Orange Admits to Lowering 3G Network Speed 
From electronista:
“French cellphone carrier Orange has admitted to imposing artificial limits on its 3G broadband network, reports say. The confession comes after complaints from a number of iPhone 3G owners, who in testing their download capacity discovered that they were limited to a maximum of 400Kbps, as compared to the 1.8Mbps possible on T-Mobile’s German network.
Most 3G networks are limited to a peak speed of 3.2Mbps, although some may support 7.2Mbps. Some upset Orange subscribers have been able to get their speeds raised by technicians, who have altered individual accounts to push speeds as high as 3Mbps. Customers have further alleged that the cap may be a violation of Orange’s service agreements, and a petition for proper 3G access has been formed online.
An Orange representative contacted by FranceInfo has stated that the cap is actually pegged at 384Kbps, and applies not just to iPhones but all devices on its 3G network. The limit was aimed at “preserving the stability of the network,” according to the representative, but Orange has since decided it will raise download speeds slightly; by September 15th, the cap should be 1Mbps.”
tags: france, iphone, 3g, 3g network speed, orange is evil
Hog Pop 
I haven’t given up on my attempts to support indie game and software developers, particularly those in France, so I’m featuring a small, time waster of the day called, “Hog Pop,” just released by Jean-Philippe Sarda, the same guy who brought you that fun yet infuriating Parallel Parking game.
With Hog Pop, your mission is to pop a required number of bubbles, but I haven’t seen any hogs yet.
Pop now!
More games:
How well do you know your world?
Cities Game
How Well Do You Know the World Map?
Ouverture Facile
Jeu chiant
L’expresso empoisonné
Run n Roll
Recyle
The Museum
Parallel Parking Game
Ladybugs
Boulangerie the Game
Solitaire
tags: france, games, hog pop, independent game developers, french, Jean-Philippe Sarda
One “I am Rich” iPhone App was Bought by Someone in France
A couple of days ago Apple yanked one of the listed iPhone apps from the iTunes store. The app with a $1000 price tag (actually $999.99), brilliant in my opinion and funny to boot, displays an image of a glowing red ruby that would always remind you (and others when you show it to them) that you are rich enough to afford it. That’s all it does. I’m serious.
The kooky thing is: EIGHT people bought it! Really. So the German developer, Armin Heinrich worked for approximately one hour to churn out this app and voila, he made over 5,000 bucks. ($8,000 minus Apple’s commission) And according to the LAtimes, the buyers were 6 Americans, 1 German and 1 French person. (or someone living in France). Did they think they were getting an actual ruby? Or do you think they just wanted it and could kick around a thousand bucks just like that? Did they show it to other people? Are they proud of it?
tags: france, i am rich, iphone applications, ruby, insane
You, Your Cell Phone, Dangers and What to Do 
By now, you’ve probably heard about a correlation between cell phone use and cancer. But geez, you can’t listen to those things because you absolutely love your cell phone. Who doesn’t? You were so freakin’ relieved to find out that those popcorn popping celphones were a hoax. Don’t lie. This love you have for your cute electronic companion has conveniently ousted from your head any negative publicity your mobile beloved has received. You really want to ignore them! Here’s you, “cell phones are dangerous??? NAH….. Don’t be silly! Cancer? Pfff. That is ridiculous. I use mine all the time and I’m fine!”
Do you say that because you don’t WANT it to be true? You can want all you like but just because you don’t want it to be true doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
No one WANTED cigarettes to be the leading cause of death, cancer, heart disease and lung disease (among other things), did they? Many cigarettes smokers said, “they smoked all the time and they were fine!”
No one wanted to believe that the building material called asbestos would kill them. No one wanted to think that anything was wrong with their PVC window frames? Check your hospitals, do they have any PVC? Answer: No. “But the PVC pipes and windows were so cheap,” people say…
Hospitals also don’t allow cell phone use, or wifi for that matter. Do people wonder WHY? I wish they did.
The warnings have been around for a long time but it has been in French news more and more this year. I mean, you can’t let your peeps keep doing harmful things to their bodies, can you France?
French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin also went on France 2 TV and rehashed the well-worn theory connecting cell phone use with cancer.
In the U.S. neurosurgeons can’t admit that cell phones are dangerous and cause brain cancer, but they WILL admit that they NEVER put a cell phone up to their heads. Ever! What do BRAIN SURGEONS know, anyway!??!
