his U.K. newspapers.

Murdoch faced harsh questioning in Parliament last summer and may face additional questions from the wide-ranging Leveson Inquiry into media practices later this year, but he makes no mention of these troubles in his tweets, which include the News Corp. chief's New Year's resolutions.

"My resolutions, try to maintain humility and always curiosity," he tweets. "And of course diet!"

Murdoch had attracted more than 46,000 followers by Monday morning, just two days after he started tweeting. His wife Wendi Deng has also started tweeting ? she's wendi_deng.

She refers to the setbacks of the last year in her tweets: "A lot of bad things happened in 2011 but I hope in 2012 we can put them all behind us and sail on to a bright future for everyone Wxx."

She also gently reminds fellow tweeters to spell her first name with an "i'' at the end, not a "y."

The Murdochs' entry into the world of Twitter was met with some bemusement and some hostility by its denizens.

John Prescott, former U.K. deputy prime minister, came up with one of the wittier responses to Murdoch's unexpected surfacing at the very public, very popular micro-blogging site.

"Welcome to Twitter," he writes to the mogul, whose reporters were skilled at hacking into telephone messaging systems. "I've left you a Happy New Year message on my voicemail!"

Others express fears that the wealthy Murdoch will buy the Twitter site.

Murdoch also deleted a tweet in which he suggested that Britons might have too many public holidays for a country facing tough times.

At times in his tweets Murdoch sounds bored with his New Year's holiday. He complains that there are "too many people" on the island of St. Bart's, an exclusive Caribbean hideaway.

"Back to work tomorrow," he says. "Enough idling!"

Murdoch also tweets that some of his friends are "frightened" by what he might say.

He also praises Mike Bloomberg, the Republican mayor of New York City, and Rick Santorum, a Republican presidential candidate.

Murdoch tweeted his wishes for a happy new year and said it would probably exceed expectations.

"Happy 2012," he says. "May it be better than all experts predict. Has to be! Must must change everything to create jobs for all, especially young."

His Twitter profile is accompanied by a snapshot showing Murdoch grimacing. He is wearing a casual white T-shirt with a light blue sweater.

Murdoch was forced to close the News of the World last year because of widespread phone hacking at the tabloid. The victims included celebrities, sports stars, and a murdered teenager whose voicemails had been hacked.

The scandal has damaged Murdoch's financial holdings and raised doubts about whether his family can retain control of the company, which has substantial interests in newspapers, magazines, movies, television and book publishing.

___

Online: http://twitter.com/rupertmurdoch

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-02-EU-Britain-Murdoch-On-Twitter/id-e06f75466e0749e1abff58d679f21945

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Microsoft-approved Windows Phone 7 unlocker discontinued (for the moment)

Well, that was fast. Not two months after ChevronWP7 began selling $9 "tokens" to unlock WP7 handsets, the tool is being discontinued. WPCentral reports that ChevronWP7 made an agreement with Microsoft not to sell more than 10,000 tokens. Unfortunately for latecomers, though, the outfit's reached that cut-off, and says it has no current plans to renegotiate this number (though it hasn't ruled it out either). In a statement, ChevronWP7 spokesperson Rafael Rivera wrote, "Microsoft isn't involved in our discussion yet. And they can't provide us with more unlocks because we haven't asked yet. If we do request more, we're sure Microsoft will respond positively - as they have in the past." Until the two companies raise that sales ceiling, the only Redmond-sanctioned unlocker will be Microsoft's own AppHub, which will set you back a princelier $99.

Microsoft-approved Windows Phone 7 unlocker discontinued (for the moment) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/02/microsoft-approved-windows-phone-7-unlocker-discontinued-for-th/

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Baywood seniors shrug off winter to keep playing golf

By Stephen Schramm
Staff writer

Roy Denning doesn't take a practice swing. A brief pause is all that separates the motions he uses to tee up the ball and then send it hurtling down the first fairway.

A few days after Christmas, Baywood Golf Course is windswept and empty. The only other sign of life on this Wednesday morning is the country music wafting from the radio belonging to a construction crew working on a distant house. Despite the bright sun, the temperature is still in the low 40s.

And nobody cares.

Denning, John Smith and John Videki are part of the Baywood seniors. At 69, with a tight white beard, a wide tan hat and an easy smile, Denning's the youngest of the three.

The group plays most mornings at the 18-hole course near Eastover and can swell to as many as 25 in the warmer months.

This time of year, it's down to a hearty few.

For them, exercise, fellowship and the desire to get out of the house trump the cold.

Videki swears that, as long as the sun is out and the wind stays calm, you barely notice the chill. They say the key is wearing layers. Packing an extra towel to wipe a runny nose doesn't hurt either.

You can buy hand warmers in the pro shop or coffee at the snack bar, but all three say they never do.

Sure, they'll spend time in the clubhouse, watching the morning news or telling stories. But they're usually just waiting out the frost.

"If it's frozen or anything like that, it breaks the grass," Smith said. "But we'd play if they let us."

William McArthur joins the group on the third hole. He had to run home. He usually keeps his clubs in his car, but holiday chores forced him to take them out. He remembered that only after he showed up at the course.

He said on frigid mornings he'll get strange looks when he tells people he's heading to the course.

"And I look at them crazy when they're working," the retired McArthur said.

Reality could soon intrude on the group's winter routine.

The course's out-of-state owners have been trying to sell it since 2004. If no buyer can be found in the next three weeks, it will close.

The Baywood seniors understand they may have to find a new home. But on this day, the future - like the cold - doesn't come up much.

Videki's windbreaker doesn't make it past the first hole. By the time the group hits the second green, Denning has shed his jacket.

"It feels nice out here to me," Videki said. "It's a perfect day to play golf."

Staff writer Stephen Schramm can be reached at schramms@fayobserver.com or at 486-3536.

Source: http://fayobserver.com/articles/2012/01/02/1146680

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