Mahout, There It Is! Open Source Algorithms Remake Overstock.com

SALT LAKE CITY — Judd Bagley set out to build a web app that would serve up a never-ending stream of news stories tailored to your particular tastes. And he did. It’s called MyCurrent. But in creating this clever little app, Bagley also pushed online retailer Overstock.com away from the $2-million-a-year service it was using to generate product recommendations for web shoppers, and onto a...

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Ricky Gervais in negotiations for “The Muppets” sequel

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Ricky Gervais is in negotiations to star in “The Muppets” sequel at Disney, a representative for the actor told TheWrap.Ty Burrell was cast in the film earlier this month after Christoph Waltz dropped out.James Bobin, who directed the 2011 Muppets film, is directing the sequel, which he co-wrote with Nicholas Stoller.Filming is expected to begin in Europe early next year.The...

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The New Old Age Blog: In the Middle: Helping Unhappy Couples

A post on Monday discussed the forces that can make an older couple’s good marriage suddenly go bad — an array of subtle, and often-misunderstood, mental, physical and emotional factors that can upset the equilibrium of even the happiest marriages.Now we have consulted marriage counselors and geriatricians to find out what caregivers — either the grown children of the couple, or one of the spouses...

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President Delivers a New Offer on the Fiscal Crisis to Boehner

Joshua Roberts/ReutersSpeaker John A. Boehner returned to his office on Monday after meeting with President Obama. WASHINGTON — President Obama delivered to Speaker John A. Boehner a new offer on Monday to resolve the pending fiscal crisis, a deal that would raise revenues by $1.2 trillion over the next decade but keep in place the Bush-era tax rates for any household with earnings below $400,000....

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Obama promises Newtown, Conn., he'll do more to protect children

NEWTOWN, Conn. — Before a town devastated by a rampage against its children, and a nation wondering how it could happen again,...

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Alt Text: How to End an Argument on the Internet

The problem with arguing on the Internet is…Let me start over. There is obviously more than one problem with arguing on the Internet.One of the problems with arguing on the Internet is…Wait, no. Really, Internet arguments are intrinsically a problem, and pointing out “a problem” with them is like trying to point out one of the unpleasant implications of racial cleansing. Let’s try that again.A...

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Hollywood hacker honed his skills for years

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Long before Christopher Chaney made headlines by hacking into the email accounts of such stars as Scarlett Johansson and Christina Aguilera, two other women say he harassed and stalked them online.The women, who both knew Chaney, say their lives have been irreparably damaged by his actions. One has anxiety and panic attacks; the other is depressed and paranoid. Both say Chaney was...

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The New Old Age Blog: In the Middle: Why Elderly Couples Fight

George and Gracie (let’s call them that because using their real names would make them even unhappier than they already appear to be) are in their 80s and married for more than 65 years. Until recently they seemed to ride the waves that are inevitable in any marriage that spans nearly seven decades; through good and bad, they were partners and best friends.But lately — ever since her hospitalization...

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DealBook: S.E.C. Says Asset Firm Manipulated Trades to Enrich Some Clients

Just a few years ago, sitting in his 19th-floor office with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, 3,000 miles from Wall Street, Peter J. Eichler Jr., had reached the top of the money management world.His firm, Aletheia Research and Management, based in Santa Monica, Calif., controlled more than $10 billion. Mr. Eichler’s stellar investment performance attracted the likes of Goldman Sachs and Morgan...

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In Connecticut, a mother coped silently with a troubled son

NEWTOWN, Conn. — On the outside, Nancy Lanza was the picture of contented motherhood: volunteering at her sons' school, gardening,...

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