Hang on. Aside from being rant-errific, I do have some useful information that might prompt you to reduce the amount of risk to which you subject yourself.
Both Europe and the U.S. have defined safety limits for exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy produced by mobile devices. The SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) or DAS (débit d’absorption spécifique) in France is a measure or index of the rate at which RF energy is absorbed by the body when exposed to radio-frequency electromagnetic field.
In the United States the FCC requires that phones sold have a SAR level at or below 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg) taken over a volume of 1 gram of tissue.
In the European Union, the SAR limit is 2 W/kg, averaged over ten grams of tissue. For whole body exposure there is a limit of 0.08 Watt/kg averaged over the whole body.
What you can do: Find out the index of your mobile phone then act accordingly. If it’s too high, get a different phone that is safer. Here’s a chart with a list of phones and their SARs.
As an example, the new 3G iPhone’s SAR (or indice DAS in French) is 1.388 W/kg. The first generation iPhone was 0.974 W/Kg. Other examples: Motorola Razr2 v9 is 0.52. The Samsung SLM is 0.48. As low as some of the phone’s indices are, neurosurgeons STILL won’t put them up to their heads!
What you can do: Like neurosurgeons, DON’T put the cellphone up to your head. Use speaker phone mode. Note: Bluetooth devices and unshielded wired-earphones amplify the signal. In other words, they radiate more, NOT less.
What you can do: Remember that the industries will ALWAYS deny the existence of any dangers. Not only that, they are responsible for those “counter” studies that come out after researchers warn about the dangers of a product. Scientific studies have been suppressed by the cell phone industry and the government to protect their profits. Do not buy that game.
What you can do: Reduce your cell phone use to a bare minimum. Keep conversations short.
What you can do: Don’t let kids use the phone at all if possible. If they must, not for more than a minute at a time. Ideally, they should never use them or use them only for emergency situations.
What you can do: Turn your cell phone off when it isn’t needed and especially when you are driving your car. When driving with your cell phone on, the waves ricochet inside the car because cars are metallic, creating a Faraday Cage.
What you can do: When possible, keep the cell phone as far away from your body as much as possible.
Links: SAR, Get Little Kids Away from the iPhone and iPod Touch, Cell Phone Dangers Revealed, Patents Prove Cell Phone Dangers from Wired, Hidden Dangers of Cell Phone Radiation, Chemical and Cell Phones, Harmful Effects of Cell Phones, Hazards of the Wireless Age, Reduce Risks, Mobile Phones more dangerous than smoking
france, How to Reduce Your Cell Phone Risks, cell phones and cancer, SAR, Indice DAS
New iPhones Sold Out and You Didn’t Get One? 
The new iPhone 3Gs were sold out within hours of its availability here in France the other day. Oh well. You waited too long, and didn’t get one? Maybe you can get one of these new, plastic disposable Bic cel phones instead. They’re really ugly, they radiate a lot of un-heathy microwaves and they’re very hazardous to the environment because they end up piling up in the landfills eventually leaching BPAs, dioxins and other carcinogens into the land, air and water. I bet you really want one now.
Bic (yes, the same people who brought you all those hideous plastic florescent lighters and pens that leaked into your backpack and pockets) has teamed up with Orange – to launch the sale of these wonderful mobile phones on August 7. The phone will cost €49 (about $80).
tags: france iphone disposable celphones global warming horrible inventions bic
Glow Takes Inspiration from Paris’ Nuit Blanche 
Tonight, the City of Santa Monica in California will launch an interactive light installation / art festival called, “Glow” and the pier and beach will literally glow all night long. Think of it as an all night psychedelic light party with media art, performances, music and sculpture installations. I couldn’t help writing about my old socal stomping grounds.
This is the first ever event of its kind for the U.S., but the idea isn’t new. They’ve borrowed the idea from the annual Paris Nuit Blanche (White Night), which is the night Paris stays awake till wee hours of the morning, and millions of people attend this artistic block party of sorts. (By the way, this year the Paris Nuit Blanche takes place on October 4 and 5, 2008.)
Glow takes place tonight 7pm until Sunday 7am.
Here’s a description from the site:
“Glow will fill the hours between dusk to dawn with compelling, enchanting and effervescent sights and sounds situated in spaces and times that expand possibilities for where, how and when the public experiences contemporary art.
