Samsung to Apple: Kubrick made first iPad

The iPad-like devices in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Stanley Kubrick, not Apple, designed the iPad, Samsung says in a bizarre patent defence that cites 2001: A Space Odyssey as an argument for why its copycat tablet shouldn't be pulled from sale in the US.
Even more surprising is the fact that a senior patent lawyer argues that "Samsung probably has a viable defence here".
Apple and Samsung are suing each other all over the world for patent infringement after Apple accused Samsung of "blatant copying" of its products.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Photo: Supplied

Facebook revamped to combat Google+ threat

The changes mean users can approve or reject all posts depicting or referencing them.

Facebook has today launched a significant privacy-led revamp of the social networking site in a move that's being interpreted as a direct response to the threat posed by Google+.
The site said the changes, designed to make it easier for users to control what personal details are revealed on the site and to whom, would be rolled out to users "in the coming days". Rectifying a major privacy flaw, Facebook users can now approve photos they are tagged in before they appear on their profile
Google+ is still in its early stages - 25 million members at last count compared to Facebook's 750 million - so Facebook isn't in immediate danger but many have remarked about how the Google social network, by grouping friends in "circles", makes it easier to control who you share with.

Heat on Cameron over News pay to fallen adviser

Questions ... discredited former editor Andy Coulson. Photo: PA

British Prime Minister David Cameron faces "serious questions" over claims his former communications chief Andy Coulson received several hundred thousand pounds from News International while he was employed by the Conservatives, Labour says.
The BBC has reported that Coulson, the former News of the World editor, received a series of severance payments for several months after he began working for the Tories.
The instalments totalled the full entitlement under his two-year contract as editor of the now defunct tabloid which was published by News International, the BBC claimed.

His severance package also included continued access healthcare as well as keeping hold of his company car, the BBC said.
A Labour spokesman said: "David Cameron now faces allegations that one of his top advisers was also in the pay of News International.

Perfect service, $500 a night and captivity

The Rixos hotel housed top government officials, foreign journalists and state television facilities but is still in control of forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.

Tripoli's Hotel Rixos was a safer reporting base than the front lines but no longer, writes Jeremy Peters.
WITH a 1600-square-metre spa, helicopter service upon request and a self-described ''culture of service perfection'', the Rixos is Tripoli's premier hotel. The reporters called it the ''Hotel California'' - a place where you could check out any time you liked, but never without a government minder or spies watching your every movement.
At the weekend, the 120-room, $500-a-night oasis in the centre of the Libyan capital became a prison for the journalists working from there. Armed government forces have refused to let journalists leave. And even if they wanted to, a raging gun battle outside would most likely prevent them from getting very far.
As a result, journalists from CNN, Reuters, the BBC and other international news organisations were holed up inside with no electricity or air conditioning, forced to stand clear of windows because of stray bullets.

''It's just become so dangerous being here,'' said CNN's Matthew Chance, the cable channel's senior international correspondent, who was still able to broadcast an occasional update and provided regular commentary via Twitter.

Safe landing: a better way to manage your super

Life plan ... Rose Fox has consolidated her super into one fund. Photo: Quentin Jones

Some super funds are now offering the in-built option of reducing risk as you age, writes John Kavanagh.
The markets have been highly volatile over the past few weeks with big swings on local and overseas shares and fixed interest markets. But what about your super fund? Is it exposed to these risks and should you change your portfolio option to have greater security?
Super fund members should have different attitudes to risk, depending on how old they are and how long they expect to have their money invested before they retire.
The younger you are the more risk you can afford to take. That is because the risky assets are the ones that tend to produce higher returns over time.

But as you get closer to retirement your priorities change.
You start thinking more about capital preservation. Your super fund investment option should have more defensive assets to reflect that.

European bank job 'bloodbath' hits 67,000

UBS’s decision to cut 5 per cent of its workforce brings to more than 40,000 the number of jobs cut by European banks in the past month and to 67,000 this year, as the region’s worsening sovereign debt crisis crimps trading revenue.
UBS, Switzerland’s biggest bank, said yesterday it will eliminate 3500 jobs, mainly from its investment bank. It follows HSBC, which announced 30,000 cuts on August 1, Barclays, which is cutting headcount by 3000, and Royal Bank of Scotland, which is eliminating 2000 posts. Credit Suisse announced 2000 reductions on July 28.
European banks are slashing jobs this year six times faster than their US peers, as concerns about the creditworthiness of Italy, Spain and France roil financial markets and reduce income from fixed-income trading, stock and bond underwriting as well as mergers and acquisitions.

