Monthly Archives: September 2020

Holy cow! Gateway laptops return via Walmart exclusive

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Gateway, now owned by Acer, has returned exclusively at Walmart in a move that may combine the need for laptops with a bit of nostalgia.

Gateway PCs will be available exclusively at Walmart with a range of laptops that cover multiple price points and use cases.

The Gateway devices at Walmart will include laptops, 2-in-1s, and an Ultra Slim and Creators series with both AMD and Intel processors.

Acer bought Gateway in 2007 for $710 million in a move to acquire market share. The Gateway brand, which used to go toe-to-toe with the likes of HP and Dell, faded away. Acer still owns the Gateway brand and forged the Walmart deal as Jade Zhou, head of global strategic alliances for Acer, noted the brand’s history and how its cow-spotted boxes “have been well-loved in the United States since 1985.”

What remains to be seen is whether the Gateway nostalgia play bolsters Acer’s market share vs. the likes of HP, Lenovo, and Dell.

The lineup includes:

  • 11.6-inch Ultra Slim Laptop (MSRP: $199.99) featuring Windows 10, AMD A4, 4GB/64GB. Available in four colors: Black, purple, blue, and green.
  • 14.1-inch Ultra Slim Laptop (MSRP: $239.99) featuring Windows 10, Intel Celeron, 4GB/64GB. Available in four colors: Black, purple, blue, and green.
  • 14.1-inch Ultra Slim Laptop (MSRP: $429.99) featuring Windows 10, AMD Ryzen 3 3200U – Dual Core 2.6 GHz, 4GB/128GB. Available in 4 colors: Black, purple, blue, and green.
  • 14.1-inch Ultra Slim Laptop (MSRP: $459.99) featuring Windows 10, Intel i3, 4GB/128GB. Available in four colors: Black, purple, blue, and green.
  • 14.1-inch Ultra Slim Laptop (MSRP: $599.99) featuring Windows 10, Intel i5, 16GB/256GB. Available in four colors: Black, rose gold, blue, and green.
  • 15.6″ Ultra Slim Laptop (MSRP: $649.99) featuring Windows 10, Intel i5, 16GB /256GB. Available in four colors: Black, rose gold, blue, and green.
  • 11.6-inch 2-in-1 Laptop (MSRP: $299.99) with a Touchscreen panel, featuring Windows 10, Intel Celeron, 4GB/64GB. Available in 4 colors: Black, purple, blue, and green.
  • 15.6-inch Laptop (MSRP: $899.99) featuring Windows 10, AMD Ryzen 5 4600H Six Core 3.0 GHz, 8GB/256GB, Nvidia 1650 GTX GPU.
  • 15.6-inchCreators Series Laptop (MSRP: $1199.99) featuring Windows 10, Intel i5, 8GB/256GB, Nvidia 2060 RTX GPU.
  • 8-inch Tablet, (MSRP: $69.99) 800X1280 ips, A50, 1GB/32GB, Android 10. Available in black, purple, and blue.
  • 10.1-inch Tablet, (MSRP: $79.99) 800X1280 ips, A50, 1GB/32GB, Android 10. Available in black, purple, and blue.

Sharon’s Guacamole

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4 Ripe Avocados
2 Limes, juiced
1 Roma Tomato, diced
1 Small Red Onion, diced
1 Jalapeno, deseeded and diced
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Kosher Salt to Taste

Take the avocado cut across the center and split in halves. Take the pit out and take the avocado out of shell using a large spoon. Place in a mixing bowl and add juice of lime. Incorporate together using a large spoon to break up the avocado.

Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and season to taste.

FSU Receiver moving on from comments

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Florida State receiver Warren Thompson is looking to put his controversial comments he was misled by the Seminoles coaching staff about COVID-19 test results behind him.

Thompson spoke with reporters Tuesday for the first time since he posted a statement on social media on Aug. 12 accusing FSU coach Mike Norvell and the staff of “lying” to him about the team’s COVID-19 safety protocols. He later deleted the Twitter post and posted an apology for his comments four days later before deleting his account.

Warren Thompson

“We just came to an agreement,” Thompson said of his discussions with Norvell. “I want to be with my team and I want to be with my coach and play football. This is what I want to do and I feel safe here and I’m ready to play ball.”

Norvell told reporters on Aug. 17 that he spoke with Thompson and that they “were moving forward together.”

The team released its depth chart for Saturday’s season opener against Georgia Tech Monday and Thompson was listed as one of the starting receivers along with Tamorrion Terry and Keyshawn Helton.

“It was pretty good because of the work that I put in. It’s been a long journey,” said Thompson, a redshirt sophomore who had six catches for 91 yards last season. “I didn’t want that to dictate all of the hard work that I’ve put in, so I’m just glad thatit can still pay off.”