With the historic Santa Monica Pier and adjacent world-famous Santa Monica Beach as their space, artists were commissioned to create unique and inviting works of art that welcome the public to be both audience and actor for twelve celebratory hours. Inspired by the wildly successful Nuit Blanche in Paris, Glow takes its spirit from the fabled grunion that live in local waters and come ashore several times a year to spawn in the sand creating a momentary sensation of iridescence.”
Glow
July 19, 2008
7pm to 7am
Free to the public
WHERE:
The “GLOW” Zone, Santa Monica, CA (Ocean Avenue between Colorado and Santa Monica Blvd), Carousel and Ferris Wheel at Santa Monica Pier, Ferris Wheel at Pacific Park, Palisades Park (at entrance to Pier on Ocean Avenue), Muscle Beach, in front of Loews Hotel at Appian Way.
Website: Glow (for current up-to-the-minute calendars, parking information, maps and schedules)
tags: santa monica travel glow nuit blanche
New iPhone 3G in France – July 11
The new iPhone 3G will be available for purchase in Orange stores across France beginning July 11. It’s thinner, faster, has a built-in GPS, among other features – and of course is probably a lot more expensive in France than in the U.S. (I can’t seem to find pricing, though.)
More information Apple (English), Apple (French)
tags: france iphone 3g apple
Apple Store, Louvre? 
Kewl. An Apple Store near the Louvre!
From MacworldUK:
“Apple plans to open its first retail store in France just near to the world-famous Louvre art gallery in Paris.
A report from leading French newspaper, La Tribune, explains Apple’s application for the store – to be situated under the pyramid in front of the Louvre’s grand entrance – has been approved.
Apple will build a two-story, 715 square metre store in space previously occupied by two shops.
On this, IFO AppleStore explains the store, “will host nine million visitors a year, of which at least 40 per cent are tourists.”
An Apple spokesperson said: “We are thrilled that our opening project of an Apple Store in the Carrousel du Louvre has been approved.”
Links: Apple Computer Stores in France, Apple Store in Paris, Apple Gets Green Light, Tribune
tags: france travel apple store louvre apple louvre
TV Shows Available on iTunes France From applegazette:
“Apple announced today that television programming is finally coming to iTunes France. Top French networks like TF1, France Télévisions, Arte, Mediatoon’s Dargaud TV and Dupuis TV and US shows from The Walt Disney Company and MTV Networks are all available in the iTunes Store in France now.
Customers can now purchase and download primetime hits like “La main blanche,” “Les Contes de la Collection Chez Maupassant,” “Coeur Océan,” “Spirou et Fantasio,” “Lucky Luke” and “Le dessous des cartes,” as well as Emmy Award-winning US programs “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Ugly Betty” and “South Park.”
Apple, again, shows us that they are moving to the variable price model. Television shows are priced at €1.49, €1.99 and €2.49 per episode.”
Travel Tips for Globetrotting Geeks – A Guide to Mastering the Art of High Tech Travel From wired:
“So you’ve decided to leave the comfort of your nerd-friendly lair and head out to explore the larger world. Perhaps a conference in Bangkok beckons, or maybe a Linux gathering in Europe. Even a trip with the family to some deserted isle?
Whatever the case, no self respecting geek goes globetrotting without preparation, research and a serious stash of appropriate gadgets. To save you from having to scour the net, here’s Wired’s guide to mastering the art of high tech travel.
Inspector Gadget
Here’s the first question: what gear should you bring? Furthermore, how do you keep it powered up and safe from harm and/or theft?
For full details on what you need to make sure all your gadgets have plenty (and the right kind) of electricity, check out our Stay Plugged In While Traveling guide. Once you have your power adapters in order, it’s worth asking which devices you should bring and which ones you can get by without.
Laptops
The laptop is tempting, and in many cases a must-have, especially if your destination is a conference or meet-up. But if you’re just traveling for pleasure, a good internet cafe is all you need. Going “topless” also spares you the added weight and hassle of lugging a computer around.
If you do have to bring your beloved portable, PACK A CABLE LOCK. This gives quite a piece of mind if you want to leave your hotel room for a dinner without having to worry that your hardware is gonna be missing when you get back.
The availability of internet cafes abroad varies, but generally speaking, they are not hard to come by unless you get well off the beaten tourist path. Do some searching and see what those who have already been to where you are going have found.
Tip: Mac users take note, you will almost always find Windows PCs in internet cafes.
