Taking a break.

That New Ish will be taking a break for a couple weeks while I get settled into my new semester schedule and building my new computer. Updates will come less frequently unfortunately.
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Meyer to coach final game at Sugar Bowl

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Urban Meyer, who was admitted to a hospital because of chest pains following the Southeastern Conference championship game, is stepping down because of health concerns.

Meyer resigned Saturday, calling it quits after five seasons in Gainesville and two national titles. He goes into the bowl game with a 56-10 record at Florida that includes a 32-8 mark in league play and a school-record 22-game winning streak ended early this month against Alabama.

Meyer, 45, says...

he consulted with his family, his doctors, school president Bernie Machen and athletic director Jeremy Foley before deciding it is in his best interest to focus on his health and family.

Meyer has been to the hospital at least twice since suffering chest pains after the SEC title game, a Florida source told ESPN. The heart problems are stress related, not congenital, a source close to the situation told ESPN.

The problem is not life threatening, a Florida source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. The same source said Meyer will remain in Gainesville in a non-coaching role to be defined later.

Meyer will hold a news conference in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon and will coach his final game in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati on New Year's Day.

"I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years and I have dedicated most of my waking moments the last five years to the Gator football program," Meyer said in a statement. "I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to reevaluate my priorities of faith and family.

"After consulting with my family, Dr. Machen, Jeremy Foley and my doctors, I believe it is in my best interest to step aside and focus on my health and family."

"Coach Meyer and I have talked this through and I realize how hard this was for him to reach this decision," Foley said in a statement. "But, the bottom line is that Coach Meyer needed to make a choice that is in the best interest of his well being and his family. I certainly appreciate what he has meant to the University of Florida, our football program and the Gator Nation. I have never seen anyone more committed to his players, his family and his program. Above all, I appreciate our friendship."

A tireless recruiter and creative motivator, Meyer came to Florida from Utah in fall 2004 amid speculation he would end up at Notre Dame.

Meyer brought most of his staff with him -- some of whom worked with him at Bowling Green (2001-02) and Utah (2003-04). Together, they restored the program to national prominence two years later with the school's second national championship.

The Gators upset Ohio State 41-14 in Glendale, Ariz.; they won another one last January by beating Oklahoma 24-14 in Miami.

With just about his entire team returning this fall, Meyer spent all season coaching under intense pressure and sky-high expectations. He said he welcomed it all as the defending national champions tried to become the second team in the last 14 years to repeat.

But the season was far from smooth. Florida dealt with distraction after distraction, prompting Meyer to call it "the year of stuff."

It included preseason talk about perfection; flulike symptoms that ravaged the team; Tim Tebow's concussion; opposing fans hijacking cell phone numbers; facing former assistant Dan Mullen; linebacker Brandon Spikes' eye-gouging incident; Meyer's hefty fine for criticizing officials; defensive end Carlos Dunlap's drunk-driving arrest; a few controversial calls; some close games; and what seemed to be a season-long offensive slump.

Indeed, the Gators went through just about everything in 2009. Still, the loss to Alabama was the most crushing blow -- until this.

The Crimson Tide derailed Florida's perfect season and left Meyer in a Gainesville hospital. Team officials initially said he was treated and released for dehydration. But players and coaches later said Meyer had chest pains. Meyer refused to talk about his hospital stay, but acknowledged that he needed to take better care of himself.

"He puts a lot on himself and he cares a lot and he takes a lot of the burden on himself," Tebow said last week. "That's something we talk about a lot. You've got to take care of yourself. Although we're both very passionate, you can't always let it all feel like everything is on your chest.

"And I think he's doing a better job of doing that. But when you have guys kind of not doing the right thing and you get beat in a game like that, it can weigh on you a little bit. I think he felt a little bit of that. But I think he's doing a little bit better now, though."

Meyer has a wife and three children -- the oldest recently started college at Georgia Tech -- and has said repeatedly he would never stay in coaching long enough to be like Florida State's Bobby Bowden or Penn State's Joe Paterno.

Nonetheless, his tenure will be remembered.

"He leaves a lasting legacy on the field, in the classroom and in the Gainesville community," school president Bernie Machen said. "I am saddened that Urban is stepping down, but I have deep respect for his decision."

Potential successors to Meyer could include Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Boise State's Chris Petersen, Arkansas' Bobby Petrino, who was the other top candidate in 2004 when Meyer got the job, former Florida Gator and Super Bowl-winning NFL coach Mike Shanahan and former Meyer assistants Dan Mullen and Charlie Strong. Former Florida offensive coordinator Mullen just finished his first season as head coach at Mississippi State. Defensive coordinator Strong was named the head coach at Louisville earlier this month.