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Baseball great Lou Brock dead at 81

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Lou Brock, St. Louis Cardinals

Lou Brock, the Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals’ outfielder who topped 3,000 hits and retired as the all-time leader in stolen bases, has died at 81.

Dick Zitzmann, Brock’s longtime agent and friend, confirmed Brock’s death on Sunday to The Associated Press, but he said he couldn’t provide any details. In 2017, Brock was diagnosed with cancer, and in recent years, he lost a leg from diabetes.

“Over my 25-plus years of being his agent, he was perhaps the happiest Hall of Famer I’ve ever encountered,” Zitzmann told AP. “I think he led a life that will never be duplicated.”

Brock stole 938 bases in his career, including 118 in 1974 — both of those were MLB records until they were broken by Rickey Henderson.

Brock, who had a career batting average of .293, led the majors in steals eight times and scored 100 or more runs seven times. He also accumulated 3,023 career hits. In the postseason, Brock was even more impressive. He had a .391 batting average, with four home runs, 16 RBIs, and 14 steals in 21 World Series games. He led the Cardinals to World Series titles in 1964 and 1967.

Brock’s death came after Hall of Fame pitcher and New York Mets legend Tom Seaver died on Monday. Brock and Seaver faced each other 157 times, the most prolific matchup for both of them in their careers.

This Day in History

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On Sept. 7, 1907, the
British liner RMS Lusitania set outfrom Liverpool, England, on its maiden voyage, arriving six days later in New York.

RMS Lusitania coming into port, possibly in New York, 1907-13

In 1940, Nazi Germany began its eight-month blitz of Britain during World War II with the first air attack on London.

September 7, 1940: Men assess the damage following a night raid on Elephant & Castle. Civilians sheltered in the underground station as German bombs were dropped.

In 1963, the National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio.

Opened in 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coaches, franchise owners, and front-office personnel, almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League (NFL)

In 1977, the Panama Canal treaties, calling for the U.S. to eventually turnover control of the waterway to Panama, were signedin Washington by President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos.

In 1979, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) made its cable TV debut.

ESPN makes it debut to an estimated 30,000 viewers.

In 1986, Desmond Tutu was installed as the first Black clergyman to lead the Anglican Church in southern Africa.

Desmond Tutu named Archbishop of Cape Town

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Occasion: Proper 18
Sunday, September 06, 2020
Year (cycle): A

The Collect:
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Old Testament: Exodus 12:1-14 [Alternate: Ezekiel 33:7-11]
1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2 This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. 4 If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10 You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

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Hubble captures gorgeous, delicate supernova blast wave

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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured many images that look so incredible you almost can’t believe they’re real. The image below definitely falls into that category, especially because at first glance it’s almost impossible to tell what it is. A delicate orange ribbon drifting through space? That doesn’t really exist… does it? Apparently it does, only it’s not a ribbon, it’s the incredibly powerful blast wave from a dying star.

A blast wave from a supernova in the Cygnus constellation

As NASA explains in a new blog post, what we’re seeing here is really just a fraction of the overall picture. This tiny sliver of the blast wave sits some 2,400 light-years from Earth. That’s a safe enough distance that we’re not in danger, but close enough that Hubble can show us the beautiful, destructive force from afar.

Supernovas occur when stars of certain sizes die. They exhaust their fuel and collapse in on themselves, leading to a massive explosion. The star that created the supernova that produced this particular blast wave was a real monster. NASA estimates that it was around 20 times as massive as our own Sun. The explosion itself occurred somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, according to NASA scientists.

“Since then, the remnant has expanded 60 light-years from its center,” NASA explains. “The shockwave marks the outer edge of the supernova remnant and continues to expand at around 220 miles per second. The interaction of the ejected material and the low-density interstellar material swept up by the shockwave forms the distinctive veil-like structure seen in this image.”

The star that went boom is part of the Cygnus constellation. The massive collection of stars takes up 36 times as much room in the night sky as the Moon. That’s big, but it’s not nearly as large as the largest constellations like Hydra and Ursa Major. Nevertheless, you’d have to squint pretty hard to see this blast wave from your back yard. Just kidding, please don’t try to see this. You definitely won’t be able to.

It’s pretty wild to think that the Hubble Space Telescope has been orbiting Earth for over 30 years already, yet continues to return stunning images like the one you see above. Imaging technology has come a long way since the spacecraft was first launched — a few upgrades and some maintenance along the way have kept it tip-top shape — but you have to wonder what incredible things we’ll be able to see once NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope finally takes to the skies… whenever that may be.