Tip: A number of internet cafes have started banning USB sticks, which ruins your ability to Carry Your Desktop Anywhere with Portable Apps. The practice isn’t widespread enough to preclude carrying a USB stick, but you may encounter a few spots where your thumb drive is frowned upon. On the plus side, more and more have Firefox installed.
Tip: Bring a USB stick that is…”
Read more
Google’s Street View Meets Resistance in France From slashdot:
“Google has begun to scan the streets of Paris as part of its Street View service, but the company may be hindered from publishing them unedited. The reason? French privacy laws. Google may be forced to blur faces or use low-resolution versions of the photographs. The Embassy of France in the U.S. has a page devoted to French privacy laws, that says the laws are needed to ‘avoid infringing the individual’s right to privacy and right to his or her picture (photograph or drawing), both of them rights of personality.”
France Puts Spying on French Residents On Hold – For the Moment From yahoo:
“The French government will “suspend” the use of new software for recording the personal habits and affiliations of its citizens in a police database, following an outcry by civil rights groups.
Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie took the decision Tuesday to suspend trials of the Ardoise software while officials consider how to reconcile privacy rights and operational needs, her spokesman confirmed Thursday.
Ardoise is the front end for a new police central database, Ariane, which is destined to replace those used by France’s two law enforcement groups, the Police and the Gendarmerie.
Still in a test phase, Ardoise and Ariane are intended to help combat crime by encouraging the services to share information, and by allowing them to data-mine the pooled data. The existing Police computer, STIC, and that of the Gendarmerie, Judex, hold information about criminals, suspects, witnesses and victims of crime.
Campaigners say that Ardoise infringes civil liberties by allowing law enforcers to tag a person’s file with annotations including “runaway child,” “handicapped,” “homeless,” “trade unionist,” “alcoholic,” “narcotics user,” “transvestite,” “transgendered,” “homosexual,” “prostitute,” “person who frequents prostitutes,” “psychologically disturbed” or “member of a sect,” simply by picking them from a list.
“Membership of trade union or one’s sexual preferences have no place in a police file in a democracy,” said online rights group Odebi, adding that it is not enough simply to suspend implementation of the database.
The database also holds information about religion, sexual orientation and race, according to the Interior Ministry.
It’s not the first time that a French government has faced protests over the creation of a central database linking government computer systems. The government’s plans to create the System for Administrative Files Automation and the Registration of Individuals (Safari) caused a scandal when they were uncovered in 1974, leading to the creation of the National Data Processing and Liberties Commission (CNIL). Safari also prompted a series of tough data protection laws obliging database owners to register their activities with the CNIL and giving citizens the right to correct data held about them.
The CNIL is among the organizations angered by Ardoise, because the government has not sought the necessary legal approval for combining the data held in the various police databases, its president Alex Türk wrote in an open letter to the Minister of the Interior on April 15. Such processing is supposed to be approved by the CNIL and by a statutory order of the Council of State.
The Ministry replied to that letter saying that the field for storing a person’s sexual orientation, religion or race in Ardoise is only supposed to be completed if it is relevant to an investigation, and that the CNIL has in any case already approved storage of the same kinds of information in the Police database STIC.
Tuesday’s suspension only concerns the test phase for Ardoise “for the simple reason that software can’t enter service until the CNIL has given its opinion and Council of State has examined the statutory order concerning the new system,” the Alliot-Marie’s spokesman Gerard Gachet wrote in an e-mail Thursday.
After the CNIL’s April 15 letter, Alliance Police Nationale, a trade union for police officers, called for the test version to be amended in accordance with CNIL’s recommendations so that its use could not lead to discrimination.
Another police union, Synergie-Officiers, said the software had been created too hastily, without consideration of operational needs or officers’ opinions.
But Synergie-Officiers supported storage of information about the race and religion of suspects and victims. In France some violent crimes attract tougher sentences if motivated by racial or religious hatred, and the union warned that if campaign groups want such hate crimes pursued more vigorously, then police need a way to identify the relevant information about attackers and victims during investigations.”
Tags: france, big+brother, privacy+threatened, software, civil+liberties
Read & Go: New E-Newspaper / Book Reader in France 
Jumping on the e-reading bandwagon like Kindle (except without a keyboard), Orange and partners Le Monde, Le Parisien, Les Echos, L’Equipe and Télérama are joining together to offer a wireless, touch screen mobile e-newspaper reader that resembles a flat, black Etch a Sketch (sans knobs). They are still testing the product.