Louisville media relations director Rocco Gasparro said Saturday night that Strong had signed a term sheet with the school, but not a formal contract. It is unclear whether the term sheet would be a sticking point should the Gators turn to Strong to replace Meyer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: ESPN

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Final Fantasy XIV Closed Beta

Square-Enix is now recruiting Final Fantasy XIV Closed Beta players! You can sign up for the game in multiple languages but if you prefer English or Japanese. Then the link to the sign up page for English can be found at http://entry.ffxiv.com/na/. If you prefer playing or trying out the Japanese version then you can sign up at http://entry.ffxiv.com/jp/. Everyone should sign up for this game. Since FFXI is probably one of my all time favorite MMORPG's out there!


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Apple’s rumored tablet to be named iSlate?

Some slick domain name and trademark sleuthing from MacRumors and TechCrunch uncovered information about several islate-containing domains and the companion trademark “ISLATE” that may point to Apple as the company behind this mark. It all began with MacRumors which uncovered information about the domain islate.com, a TLD that passed through several hands until 2007 where it landed with the registrar MarkMonitor, a well-known registrar that handles and hides domain registrations for large companies including Apple. Close inspection of the domain name history reveals a brief lapse in late 2007 which exposed Apple as the actual owner of the domain. A look at other TLDs reveals that MarkMonitor also registered islate.co.uk, islate.biz, islate.info, islate.jp and islate.cn in the month of November 2006. Other country designations such as, islate.de and islate.fr, don’t fit into the puzzle as they are registered to known companies with islate.de being registered to a Innovative Dynamics GmbH and islate.fr being registered to the IP property law firm of Wilson & Bertherlot. The mystery deepens when one takes a look at the “ISLATE” trademark information uncovered by TechCrunch, though...

Moving away from the domain information and looking at the trademark information, an unknown Delaware company called Slate Computing filed a trademark the word ISLATE on November 21, 2006 in both the US and the EU. Listed on the EU application was the legal representative Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge, a law firm with a history of working with Apple. Also curious is the priority company listed on the EU application — Trinidad & Tobago, a country used by Apple in other EU trademarks applications. Slate Computing seemingly does not appear to exist online or in real life but the extensive business description provided on the trademark application fits Apple to a tee, leading TechCrunch to hypothesize that the mysterious company is a shell for Apple. Piecing everything together, Apple, either through MarkMonitor or a shell company called Slate Computing, may have registered a series of iSlate TLDs and filed a trademark for “ISLATE” in both the EU and the US. BGR readers with an opinion chime in and let us know what you think — is Apple behind all this activity surround the name “islate”? Is iSlate really destined to be the name of the rumored tablet? We’re not feeling the name one way or another.

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f(x) and M.I.C for LG Lollipop in China

After the massive success LG had with the release of their Lollipop cellphone with the help of the Big Bang + 2NE1 combo earlier this year, it seems as though the company wants to try their luck with the same produect overseas in China!

However, instead of the YG family combination, SM Entertainment's fresh girl group f(x) and up and coming Chinese boy group M.I.C will be teaming up to promote the phone. Now, we're all very familiar with the ladies of f(x), but what about this boy group?

Well, M.I.C consists of 6 boys that have gone through 3 years of intense training under the established Chinese record label, Tai Rey. After enlisting the help of several American choreographers and the best Chinese songwriters, M.I.C was born. Much like 2NE1, these boys will be making their debut through this CF for LG's Lollipop in China, with f(x) acting as the "Big Bang" figure of sorts, if you want to make comparisons.

Profiles of the 6 guys have been released for those curious, so check 'em out below...


Wang Hao (leader)

Birthday: May 17, 1987
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Height: 175cm
Weight: 62kg
Skills: Popping
Home: Liaoning Dalian
Interests: Music, dance, billiards, basketball, swimming
Favorite Weather: Sunny
Favorite Colors: Green, yellow, white, red, bright like
Favorite Foods: Red Apple, barbecue, raw seafood, fried cicada
Favorite Artists: Andy Lau, Odie
Favorite Singers: Brian Mcknight, Beyonce, Eric Benet, Ne-Yo, Baby face

Zhao Yongxin (second leader)

Birthday: August 25, 1988
Constellation: Virgo
Height: 181cm
Weight: 70kg
Skills: Lyricist, composer, piano, guitar, Hulusi, Sachs
Home: Lijiang, Yunnan
Hobbies: Basketball, soccer, Bingpang Qiu, bowling, skiing, skating and so on. Likes to watch movies (his DVD collection at home is close to 1000), go shopping, and enjoys a variety of folk art and culture.
Favorite Weather: sunny and cloudless
Favorite Colors: black, white
Favorite Foods: hot pot, hot pepper sauce and other spicy foods
Regrets: his grandpa was not able to see him on television before he passed away.
Nickname: “Small Xin”

Tan Jianci

Birthday: October 5, 1990
Astrological Sign: Libra
Height: 174cm
Weight: 58kg
Skills: Show, Latin Dance
Home: Guangxi Beihai
Interests: In addition to singing and dancing performances, basketball, Bing Pangqiu, football, bowling and so on, as well as eating a variety of food, playing online games, and watching movies
Favorite Weather: sunny and cloudy
Favorite Colors: black, white, blue, yellow
Favorite Food: rice noodles
Favorite Singer: MJ
Regrets: Missing his grandfather who passed away as well.
Nickname: lot

