Don't fix it if it ain't broke. I like my Picasa and Blogger. I use both to teach my journalism and photography students.

Amplify’d from www.cnn.com

Google to retire Blogger & Picasa brands

(Mashable) -- Say goodbye to the Picasa and Blogger names: Google intends to retire several non-Google name brands and rename them as Google products, Mashable has learned.

Blogger and Picasa aren't going away, of course -- they're two of Google's most popular products. Instead, according to two sources familiar with the matter, Google intends to rename Picasa "Google Photos" and Blogger will become "Google Blogs."

Picasa and Blogger were also Google acquisitions, although both companies have been part of the Google empire for far longer. Picasa was acquired in 2004 and Blogger (co-founded by Evan Williams of Twitter) was acquired in 2003 and is one of the top 10 most visited websites in the world.

Although the rebranding could upset some existing customers, it also gives Google the ability to completely integrate both services into Google+. Read more at www.cnn.com

 

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Another new and expensive way to get rid of fat?

Hello people: Hit the treadmill and go join Weight Watchers. These are tried and true methods.

Amplify’d from abcnews.go.com

Brown Fat May Help People Lose Weight, Lower Blood Pressure

Looking for the holy grail of weight loss? In the future, people may be able to receive an injection that burns calories and melts away fat, or at least that's what a new study on mice may suggest.

Our bodies contain two kinds of fat: white and brown. White fat is the kind that most people are trying to get rid of. It stores calories, but too much causes obesity and increases risk of type 2 diabetes, along with several other obesity-related diseases. Brown fat acts like muscle—it contains iron and even burns calories within the cells. It is also responsible for maintaining body temperature. The brown fat is naturally lost as people age, and it cannot be gained by eating certain foods or performing certain exercises.

But in a finding that may be exciting for many, researchers were able to turn white fat into brown fat by blocking a natural chemical in the body. The change led to weight loss, improved blood sugar levels and insulin tolerance in the mice.

Meanwhile, some doctors wonder why so much money is going into biomedical attempts at weight loss when we all know the tried and true methods of shedding pounds. Read more at abcnews.go.com

 

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