The Read&Go has a storage capacity of 1 Gb – more than 200 newspapers – and also contains a e-library of thirty or so books (literature, comic strips, children’s and practical publications, etc.) provided by Feedbooks, Médiatoon (Dargaud, Dupuis, Lombard et Kana) and Mango editions.
I’m still waiting for an e-reader for my Nintendo DS
. I’d use that!
More info here (pdf)
[via]
Tags: france, orange, e-reader, kindle, newspapers, wifi, touchscreen
Digitizing The Mona Lisa 
Lumiere Technology digitized the Mona Lisa and describes the process.
Watch the video
Tags: paris, france, mona+lisa, louvre, art, videos, digitzing
Carrefour will offer downloadable movies From electronista:
“France-based Carrefour Group will launch a movie download service, the world’s second biggest retailer announced at the PEVE Digital Entertainment conference in Paris on Friday. The service will allow customers to buy movies or rent movies and rent TV programs. The Group already operates supermarkets, grocery stores and convenience stores that carry DVDs in Europe, and wants to expand its focus on entertainment, bringing it closer to customers.
Carrefour’s international non-food chief, Christophe Geoffroy, said the shopping experience would be simple and fast, with downloads taking about 3 minutes, suggesting a possible streaming experience. He went on to say video-on-demand market in Europe isn’t great, but is expected to grow. Some analysts predict Europe’s movie download market will be worth over about 690 Euros (over $1 billion) by 2011.
Carrefour isn’t the only or the first major retailer to seize the opportunity, as earlier this week, British retailer and grocer Tesco opened its own music and video site, with a larger focus on MP3 album and singles sales.
The group would continue to sell DVD videos at its current stores throughout France, Spain, Belgium and Italy, of which it has a 13.3% market share. Pricing for its downloads, nor a launch date, have yet been announced.”
Possible Price Cut on iPhones in France From macnn:
“Apple is in discussions with Orange about lowering the cost of the French iPhone, Les Echos reports. The newspaper cites an inside source, who claims that Apple is putting pressure on Orange to change to a subsidized pricing model, under which the public would have to pay less for the device. At present Orange is charging at least €399 ($635), making not only for an expensive product, but one of the most costly versions of the iPhone in Europe. Apple is said to be disappointed with sales of the iPhone in France, which recently crossed the 100,000 threshold, and in Europe in general. This is likely one of the reasons for price cuts elsewhere, which have seen the 8GB iPhone fall to £169 in the UK, and just €99 in Germany. Apple may also be hoping to clear out inventory in advance of a 3G iPhone release this summer. Orange is said to be willing to go along with Apple’s plan, but negotiating for a better revenue-sharing agreement in order to compensate for lower profits on each iPhone sold.”
Tags: france, apple, orange, iphone
Karma! Sony BMG busted for software piracy in France From gizmodo:
“Ouch, that payback, it can be a bitch — Sony BMG, distributors of rootkit-installing CDs and litigious foe of P2P users worldwide, has just been busted in France for using pirated software on its servers. And it gets even worse: Windows admin tool developer PointDev says a Sony BMG was caught when an IT staffer actually called up for support and gave a pirated license number to the phone tech. That’s some pretty shady behavior for a company that’s rammed anti-piracy measures down its own customers’ throats — too bad it’s probably not going to feel the hit of the €300,000 ($475,000) lawsuit nearly as hard as the college students it routinely sues for $5,000.”
Ma Pomme Tao – Mixing Apples with Apple 
What do you get when you take my preferred computer platform, Macintosh – and mix it up with Vietnamese cuisine, a postcard perfect medieval French village and friendly service? Answer: My new favorite restaurant/Mac store in Sarlat!
I’m not kidding. This is a Mac Store AND a Vietnamese restaurant; yes, all in the same place. (Not an official Apple store, but a reseller.) What could be a better combination?
The awesome collective power of Mac and Southeast Asian food beckoned us to give Ma Pomme Tao a try and now a mention because it was one of those awesome and unique finds when wandering around France. Actually, I probably wouldn’t have mentioned it if the food was bad, which it wasn’t. In fact, the food was exquisite.