Ci Yuehan

Birthday: July 20, 1989
Constellation: Cancer
Height: 175cm
Weight: 60kg
Skills: choreography, hip-hop, b-bOX
Home: Zhejiang Wenzhou
Interests: travel, basketball, computer games, adventure
Education: Graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music Department of Middle School Musical
Favorite weather: sunny
Favorite Foods: dessert, bread
Favorite Singers: MJ, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Chris Brown, Trey Songz
Favorite Music: R&B, Pop, Hip-hop, Rap
Favorite Colors: blue, black, green
Favorite Animal: Dogs
Dreams that one day he will complete his dream and become a great entertainer, wandering around all corners of the world
Regrets: Not learning a variety of musical instruments for his mother and not having his grandfather see him debut

Xiao Shunyao

Birthday: March 23, 1988
Constellation: Aries
Height: 185cm
Weight: 68kg
Skills: Rap, Hip-hop, Krump
Home: Qinghai, Xining
Interests: Love sports, basketball, football
Regrets: Not joining the military
Favorite Weather: Rainy days
Favorite Food: Meat
Favorite Singers: MJ, EMINEM
Favorite Colors: Purple, black, red

Cui Lujia

Birthday: August 21, 1991
Constellation: Leo
Height: 180cm
Weight: 65kg
Skills: Performance, B-BOY
Home: Liaoning Shenyang
Interests: basketball, billiards, driving, travel, play games
Favorite Weather: sunny, light rain days
Favorite Food: Sichuan
Favorite Colors: white, blue
Favorite Music: Hip-hop, pop, ballad
Favorite Singers: MJ, Lee Hom, Shakira
Nickname: Jia Jia


While the boys themselves seem like fairly talented guys and all that good stuff, by the looks of this behind-the-scenes video, it seems as though the CF to be released in China follows the same exact concept as YG family's Lollipop MV, overdosing on bright colors and eccentric wardrobe choices. However, what sets the two videos apart is the song. f(x) and M.I.C will be promoting a different version of Lollipop in Chinese! It's got a pretty infectious hook and you definitely don't need to know Chinese to sing along.

For now, let's try not to judge what this future CF will bring and enjoy the making-of video below! Watch until the very end to catch a glimpse of the actual CF as well.



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Merry Christmas!!

I hope everyone's holidays is filled with happiness and joy this Christmas! See you all in a couple of days with updates from the NY New Years trip!
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2PM’s Heartbeat Again and Again on Christmas Day

This year was definitely 2PM's year because their rise to dominance in 2009 was undeniable. It all started with Again and Again and it's now ending with Heartbeat. So I guess it's only fitting that they ended the year with a special performance of both songs.





Watching the two performances side by side like this make you really appreciate just how much 2PM has grown this year. They also added a special Silent Night performance just for Christmas.


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T-ara enchants the Christmas night on Music Bank

Bo peep bo peep - you all know what that means! T-ara's here and they are jollier than ever.

Just like their previous Inkigayo stage, these 6 shining ladies charms the stage once again with their festive, but rather strange attires of miniature Santa Clauses... plus a snowman, of course. And it was not Eunjung in the snowman costume like last Sunday but Hyomin who stood out from the rest - even if it invites people like Taecyeon, who recently called her costume a 'punishment', to criticize its silliness.

But hey, it's Christmas, a dancing snowman is perfect to make it even more merrier.


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Girls 4 Group Fever with 2PM’s Taecyeon on Christmas

Kara's Seung Yeon, Brown Eyed Girls' Ga In, 4minute's Hyuna and After School's UEE have joined forces just for Music Bank's Hot Girl Group Fever special!

They performed a dance break as well as Baek Ji Young's My Ear's Candy with 2PM's Taecyeon. The girls are performing together as the project group 4Tomorrow for the very first time, but they already look like they could be a real group. Thank you Music Bank for bringing hot girls (and Taecyeon) together this Christmas!





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Netizens want to shower who with flowers?

Even with all the snow showering various locations around the world, netizens in particular would much rather shower their beloved idols with some flowers instead.

In a recent survey done by Yoon Jong Shin Flower Delivery, 549 mall hoppers from November 23 until December 22 were asked, "Which star would you give a bouquet of roses to on Christmas?"

With an outstanding 54.2% of the vote in her grasp, Kara's Goo Hara nabbed the #1 position as the lucky idol to be showered with flower power lovin'! Following the petite idol is the dorkiest dork of 2NE1, Sandara Park. Last but not least is the honey with those honey thighs, After School's UEE. Netizens gave you their picks, so how about we hear some of yours? Which idol would you guys give a bouquet of roses to on Christmas?
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