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Financial firms are also cutting costs as regulators force banks to hold more and better quality capital to withstand future shocks.
“It’s a bloodbath, and I expect things to get worse before they get better,” said Jonathan Evans, chairman of executive-search firm Sammons Associates in London. “I cannot see a lot of those who have lost their jobs getting re-employed. Regardless of how good someone is, no one wants to talk about hiring. Life will be very difficult for two or three years.”

Poison at the heart of Greece

'Facing the metrics of doom', Greece is heading for a pyrotechnic default. Photo: AP

The debt-laden country is mired in corruption.
TAVROS is a scruffy suburb in the south-western part of Athens, about five kilometres from the city centre. It is home to the kind of utilitarian office blocks that 1960s town planners thought were a good idea. Many of the buildings are scarred by graffiti and the side streets are strewn with litter.
On a stiflingly hot day, I come here to interview Petros Themelis, a Finance Ministry official, who runs a call centre that's part of the Greek government's battle against tax evaders. The idea is that public-spirited citizens ring up and dob in those they suspect of tax-dodging. This is the human factor in a much bigger war: Greece's life-or-death struggle with the debt beast.
The state's accumulated borrowings are equal to about 160 per cent of national output. Greece cannot afford to service the interest, much less repay the capital. The country is, in effect, insolvent. Without the largesse of outsiders - many billions in bailouts from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union - it would already have collapsed into bankruptcy.

I do not: Warne hasn't popped question to Hurley

Warne and Hurley ... deny marriage rumours. Photo: Getty Images

It had all the potential to be the one Australian wedding greater than Scott and Charlene's nuptials on Neighbours.
But those waiting with bated breath to hear a confirmation that Shane Warne has proposed to Liz Hurley will be sorely disappointed.
A spokeswoman for Warne's manager, James Erskine, denied a report in yesterday's Daily Star newspaper that the former international cricketer popped the question during a Spanish cruise.

"It's not true, it's just rumours," the spokeswoman said.
The couple have been reported to be engaged several times this year after getting together in December.
The pair, who let their relationship play out on Twitter, stayed silent on the subject and did nothing to quash the latest rumour in recent days.

Getting the best out of blonde

High maintenance ... Cameron Diaz's blonde locks require extra care.

Cameron Diaz's hair colourist advises bottle blondes to have hair no longer than mid-length.
Based in Los Angeles, Tracey Cunningham is Redken's creative consultant for colour. She's worked with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Bosworth as well as Diaz and says blonde is the colour of the moment.
However, as stylish as it looks it can be tough to maintain.

"This process involves a lot of bleach to strip away your natural colour and everyone's hair reacts differently to it," she explained.

Why lazy parents make happy families

Relax ... to raise happier, more resourceful children, says Idle Parent author.

Children need time and space just to play and to be - if not they'll end up psychologically damaged and useless, says a British parenting writer and philosopher.
Tom Hodgkinson is author of The Idle Parent, a book that encourages parents to adopt a hands-off approach so that their children become more self-reliant and capable.
Such advice could be something Australian parents need to hear. A new survey of more than 400 Aussie parents with kids between the ages of five and 12 shows almost half (47 per cent) are suffering from "family fatigue". And the culprits? A lack of time, too many extracurricular activities, too much homework and too many hours spent in front of a television or computer screen.

Kimberly Stewart's delightful baby name

New mum ... Kimberly Stewart.

New parents Benicio del Toro and Kimberly Stewart plan to call their baby daughter Delilah, Entertainment Tonight reports.
Stewart gave birth on Sunday at a Los Angeles hospital with her rock star father Rod Stwart and his wife Penny Lancaster by her side.
Del Toro and Stewart are no longer together but the Oscar-winning actor has confirmed that he is the father of the child.

Rich list reveals most cashed up couples

Brazilian beauty Gisele Bundchen and her American footballer husband Tom Brady have seen off Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles to be named the world's wealthiest celebrity couple.
The mega-rich supermodel and her sports star partner took home a joint income of $US75 million ($72.56 million) in 2010, according to the list compiled by Forbes magazine.
Gisele Bundchen had already been named the highest-earning model in the world for the past three years, boosted by lucrative campaigns with Versace, Dior, True Religion jeans and Ebel watches and a successful shoe line.