Most of the restaurants in Sarlat cater to the tourist looking for regional specialties like cassoulet, confit de canard, foie gras and other heavy yet yummy dishes from the southwest, but the beauty of Ma Pomme Tao, is that if you are in Sarlat for more than a few days, once in a while you will need something different: say, a store that sells Macs and iPods, oh and meal-wise, something other than meat slowly cooked and drenched in goose fat. Ma Pomme Tao was the refreshing alternative and offers all that, even vegetarian dishes; what a concept! Seriously. Vegetarian dishes are hard to find here.
We couldn’t wrangle our entire party of 6 to the restaurant, so we had to order out. More points go to Ma Pomme Tao for having take out! Everything we ordered was really excellent even the xung-xa (jelly) desserts they offered us for free. (What we ate: Vegetarian nems, shrimp nems, bo-bun, beef lemon lemongrass salad, crispy noodles and vegetables, the luc-lac beef, 5 spice pork meatballs, beef sate skewers, shrimp wrapped around sugar cane.)
Highly recommended.
Ma Pomme Tao
37, avenue Thiers
24200 Sarlat-la-Canéda France
+33 5 53 59 71 88
*reservations are required*
email: tao-la-cantine@orange.fr (restaurant)
email: postmaster@ma-pomme-tao.com (store)
Related: hotels in sarlat
Get to Know France Intimately by Playing This Game 
Oftentimes people will refer to their region’s department by a number, which totally perplexes me since I just have no idea what they’re talking about. I just don’t know them. Also there are numbers on license plates that indicate where the driver is from, so if you know which number represents their corresponding department, you’ll know where they’re from, for what that’s worth. (For now, at least. I heard they will be getting rid of these numbers on plates, so you won’t know where that driver is from.) With all of France’s regions, departments, numbers, etc., and there are a LOT to know (for a relatively small country), it might or might not help you to learn some of them. So if you’d like to get to know France more intimately, play this game. Here, you’ll get quizzed on French prefectures, regions and departments (by name, by number), and rivers. It’s hard! But, it can be helpful when reading the news about France and when someone, say at a party, tells you about 21. You can happily respond, “You’re from Cote d’Or? LOVE that department.” Or something to that effect.
Play a game or two at Geographix
Apple Store in Paris – Coming Soon 
According to paris addict, the very first Apple Store will be opening in the gallery of the carousel of the Louvre! This location currently houses the Virgin Mega Store, but I guess they’re outta there soon. Yay! Now you can easily find that new MacBook Air Apple just released. The ultra-thin MacBook you can fit into a manila folder.
Merci! An insanely ginormous THANK YOU to Martin, who heroically saved this blog from hell (aka a wacky evil bug in WordPress). You are the best, Martin!!
A Gift for Travelers 
I’ve been doing the last minute shopping thing! I tried not to but, anyway. I thought I’d mention this GPS as a gift idea. We have an older model but LOVE this thing. We don’t get lost any more (and believe me, we’d get lost a LOT.)
Yay. You can use this nifty Tom Tom Go GPS in all the places you travel in the car (and walking around).
Get the traveler in your life a fun gadget, and they’ll never have to deal with unfolding maps (and having to refold those things!) again.
Tom Tom Go GPS
Kindle and Philippe Starck 
Some are calling Kindle an amazing reading device from Amazon, but others, like French Designer Philippe Starck, have some issues with its design. I hate to admit it (seeing that Philippe Starck designed this) but I don’t find this digital book reader a very pretty designed gadget either. Watch the video here.
More about Kindle
Sorry about the Downtime Why Travel to France is acting a little kooky and will continue to do a bit more of that today. I’m in the process of switching servers because I’m getting so much more traffic on the site than ever before. I’m not complaining. Thanks, visitors!
While I’m in geek mode, if you are looking for a great company that can host your server, I highly recommend Liquid Web. They are simply the best. Excellent and highly skilled customer service 24/7 – 365 days a year. That includes being open at 3am on Christmas! If you ever have any problems, they are on it right away. (Do you think you can find a French server company open on the weekends, let alone on Christmas? Answer: NO.)
Liquid Web
4210 S Creyts Road
Lansing, MI
48917-9526, U.S.A.
Yann Arthus-Bertrand Teams up with Google Earth 
Here’s a video with our favorite aerial photographer giving a shout out to Google Earth. (He takes some funky farm animal photos too.)
Download it and you can view 500 photos from environmentalist and French photographer and Yann Arthus-Bertrand as a layer in Google Earth.
Video – The Earth from Above (Google Earth)
[via]
